New to 3ds max

[choppir]

Hi guys,

 

I'm new to 3ds max. Still trying to get my head around it. Been on Cinema 4D and VrayforC4D for years, but just expanding my knowledge, leaning 3ds max and VRay for max.

 

I've got a few questions:

 

- I'm trying to do simple commands like cutting through an object. Is there a way to cut a straight line?

- Is there a difference between editable poly, mesh, patch, nurbs? Isn't it the same thing?

- How do I untriangulate an object when it is imported?

- How do I drop an object to the 0 axis. I dont wanna move it manually.

 

Help would be much appreciated!

 

cheers

 

choppir

Edited August 27, 2010 by choppir

[Thion]

Hiya Choppir,

 

There's several ways to cut through an object. There's the slice modifier (this one has options to remove the top or bottom half or just slice the mesh), or you could work in editable poly mode and use the slice plane/quickslice tool.

 

Editable poly and Mesh are quite similar, Mesh is an older version iirc, I always use poly. I don't use nurbs or patches, but as far as I know they work with bezier curves to define your object.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by untriangulate, but I usually convert the object to editable poly and I can start editing it.

 

If you rightclick the 'select and move' tool, you get a popup box where you can type in your transforms. If you rightclick the values in coordinate system 'world', it will set the value to 0. If you rightclick on all 3 axis, your object will be placed with its pivot point at 0,0,0

 

I hope this helps

Davy.

[JonRashid]

Usually when you import from other packages all triangles will visible. You can edit manually and turn these edges back to invisible and thus creating selectable polygons but this is usually time consuming. I haven't found a way to retain these automatically. You will also have problems with smoothing groups on import as these seem to be fairl unique to max. ie Maya uses hard and soft edges and not smoothing groups. Once you start creating in max though you will circumvent most of these problems.

[choppir]

Thanks Davy!

 

Awesome.... got the slice methord! Quite a lengthy process, but hey...

I am use to pressing ''c'' for cut and shift to make a straight cut which is very fast, but i guess i would get use to this!

 

Ok, then editable poly i will use too :-)

 

Untriangulate - when i model in sketch-up and import it, it's got a lot of unnessasary divided faces. I want basicaly optimize it and get rid of some lines to clean up the model....

 

Dropping an object - cheers mate. Is there not 1 button you can hit and it drops all the selected objects to the 0 axis?

Or lets say you got 50 trees on a mountain. Can't you have 50 trees hangin in the air, then when you hit ''drop'', it drops it where the faces intersect?

 

Hope you understand :-)

 

Thanks for the help so far!!

 

choppir

[Thablanch]

For dropping objects:

 

http://www.neilblevins.com/soulburnscripts/soulburnscripts.htm

 

lots of nice scripts in the package. So you select your mountain and your 50 trees and dorp them. The one you are looking for, once the scripts are installes, is object dropper.

[choppir]

pls see attach video what i mean with untriangulate and how i do it in Cinema 4D.

 

Then the ''drop it'' command.

 

cheers

 

choppir

 

Video:

http://yfrog.com/n2tut01z

 

cheers choppir.

 

Ps.. Thanks Thablanch, will check it out!

[notamondayfan]

- Is there a difference between editable poly, mesh, patch, nurbs? Isn't it the same thing?

Edit mesh uses less ram, so if you are struggling to render, convert your geometry to meshes

 

- How do I untriangulate an object when it is imported?

In the graphite modelling tools, theres a tool called "Quadrify"

 

- How do I drop an object to the 0 axis. I dont wanna move it manually.

Install the "Soulburn Scripts" as Alain sugests. Theres a script in there called Object Dropper. It doesnt work by calculating where two faces intersect, rather it does it based upon the dropped object pivot position.

 

Hope that helps, Deano

[choppir]

Hi Deano!

 

Thanks!

 

Sorry for my ignorance, but i cannot find ''Quadrify''

 

Thanks for the help!

 

choppir

[notamondayfan]

see attachment

[JonRashid]

Hey nice one I should look more closely

[JonRashid]

whatever you do do not type "Quadrify" into google the Urban Dictionary provides a very unusual definition.

[choppir]

nice mate,

 

how did you get that?

 

Here is my screenshot. I don't have that? I probably need to activate it?

 

choppir

[choppir]

hi guys, thanks for the help so far, but i still cannot find ''quadrify''.

 

thx

[notamondayfan]

Mauritz, it will only work on edit polys, in your screen shot it shows you have a box selected, right click on it and convert it to an edit poly

[choppir]

awesome!! you are the top man. thank alot!!

 

I thought if you import an object it's already an editible poly because it's built in another program....

 

coooool....much aprreciated!!

[choppir]

i found this cool tool....

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/detriangulator?page=3