loFtInG an objeCt | 363 3. Expand the Deformations rollout and then click Scale, as shown in Figure 7.30. Scale changes the size, in the X or Y direction, of the loft object. The Z direction always points along the path; the X- and Y-axes are always perpendicular to the path. This opens the Scale Deformation (X) dialog box shown in Figure 7.31. The red line, cur- rently at a value of 100, indicates that the scale of the loft is consistently at 100 percent of its designed size. In other words, all the cross sections appear at the same size as their instanced counterparts. The black boxes at the end of the red line represent the corner points where the scale is defined. To change the scale, you would move a corner point upward to increase it or downward to decrease it. 4. Make sure the Make Symmetrical button in the Scale Deformation box’s toolbar is active. In this exercise, only the scale of the X-axis is changed, but the Make Symmetrical button forces the Y-axis to match the X-axis. 5. You want to change the scale at the middle of the object, but not at the ends, so you’ll need to add a new corner point at the midpoint of the path. Click the Insert Corner Point button. 6. Click on the red line, about halfway along its length. A white box appears showing the location of the new corner point. Like most objects in 3ds Max, selected corner points are white. Unselected corner points are black. There are two fields at the bottom of the dialog box. The left field is the location, as a per- centage of the path, of the selected corner point. The right field is the value, as a percent- age of scale, of the loft at that corner point. 7. In the left field, enter 50↵. In the right field, enter 125↵ (see Figure 7.32). The pedestal shaft bows outward at 50 percent along the path (see Figure 7.33). Figure 7.30 The Scale Defor- mation button Figure 7.31 The Scale Defor- mation (X) dialog box for the pedes- tal loft object 364 | CHAPTER 7 orGanIzInG and edItInG objeCts The main, tubular shaft isn’t the only part of the pedestal with an increased scale. The entire length is in a constant state of increased or decreased scale. Here, you’ll restrict the scale defor- mation to the shaft section only. The vertical dashed lines indicate the points along the path where shapes are placed. The solid line indicates the location specified in the Path field of the Path Parameters rollout. 1. Select Insert Corner Point and then click on the red line at approximately 12 percent, where the 4½˝ radius circular cross sections begins, and then click again, at about 88 percent, where it ends (see Figure 7.34). 2. To find the exact percentage value for the smaller circular cross sections, click the Percentage radio button in the Path Parameters rollout and then use the Previous Shape and Next Shape buttons to jump to those shapes in the loft object, as shown in Figure 7.35. Figure 7.32 Moving the midpoint vertex Figure 7.33 The pedestal after increasing the scale to 125 percent at the midpoint Figure 7.34 The Scale Deformation points are inserted. Figure 7.35 The Previous Shape and Next Shape buttons loFtInG an objeCt | 365 3. Select a corner point in the Scale Deformation dialog box that corresponds to the current cross section in the Path parameters rollout, and then enter the Path value into the left input field and 100↵ in the right. Your path scale should begin and end with flat sections, indicating no change in scale, and have a peak in the middle when the increase in scale occurs (see Figure 7.36). The last item to adjust is the sharpness of the corner point at the middle of the loft. Like the vertices of a spline, the corner points can be either sharp or smooth. 1. Select the corner point at the middle of the path, and right-click and choose Bezier-Corner from the pop-up menu, as shown in Figure 7.37. 2. Two handles appear, projecting from the selected corner point, as shown in Figure 7.38. Move each handle upward to soften the transition into the corner point. Be sure not to move the handles higher than the corner point, or the shaft diameter will become larger on one side of the corner point and then recede back to 125 percent at the corner point. When you’re done, the pedestal should look like Figure 7.39. Figure 7.36 Flat sections and peaks Figure 7.37 Choose the Bezier Corner option. Figure 7.38 The Bezier handles 366 | CHAPTER 7 orGanIzInG and edItInG objeCts 3. Close the Scale Deformation (X) dialog box. 4. Save your file. Turning Deformations On and Off Each of the deformation types has a lightbulb icon next to it in the Deformations rollout. Turning any of these off preserves the settings while preventing the deformation from affecting the loft object. This is similar to clicking the lightbulb icon in the modifier list to turn off a modifier. Feel free to experiment with the other deformation options. Each has a unique function, as listed here: Twist Like the Twist modifier, the Twist deformation turns a loft object around the path. Using the deformation, you can change the twist direction and vary the rate of change over the length. Teeter By default, the cross-section shape is perpendicular to the path. Using the Teeter deformation, you can adjust the shape’s pivot along the path. Bevel Usually used at the ends of a loft, Bevel reduces the size of a cross section to give a tapered appearance. Fit Fit doesn’t work like the other deformation curves; it doesn’t affect the loft along the path. Rather, you define the shapes in the X- and Y-axes, and the lofted shape is conformed to those shapes, along their related axes, as it is lofted. ad j u S t i n G t h e de n S i t Y o F t h e lo F t Look in a Wireframe viewport or activate the Edged Faces option, which is accessed from the Viewport Shading Label right-click menu, and you’ll see the pedestal is broken into several vertical segments along the path and several along the perimeter of each shape. Each series of segments adds to the total number of faces in the object and, in turn, the file size and rendering time. Just as with many other objects in 3ds Max, you can set the number of segments used to create a loft. The Shape Steps setting determines how many subdivisions occur between each vertex of the loft object’s cross section. The Path Steps setting determines the number of segments between Figure 7.39 The pedestal after adjusting the mid- dle corner point loFtInG an objeCt | 367 each cross-section shape, or between each deformation corner point, when they exist. Neither of these values affects the original shape and path objects used to create the loft. To get a less- dense loft, decrease the number of segments along the path and shape. Here’s how it’s done: 1. Select the loft object. 2. In the Modify panel, scroll down to the Skin Parameters rollout label and expand it (see Figure 7.40). 3. Change the Shape Steps value to 4 and the Path Steps value to 3. This reduces the number of faces in the loft from about 4,000 to approximately 2,000. Your pedestal should look like Figure 7.41. Using the Instance Clones to Edit the Loft In an earlier exercise, you drew the original loft path so that it was close to the rectangle shape. You did this so you could have a clear view of the path in order to select it. In the next exercise, you’ll make changes to the loft by editing the original line you used to define its path and the cross-section shapes. Start by adjusting the line that defines the loft path of the pedestal: 1. To temporarily save the model in its current state, choose Edit  Hold. 2. In the Front viewport, select the line you created to define the path of the loft, as shown in Figure 7.42, and then click Vertex in the modifier stack. 3. In the Geometry rollout, click the Refine button (see Figure 7.43). Refine is one tool that can be used to add segments to a spline. 4. Click in two locations along the path to add two new vertices, as shown in Figure 7.44. The segmentation of the loft object increases to accommodate the new vertices. Figure 7.40 The Skin Param- eters rollout Figure 7.41 The pedestal after reducing the num- ber of path and shape steps 368 | CHAPTER 7 orGanIzInG and edItInG objeCts 5. Use the Select and Move tool to move the new vertices. Observe how the loft reacts to the changes, as shown in Figure 7.45. 6. Undo the changes made in step 5. The transforms (Move, Rotate, and Scale) placed on a shape are disregarded when they are considered to be components of a loft object. For example, a shape object’s position or rotation does not matter when the loft is created. Understanding this is very important when the Scale transform has been used on a shape. A 4˝-diameter circle scaled to 50 percent so that it appears to be 2˝ in diameter will still loft with a 4˝ diameter. This is due to the method that 3ds Max uses to evaluate data. If a shape to be used in a loft has been scaled, use the Reset XForm Utility (Utilities Command Panel  More  Reset XForm) to set the current transforms to be the object’s default. Figure 7.42 The path selected with the Vertex sub-object mode active Figure 7.43 The Refine button on the Geometry rollout Figure 7.44 Adding new verti- ces to the path Figure 7.45 Moving the verti- ces in the path loFtInG an objeCt | 369 Here’s an example where the transforms do not affect a loft: 1. Exit the Vertex sub-object level, and then select the smaller circular shape near the loft object. 2. Click the Select and Uniform Scale button, then click and drag upward on the scale gizmo. As you can see in Figure 7.46, the scaling of the shape instance has no effect on the loft. 3. Undo the Scale operation. 4. In the Parameters rollout, change the Radius parameter to 6˝. Figure 7.47 illustrates how changing the Radius value is reflected in the loft. 5. Choose Edit  Fetch and then click Yes in the “About to Fetch. OK?” dialog box. Your scene is restored to the state it was in when you chose Edit  Hold at the beginning of the prior exercise. 6. Save your scene as mych07e.max. Exploring the Different Modeling Techniques You should experiment on your own with the many different modeling techniques available in 3ds Max. There are usually several ways to achieve the same three-dimensional form. Figure 7.46 Using the Scale transform has no effect on the loft object. Figure 7.47 Changing the radius of the instanced shape is reflected in the loft. 370 | CHAPTER 7 orGanIzInG and edItInG objeCts Using the Noise Modier Straight lines, flush surfaces, and perfect spheres, are easy to accomplish in computer-generated (CG) graphics but they are often the downfall of CG images. Randomness and imperfections, although sometimes subtle, are normal in the real world and their absence is very noticeable. Noise, in CG, is the addition of apparent randomness as a feature to an object and, when prop- erly used, can add a sense of realism in a scene. In this exercise you’ll add the Noise modifier to a primitive to move the object’s vertices, adding some randomness. 1. Continue from the previous exercise, or open ch07e.max, which you downloaded from the book’s website. 2. Right-click in a viewport and choose Unhide All from the quad menu. 3. If necessary, move the pedestal so that it is located under the stairs. 4. In the Top viewport, zoom in on the large planter. 5. Make sure AutoGrid is off, and then create a Cylinder primitive with a Radius value of approximately 13˝ and a height of 2˝. The perimeter of the cylinder should overlap the inside edges of the planter. 6. Move the cylinder in the Z-axis so that its top is below the upper rim of the planter, as shown in Figure 7.48. 7. Expand the Modifier List drop-down and click the Noise modifier. 8. In the Strength area, increase the Z value to 3˝. In this case, we want the noise to affect only the cylinder in the Z-axis and not the X- or Y-axis. A small amount of change has occurred on the surface of the cylinder, but not enough to be easily noticeable. The Scale parameter sets the size of the noise effect, but not the strength in a particular direction. Smaller Scale values produce rougher noise patterns. 9. Reduce the Scale value to 5. The noise becomes more apparent, as shown in Figure 7.49. The Noise modifier accomplishes its task of moving vertices as well as it can given the assets is has. By default, a cylinder has only a single cap segment at each end. This isn’t enough segmentation to create a rough surface. Figure 7.48 The cylinder primitive inside the planter usInG the noIse ModIFIer | 371 10. To increase the amount of segmentation and provide the Noise modifier with additional vertices to work with, click the Cylinder entry in the modifier stack to access the cylin- der’s parameters, as shown in Figure 7.50. 11. Set the Cap Segments to 5. The surface change is now smoother, as shown in Figure 7.51. 12. Select Noise in the modifier stack. As you can see, the Noise modifier can add randomness that would be difficult and time consuming to achieve by moving the vertices manually. 13. Save your file as mych07f.max. Modeling with Soft Selection Soft selection gives you a way to gently deform an object by transforming the vertices. When soft selection is used, unselected sub-objects have the same transforms or modifiers applied to them as the sub-objects that are explicitly selected—but to a lesser degree. You can partially select multiple vertices and apply your transform gently across the entire selection set. You’ll use soft selection here to pull out the sides of the planter to form spout type ends. You’ve already experi- mented with soft selection in Chapter 4, when you curved the far wall on the Ronchamp Chapel. Figure 7.49 The Noise parame- ters for the planter object Figure 7.50 Choose Cylinder in the modifier stack. Figure 7.51 Smoothing the surface 372 | CHAPTER 7 orGanIzInG and edItInG objeCts 1. Select the planter, right-click and then choose Isolate Selection so that only the planter remains in the viewports. 2. Expand the Modifier List drop-down list and click the Edit Poly modifier, as shown in Figure 7.52. 3. Go to the Polygon Modeling tab on the Graphite toolbar and activate the Vertex sub- object level, as demonstrated in Figure 7.53. 4. Drag a window selection region in the Front viewport, similar to the one shown in Figure 7.54. As expected, the selected vertices turn red while the unselected vertices remain blue. 5. Use the Select and Move tool to move the vertices in the X direction. The vertices move and the edges between the selected vertices and the unselected vertices remain straight, as shown in Figure 7.55. 6. Undo step 4. Figure 7.52 The Edit Poly modifier Figure 7.53 The Vertex sub- object level on the Graphite ribbon Figure 7.54 Drag a selection set in the Front viewport. Figure 7.55 Moving the vertices in the X direction [...]... supported by 3ds Max Design 2011 to get the most out of these features As mentioned, there are three photometric lights; however, with the settings available in those lights, they can act as many more different types of lights This book focuses on using the default configuration of 3ds Max Design 2011 and uses the mental ray renderer and photometric lighting systems If you are using 3ds Max 2011 with... with this book, you will need to change your 3ds Max 2011 defaults using the Custom IU and Defaults switcher, as discussed in the “Working with the Custom UI and Defaults Switcher” section of Chapter 1, “Getting to Know 3ds Max Design 2011. ” You’ll also need to make sure to set your system to the DesignVIZ.mentalray preferences Also, if you are using 3ds Max 2011, you will not have access to the Light... in architectural renderings | Lighting Your Model   391 Figure 8.6 A rendering of the scene with all lights on Suggested Additional Reading Mastering Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2011 is designed to give you a fundamental understanding of how to use 3ds Max Design 2011 to create your visualizations, from modeling through final rendering, quickly and efficiently; therefore, it cannot cover all the fundamentals... light mounted on a video camera 386  | Chapter 8 Light and Shadow 3ds Max Design 2011 offers a bewildering array of light types There are five standard light types, two mental ray lights, the Skylight, two lighting systems (Daylight and Sunlight), and three photometric lights The reason there are so many light types in 3ds Max Design 2011 is historical and has to do with the various ways that you can... main difference is that an Omni or Free light doesn’t require a target point 1 Open the Savoye08 .max file which you’ll find at this book’s accompanying web page, www.sybex.com/go /mastering3 dsmaxdesign2011 This file displays a residential building, the Villa Savoye, that you modeled parts of in Chapter 5 If the File Load: Units Mismatch dialog box opens, make sure the Adopt the File’s Unit Scale radio... emphasize the best parts of a scene There’s a lot to cover in this topic, so let’s start with an overview of the different types of lights available in 3ds Max Understanding the Types of Lights So far, you’ve been depending on the default lighting in 3ds Max Design Until you add a light to a scene, in a Perspective viewport with Smooth + Highlights turned on, one light source is above the origin and shifted... system can be useful for shadow studies and for creating an accurate daylight representation of your design It simulates the color, intensity, and surface reflections of a scene, and it takes into account the “sky glow” or general diffuse lighting from the sky When the DesignVIZ settings are chosen in 3ds Max 2011, the Daylight system places a special light source called an Illuminating Engineering Society... affect your rendering Rendering a View One of the main reasons for using 3ds Max Design is to get an idea of how your project will look before it is built Although you can get a fairly decent idea of how it looks in the Perspective viewport, you need to render your model to get a finished image The rendering facilities that 3ds Max offers let you create a wide range of images, from quickstudy renderings... model, using the standard scanline rendering system, the Radiosity advanced renderer, or mental ray Adding the Default Lighting to a Scene 3ds Max has the ability to display the effects of lighting interactively in your viewport If you have the “classic” version of 3ds Max, you will see the following behavior When you place your first light in the scene, the hidden default lights that were illuminating... •u Painting with Light (fourth edition ) by John Alton (ISBN-13: 978- 05- 20-08949 -5) •u The Art of 3D Computer Animation and Effects (fourth edition) by Isaac Kerlow (ISBN-13: 978-0-47-00849-08) •u [ digital ] Lighting & Rendering (second edition) by Jeremy Birn (ISBN-13: 978-0-321-31631-8) Adding a Spotlight to Simulate the Sun 3ds Max offers a way to accurately simulate the sun, including the correct . 7 .55 . 6. Undo step 4. Figure 7 .52 The Edit Poly modifier Figure 7 .53 The Vertex sub- object level on the Graphite ribbon Figure 7 .54 Drag a selection set in the Front viewport. Figure 7 .55 . 7 .58 ). Figure 7 .56 The colors of the soft-selected ver- tices indicate the amount they will be affected by a transform. Figure 7 .57 Soft Selection rollout’s Falloff setting Figure 7 .58 . shape. A 4˝-diameter circle scaled to 50 percent so that it appears to be 2˝ in diameter will still loft with a 4˝ diameter. This is due to the method that 3ds Max uses to evaluate data. If a shape