Creating Cityscapes in 3ds Max

Learn what you need to know to use 3ds Max 2021 to create professional 3D models, animations, and motion graphics.

Introduction

• Introducing 3ds Max 2021
• Using the exercise files

1. Getting Started

• Choosing a workspace
• Setting preferences
• Using project folders

2. 3ds Max Interface

• Getting familiar with the interface
• Customizing a workspace
• Customizing background and grid colors
• Creating primitives with keyboard entry
• Creating primitives interactively with the mouse
• Position objects with Select and Move
• Rotate and scale objects
• Navigating in viewports
• Orbit and viewport Undo
• Saving time with keyboard shortcut hotkeys
• Customizing hotkeys
• Choosing viewport shading modes
• Advanced viewport settings and presets
• Configuring viewport layouts

3. Scene Layout

• Specifying display units
• Specifying system units
• Defining the home grid
• Saving a maxstart.max template scene
• Merging scenes
• Duplicating object instances with Array
• Clone objects with transforms
• Introducing snap
• Precision transforms with Grid and Snap
• Outlining object names with Scene Explorer
• Collecting objects in groups
• Managing display layers
• Controlling object and layer display properties
• Understanding XREF external references
• Creating an XREFrecord
• Moving objects in reference coordinate systems
• Rotating objects in reference coordinate systems
• Manipulating objects around a Transform Coordinate Center
• Using Isolate Selection and Lock Selection
• Selecting in Window and Crossing modes

4. Spline Modeling

• Creating shapes
• Editing Bezier splines
• Setting shape detail with interpolation
• Modeling with the Extrude modifier
• Extruding along a path with the Sweep modifier
• Exporting paths from Adobe Illustrator
• Importing Illustrator paths to 3ds Max
• Adding a Bevel modifier
• Controlling level of detail for a Bevel modifier
• Modeling typography with TextPlus
• Manipulating and fine-tuning TextPlus

5. Parametric Modeling

• Deforming an object with a modifier
• Layering deformers in the modifier stack
• Defining polygon level of detail
• Passing a selection up the stack
• Understanding topology dependence
• Versioning and collapsing the stack

6. Polygon Modeling

• Preparing Boolean operands
• Combine volumes with Boolean Compound Objects
• Adding edges with QuickSlice
• Adding edges with Cut
• Hardening polygon edges with the Smooth modifier
• Using the Modeling ribbon
• Simplifying geometry with Remove
• Branching with Editable Poly Extrude
• Detailing a mesh
• Rounding corners with chamfer

7. Subdivision Surface Modeling

• Understanding subdivision surfaces
• Best practices for modeling subdivision surfaces
• Box modeling for subdivision surfaces
• Modeling with the Symmetry modifier
• Modeling curvature with Soft Selection
• Refining geometry with SwiftLoop
• Constraining sub-object transforms
• Correcting a seam with Non-Uniform Scale offset
• Sharpening corners with edge crease
• Baking subdivisions

8. Camera Techniques

• Creating a physical camera and target
• First-person camera navigation in viewports
• Enabling Safe Frames
• Setting resolution and aspect ratio in Render Setup
• Creating a free camera
• Rotating in Gimbal coordinate space
• Setting rotation Axis Order to emulate a tripod

9. Lighting

• Previewing renders with ActiveShade
• Creating photometric lights
• Adjusting light intensity and color
• Adjusting light shape
• Controlling spotlight parameters
• Using the Light Explorer
• Illuminating with an environment color
• Illuminating with an HDRI environment
• White balancing an environment
• Separating environment from background
• Creating a sun and sky

10. Materials

• Using the Slate Material Editor
• Assigning materials to objects
• Managing scene materials
• Managing sample slots
• Saving a material library
• Physical Material color and roughness
• Physical Material reflection parameters
• Controlling viewport material shading
• Controlling material sample size
• Creating a 3D procedural map
• Art directing 3D map parameters
• Mapping bitmap image files
• Projecting UVs with UVW Map
• Using Real-World Map Size
• Restoring links with Asset Tracking

11. Animation

• Understanding hierarchies
• Moving pivot points
• Rotating pivot points
• Prioritizing rotation axes
• Linking objects
• Locking transforms
• Correcting and avoiding scale issues
• Choosing frame rate and playback speed
• Choosing the active time segment
• Creating keyframes in Auto Key mode
• Creating keyframes in Set Key mode
• Editing keyframes in the Track Bar Timeline
• Editing keyframes in the Dope Sheet
• Editing keyframes in the Curve Editor
• Editing interpolation in the Curve Editor
• Manipulating tangents in the Curve Editor
• Editing a trajectory with a motion path

12. Rendering

• Choosing a renderer
• Choosing render options
• Rendering an image sequence
• Playing an image sequence with the RAM Player
• Tonemapping a high dynamic range rendering

Conclusion

• Next steps