INSIDE 3DS MAX® 7 [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

1.

Open the file called cryptStart.max from the DVD. From the File menu, choose Save As, point to an appropriate subdirectory on your hard drive, and click the plus-sign button to save a new file with the name incremented to cryptStart01.max.

2.

Go to Rendering > Environment, click the Environment Map button, select Bitmap, and choose cryptBack.tga from the list. Close the window when you have completed the selection.

3.

Click anywhere in the Perspective viewport to select it. Press the hot key G to remove the grid. Choose Views > Viewport Background, then click the Background Source Files button. Select the cryptBackTemp.jpg file. In the Aspect Ratio section, click the Match Rendering Output button, and make sure that Display Background is active. Click OK to close the window.

Note

You could use the Use Environment Background check box to place your template, but as the picture is dark, a special version with notes has been prepared to make the alignment job easier.

4.

Back in the Perspective viewport, right-click the window's title and change the view to Wireframe.

As you can see in Figure 19.29, the door isn't anywhere near the right place in the scene. We need to mock up the main walls of the crypt to aid placement. Our field notes tell us that the main walls of the building are 9'11" wide, 6'10" tall, and 12' deep. We'll next build a box to those dimensions.

5.

Choose Customize > Units Setup > US Standard, Feet w/Fractional Inches. Click OK to close the dialog.

6.

Draw a box whose dimensions are 12' in length, 9'11" in width, and 6'10" in height. Visually align it so that it is flush with the bottom and sides of the door. See Figure 19.30 for reference.

7.

In the Front viewport, draw another box that is 3'7" in width, and whatever in the other dimensions. Still in the Front viewport, drag-clone a copy in the X axis. Move these boxes into place to align the door right in the middle of the wall (Figure 19.31). Once the boxes are located, a good approximation of the center of the wall can be made. Delete the boxes when you have the door placed in between them.

8.

In the Perspective viewport, use the Arc Rotate and Zoom controls to put all of the front corners and the two back ones into view (Figure 19.32). Maximize the viewport for a better view.

9.

Right-click the Snaps toggle, and clear the Grid Points selection. Choose Vertex as the only Snap Type. Close the dialog, and click the Snaps toggle to turn it on. Be sure that it is set to 3, the 3D position.

10.

In the Render Scene dialog, set the Output Size to 720 x 480. Close the dialog. Hit the hot key M to bring up the Material Editor. Assign the yellow Wireframe material to the box.

11.

Choose Create > Helpers. In the panel, open the drop-down menu and select Camera Match. Click the CamPoint button to start laying down match points.

One by one, click on the vertices of the box and give the points the corresponding names that you see in the background. The points should snap to the corner vertices. When you're done, turn off the Snaps tool.

12.

In the Utilities panel, click Camera Match. You should see all of your CameraPoints listed in the CamPoint Info rollout. Select the top point in the list, botB, and then click Assign Position. Click on the botB yellow dot in the background picture. A small red cross appears.

13.

Continue with the rest of the points. Notice that the crosses go green when unselected. Click Create Camera, then press the hot key C to see the Camera01 view. The view should be fairly well aligned (Figure 19.33).