Autodesk 3ds max 2016 tutorial free

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Beginner's Guide to Create Models in 3ds Max 2016 - Autodesk 3ds max 2016 tutorial free

 

You'll learn the basics of modeling, texturing, animating, and visual effects as you create a retro-style alarm clock, animate a thrown knife, model a chair, and more. Whether you're a complete beginner or migrating from another 3D application, this task-based book provides the solid grounding you need in Autodesk 3ds Max If you want to learn 3ds Max quickly and painlessly, Autodesk 3ds Max Essentials helps you start animating today. You need to choose the Undo Scene Operation tool repeatedly till all the previously performed actions are reversed.

To reverse a number of actions at a time, click on the arrow of the Undo Scene Operation tool in the Quick Access Toolbar ; a list of actions will be displayed, refer to Figure Move the cursor over the number of actions that you want to reverse; the actions will be selected and then click.

By default, you can reverse your actions up to 20 times. By default, the General tab is chosen in this dialog box. In the Scene Undo area, set the new value in the Levels spinner, as shown in Figure You need to choose the Redo Scene Operation tool repeatedly till you want to reverse the actions performed earlier. To reverse a number of actions at a time, click on the arrow of the Redo Scene Operation tool in the Quick Access Toolbar ; a list of last actions will be displayed.

Move the cursor over the number of actions that you want to reverse; the actions will be selected. Next, click on the list; the selected action will be displayed. Sometimes you may want to perform experiments on a scene. In such as a case you need to hold the scene.

The Hold tool is used to hold a scene and to save the work done in a temporary file with the name maxhold. Choose the Yes button; the scene with the previous command will be displayed. In this way, you can go back to a series of commands using the Hold tool. PCX Note When you use the Fetch tool in a scene, the history of the actions performed so far will be deleted.

As a result, you cannot undo or redo the actions performed before invoking this tool. In 3ds Max, you can use the hot keys to choose some of the commonly used tools and commands. These keys are known as the hot keys. You can work faster and more efficiently using the hot keys. The major hot keys and their functions are listed next. The hot keys that can be used to invoke the tools available in the Main Toolbar are given next:.

The hot keys that can be used to invoke the tools available in the viewport navigation controls are given next:. The hot keys that can be used to invoke the tools available in the animation playback controls are given next:. In 3ds Max, you can create your own keyboard shortcuts. In this dialog box, the Keyboard tab is chosen by default. Next, select a command from the Group and Category drop-down lists; a list of corresponding actions will be displayed just below the Category drop-down list.

Now, select one of the actions from the list and then enter the key that you want to assign to the selected action in the Hotkey text box. Next, choose the Assign button; the key is assigned to the selected action. You can modify the colors for almost every element in the interface.

Choose the Colors tab from this dialog box, refer to Figure Next, select the category of the interface element from the Elements drop-down list; the list of the corresponding elements will be displayed just below the Elements drop-down list. Now, select one of the elements from the list and click on the Color swatch on the right of the Elements drop-down list; the Color Selector dialog box will be displayed. Select a new color and choose the OK button to close the Color Selector dialog box.

To reset the new color to the default one, click on the Reset button located next to the Color color swatch. You can also reset all the changes you made to colors. To do so, choose the Reset button at the bottom of the Customize User Interface dialog box; the Revert Color File message box will be displayed, as shown in Figure Choose the Yes button; the default colors will be displayed in the color swatches. Choose the Help tab in this dialog box, refer to Figure Select the path where you have saved the file and then choose the OK button to exit the dialog box.

Next, choose the OK button in the Preference Settings dialog box; the dialog box will be closed. Now, you can access the help from your local drive. Next, enter the initial characters of a command; a list of command names that contain the specified characters will be displayed, refer to Figure Now, you can execute the desired command by choosing it from the list displayed. PCX Note For the printing purpose, this textbook will follow the white background.

However, for better understanding and clear visualization, at various places this textbook will follow other color schemes as well. In addition, the Shaded shading type is used throughout the textbook in all screen captures. Moreover, at some places in figures, grids will be hidden for better understanding and visualization. Answer the following questions and then compare them to those given at the end of this chapter:.

Which of the following buttons is used to improve the performance of a viewport in a complex scene by temporarily decreasing the visual fidelity of some of the objects?

Which of the following dialog boxes is used to set the spacing in the grids displayed in the viewports? Most of the 3ds Max modeling and animation tools can be chosen from the tabs located in the Command Panel. The default interface of 3ds Max consists of three equal sized viewports surrounded by tools and commands. The tools in the animation playback controls are used to control the display of a viewport.

The options in the General viewport label menu are used for defining the type of shadings displayed in the viewport. ViewCube, 5. Welcome Screen , 7. T, In this chapter, you will learn to create the default 3D objects called standard primitives. These geometric primitives are parametric objects.

You will also learn about viewport navigation controls and selection techniques. The tools at the lower right corner of the Autodesk 3ds Max screen are known as viewport navigation controls. These tools are used to control the display and navigation of the viewport. To adjust the view of an object in a viewport, you need to be familiar with the tools in the viewport navigation controls area.

Note that some of the tools mentioned below are available in a flyout which will be displayed when you click on the arrow on the lower right corner of the tool icon. These tools are discussed next. PCX The Zoom tool is used to increase or decrease the magnification in the active viewport. You can zoom in by pressing the left mouse button and dragging the cursor up. Similarly, you can zoom out by pressing the left mouse button and then dragging the cursor down.

PCX The Zoom All tool is the same as the Zoom tool with the only difference that this tool zooms the display in all the four viewports simultaneously. PCX The Zoom Region tool is used to define the area to be magnified and viewed in the current viewport.

The area to be magnified is specified by a rectangle created by dragging the cursor. The Zoom Region tool is not available in the Camera viewport. It is used to change the field of view of the scene in these viewports. More the field of view of a camera, more will be the visibility of the scene, and vice-versa. This tool enables you to display the contents of the viewport that are outside the display area without changing the magnification of the current viewport.

On invoking this tool you can pan and zoom the scene outside the rendering frame. In other words, the position of the camera does not change when you pan or zoom in the scene. If the 2D Pan Zoom Mode tool is chosen, an additional viewport label appears on the right of the other viewport labels. It allows you to navigate through these viewports by pressing a set of shortcut keys. On invoking this tool, the cursor changes into a circle with a dot at its center. Press the arrow keys to navigate through the viewport.

On pressing the arrow keys, the cursor shows a directional arrow indicating the navigation direction. This enables you to see three-dimensional 3D view of the objects in the Perspective viewport. You can also rotate the Top, Front, and Left viewports.

But in such cases, the respective viewport becomes the Orthographic viewport. PCX The Orbit Selected tool is the same as the Orbit tool with the only difference that it is used to rotate the viewport around the center of the current selection. PCX The Maximize Viewport Toggle tool is used to maximize the active viewport so that you can view only the active viewport instead of all the four viewports.

It is used to move the camera toward and away from the target. If the camera passes through the target, the camera flips degrees and moves away from its target.

This tool is used to move the target of the camera towards and away from it. If the target passes through the camera to the other side, the camera view will be reversed. Otherwise, there will be no visual change in the camera viewport. This tool is used to move both the camera and its target. It rotates the target camera about its line of sight, and rotates a free camera about its local Z axis.

To select an object, choose this tool and move the cursor over the object; the cursor will convert into a selection cursor. Next, press the left mouse button; the object will be selected. To select more than one object at a time, hold the CTRL key and select the objects that you want to add to the selection.

To remove an object from the selection, press and hold the ALT key and then click on the object that you want to remove from the selection. If there are some components in the scene, then those components will be displayed in this dialog box, as shown in Figure Now, select an object in the list and choose the OK button.

Alternatively, you can double-click on the object name in the list to select it. The buttons at the top of the dialog box are used to filter the objects in the list. You can move an object by selecting it and then dragging the mouse along the X, Y, or Z axis. To move the selected object along one of the axes, choose this tool and then select the object; the move gizmo will be displayed. Move the cursor over the axis along which you want to move the object, press the left mouse button, and then drag the cursor.

Similarly, to move the object in one of the planes, move the cursor over the plane displayed between the two axes; the plane will be highlighted in yellow. Next, press the left mouse button and drag the cursor.

To rotate the object along one of the axes, choose the Select and Rotate tool, and then select the object; a rotate gizmo will be displayed along with the X, Y, and Z axes.

Next, move the cursor over the axes along which you want to rotate the object, press the left mouse button, and then drag the cursor. When you rotate the object, a transparent slice will be displayed which will provide a visual representation of the direction and the degree of rotation, refer to Figure Also, you can view the degree of rotation in the X, Y, and Z axes in the coordinates displayed in the Coordinate display area at the bottom of the screen.

Figure The circular gizmo in the Top viewport displayed while rotating the object. Autodesk 3ds Max Essentials is your perfect hands-on guide to start animating quickly. Using approachable, real-world exercises, you'll master the fundamentals of this leading animation software by following full-color screen shots step by step. Each chapter opens with a quick discussion of concepts and learning objectives, and then launches into hands-on tutorials that give you firsthand experience and a good start on preparing for the 3ds Max certification exam.

The viewports in Autodesk 3ds Max are used to create 3D scenes. Also, they enable you to view a scene from different angles. When you create an object in the viewport, the Top, Front, and Left viewports will display the top, front, and left orthographic views of the object, respectively.

The active viewport in 3ds Max is highlighted with a yellow border. Only one viewport can remain active at a time. All commands and actions in 3ds Max are performed in the active viewport. You can modify the size of the viewports by dragging the intersection of the viewports on the splitter bars.

To restore the original layout, right-click on the intersection of the dividing lines; a shortcut menu will be displayed, as shown in Figure Choose the Reset Layout option from the shortcut menu; the viewports will be restored to their default size. Figure Choosing the Reset Layout option from the shortcut menu. On the bottom left corner of each viewport, there is a world-space tripod, as shown in Figure The world-space tripod has three axes, X, Y, and Z, which are displayed in red, green, and blue colors, respectively.

The tripod always refers to the world coordinate system, regardless of the local coordinate system. ViewCube is placed at the top right corner of the viewport, refer to Figure The ViewCube provides visual feedback of the current orientation of the viewport. Figure The world space tripod, grid, and ViewCube in the Perspective viewport. It is important to note that the Local coordinate system defines local position of an object in a scene whereas the World coordinate system uses fixed axes to define the position of all the objects in the world space.

Each viewport has a grid placed in it, refer to Figure It is like a graph paper in which all the lines intersect each other at right angles. You can modify the spacing in the grids. The grids in all viewports act as an aid to visualize the spacing and distance while creating objects. Also, they are used as a construction plane to create and align the objects. You can also use the grids as a reference system while using the snap tools to align the objects. You can also hide the grid in the viewport.

To do so, press the G key; the grid will disappear from the viewport. To make the grid visible, press G again. At the top left corner of each viewport, there are three viewport labels: General viewport label, Point of view POV viewport label, and Shading viewport label, refer to Figure When you click on any of the viewport labels, the corresponding flyout will be displayed, as shown in Figure The options in these shortcut menus are used to modify various aspects of the active viewport.

You can configure the active viewport by using the options in the General viewport label menu. Choose the Configure Viewports option from this menu; the Viewport Configuration dialog box will be displayed.

Various options in this dialog box can be used to configure the viewports. You already know that four equally sized viewports are displayed on the screen. However, you can change the viewport configuration based on your requirement. To change the basic configuration of the viewports, choose the Layout tab of the Viewport Configuration dialog box, refer to Figure In the Layout tab, you can specify the division method of the viewports.

There are 14 types of configurations displayed at the top in the tab. Select the required configuration and then choose the OK button; the viewports will be displayed according to the configuration that you have selected in the Viewport Configuration dialog box. Figure The Layout tab of the Viewport Configuration dialog box. Note The viewport configuration specifies how the viewports will be arranged on the screen.

You can change the default viewport to any other viewport type available such as Bottom, Right, and so on, by using the options in the POV viewport label menu.

To do so, click on the POV viewport label; a flyout will be displayed. Choose the viewport that you want to display. You can also use the Shading viewport label menu for defining the type of shading displayed in the viewport. However, some other shading types are available in the cascading menu of the Stylized option, refer to Figure These shading types are Graphite , Color Pencil , Ink , and so on.

You can choose any one of the options to change the shading. Figure Different shading types in the cascading menu of the Stylized option. There are various tools available at the bottom right corner of the Autodesk 3ds Max screen, as shown in Figure These tools are known as viewport navigation controls and they are used to control the display and navigation of the viewport.

The tools displayed in the viewport navigation controls depend on the viewport selected. For example, if the Camera viewport is selected, its corresponding tools will be displayed in the viewport navigation control.

These tools are discussed in detail in the later chapters. The Viewport Layout tab bar enables you to store multiple viewport setups in a single scene. You can switch between different viewport setups with a click.

To display the viewport layout tab bar, right-click in the blank area on the Main Toolbar ; a shortcut menu will be displayed with the names of all toolbars, refer to Figure Next, choose the Viewport Layout Tabs option; the Viewport Layout tab bar will be displayed on the screen. By default, there is a single tab at the bottom of the bar that represents the startup layout. To add more layout tabs to the bar, click on the arrow button on the bar; the Standard Viewport Layouts flyout will be displayed.

Next, choose the required option from the flyout; the chosen layout tab will be added to the bar. To remove a tab from the bar, right-click on the tab; a shortcut menu will be displayed. Next, choose Delete Tab from the shortcut menu. The tools in the animation playback controls are displayed on the left side of the viewport navigation controls, refer to Figure These tools are used to control the animation in the active viewport. Also, you can set the total number of frames, animation length, and other settings of the animation using these tools.

The tools in the animation keying controls are displayed on the left side of the animation playback controls, refer to Figure These tools are used to enter or exit different animation modes. The track bar lies between the time slider and the status bar, refer to Figure It displays a timeline along with the frame numbers.

The time slider displays the current frame and the total number of frames in the current time segment, refer to Figure You can view the animation at each frame by dragging the time slider. The time segment is the total range of frames that you can access using the time slider. By default, it ranges from 0 to You can set the range using the Time Configuration dialog box, about which you will learn in the later chapters.

There are various tools in the status bar that provide information about the scene and the active command, as shown in Figure The prompt line, which is located at the bottom of the screen, displays information about the active command or tool.

On top of the status bar, a text box known as the status line is available. This status line displays the number of currently selected objects current selection set. The Selection Lock Toggle tool on the right side of the status bar is used to lock the selection set. The Grid setting display area is placed on the right of the Coordinate display area.

It displays the size of the grid. The time tag area located below the grid setting display area is used to assign the text labels at any point of time in your animation. Click on the time tag area; a flyout with the Add Tag and Edit Tag options will be displayed. Use these options to add or edit the text labels at any point of time in your animation.

The Adaptive Degradation button placed on the right of the prompt line is used to improve the viewport performance in a complex scene by decreasing the visual fidelity of some of the objects temporarily. This results in smoother viewport motions and object transformations in such scenes. It also improves viewport quality incrementally, depending on the availability of processing time. To activate this feature, right-click on the Adaptive Degradation button; the Viewport Configuration dialog box will be displayed, as shown in Figure The Display Performance tab is chosen by default in this dialog box.

Now, change the settings in the Display Performance tab based on your requirement and choose the OK button. The Max Creation Graph is a new feature added to 3ds Max It uses node based Max Creation Graph Editor. Using this editor, you can create customized tools which are used to create various geometrical shapes, create modifiers, specify render settings, create utilities, and so on. All these panels in the Max Creation Graph-Untitled window can be resized, undocked, and closed. Click on the arrow at the left of the category name to expand it.

The Main Graph Window panel is used to connect various nodes and operators. This network is then evaluated using the commands in the menu bar to create customized tools. The Message Log panel displays messages for the network created in the Main Graph Window panel once it is evaluated. On creating the network of nodes and operators, you need to evaluate it and save it at the default location with desired name to use it as a customized tool in 3ds Max interface.

Snaps restrict the movement of the cursor to a specific part of an object or grid. In this dialog box, you can select different parts of the objects or grid where the cursor will snap to. You can turn the snap command on and off by pressing the S key or by choosing the Snaps Toggle tool.

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