1st Birthday
Welcome to the latest unofficial 3ds Max/Design (and all things randomly related) post.
The picture will probably give away the latest theme - this blog is celebrating its first birthday this month. Yep, that’s right, I’ve managed to pretend I know how to use 3ds Max for almost a year now. (Feel free to send any cakes to the below address - in fact, cakes are always welcome. Although only non-CGI, cream-filled-lemon-iced produce will be eaten).
So before I have a ridiculously super-sized glass of Merlot to celebrate, let’s move away from this mindless-chitter-chatter, and onto some CGI chitter-chatter….
The night after
In rare occasions you may experience a slow down in performance when rendering a translation to mental ray or a preview of exposure control. You may also experience long wait times when you try to open or import files. This issue typically happens with models imported from Revit as FBX containing many light sources.
OK, so that’s the issue, what’s the fix…..well, if you carry out the below then your lovely copy of 3ds Max Design will be happy again.
Change the DontRepeatRefMsg and InvalidateTMOptimization values in the CurrentDefaults.ini file:
1. Open the file CurrentDefaults.ini in Notepad. By default, this file is located in C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\3dsMaxDesign2010 - 32bit\enu\defaults\CurrentDefaults.ini.
2. Find the [Performance] section in the file to locate the performance defaults.
3. Find the lines below and change the values from 0 to 1.
DontRepeatRefMag=1
InvalidateTMOptimization=1
4. Save the file.
5. Restart 3ds Max Design 2010.
Better than getting socks
I’ve been using this image viewer for a while now, and highly recommend its use. For anyone wanting to quickly view imagery, then this could be the way to go. For more info on Picasa, then click here. (oh, and did i mention its free?)
To examine what’s in the latest version, watch the following movie:
Gift-Card
A while back I updated some 3ds Max shortcut cards for 3dWorld. Jim Thacker (Editor) has kindly offered to share these with you all, so please feel free to download. These cards do not cover the latest features in 2010, however they should form a good grounding in the short-cuts you should all try to learn, to hopefully be more productive.
Download the PDF from http://www.box.net, by clicking here.
Npower party Guests
The guys at Npower have uploaded show demo tutorials for their newly released Power NURBS and Power Translators for 3ds Max 2010. This can be viewed by clicking here. The demo tutorials cover the making of the below watch.
They also have two more customer showcases - View these articles by clicking the names below.
Presents
This handy expansion pack script for the scene explorer is a set of scene explorer presets and scripts for use in 3ds Max 2010.
The creator (Joshua Newman, Meshroom) states its intent is “to enhance the scene explorer capabilities. It contains a set of useful explorers like a light lister and a camera lister, and also some tools to help migrate you to using containers instead of the Max layer system.” Please read the creators article, by clicking here for more information.
Installation -
- Download the mzp package from the link below
- Either run it from your MAXScript drop down menu or drop it onto your viewport.
- Choose customize | customize user interface from the max drop down menus
- Select Toolbars from the tabs at the top of the dialog
- Press select to create a new toolbar and name it ‘Scene explorers’
- Select the category : JN Scripts
- Drag the three Scene explorer scripts onto the new toolbar. Max will need to be re-started for the icons to display correctly
- Drag the script ‘Convert layers to containers’ to the toolbar
- Place the toolbar wherever you would like it live
- re-start Max
Download this script by clicking here.
A 3dworld
This article from 3dWorld gives a good insight into some of the secrets and rules involved in creating high quality games textures and environments, as seen in the image below.
To read the full article from 3dworld, click here.
Mentallists
The good folks over at MentalBoutMax have released some free online tutorials. These cover how to control colour bleed in Splutterfish’s Brazil render engine.
Below you will find two links, the first is for the Quicktime Movie, and the second ‘MBM installer’ link will place your Quicktimes in the relevant Mentalboutmax folders, as they do with their regular training downloads.
Link 1 QT Movie - click here.
Link 2 - MBM Installer - click here.
Mac
Next time you need to output an animation to a Mac, than DivX 7 could be a good option as ....“DivX has announced the release of DivX 7 for Mac, the latest major version of its video encoding software. The decoder is free… ....a Pro version with encoding tools is also available for around £13.50.”
Click here for further details and to download.
Wouldnt be a birthday without a book
Ballistic Publishing has announced EXPOSÉ 7. The next in its range of great books, is now available. This book, as with past publications, covers some of the world’s best 3d artists.
For more info, click here.
Wrapped present
This script (thanks to Gary Davis) has some great features for retopologising geometry in versions 2008+, and if that wasn’t enough, its free! There are a few ways to do this with the standard graphite toolset in 2010. Those of you lucky enough to attend the latest UK events, will of seen Kevin Booth doing exactly that.
To view this MAXScript visit scriptspot.com by clicking here
More gifts
As if the above games texturing link from 3d world wasn’t enough, then there’s also these two links which I found interesting. Take 5 minutes out of your schedule to read the below informative articles, and see how CGI has changed in the film industry. Ever wondered where the techniques and algorithms get their names from?
Article - 7 CGI Pioneers
Article - 8 CGI film moments you didn’t realise were CGI
Support round-up
Objects in viewport are not antialiased - View article…
Prerequisite components fail to install - View article…
Shader errors appear when using the mental ray renderer - View article…
As always Happy Max’ing…
3D AutoCAD Models to DVSP
I use AutoCAD to create my 3D objects for use in Dynamite VSP. My VIZ / MAX modelling skills are limited, so I find it much easier to do this work in AutoCAD.
Here are a few tricks I’ve picked up along the way, especially if your not that familiar with MAX.
I start by creating my 3D models in AutoCAD (in meters) and make sure the 3D model is logically placed at the drawings origin (0,0,0)
I ensure all 3D objects are placed on logical layers which will end up having a Dynamite material finish applied to them i.e. I put all concrete objects in a concrete layer, steel objects in a steel layer etc, etc. (This makes it very easy to assign DVSP Material IDs later)
I then import the 3D model into a new MAX scene (without Dynamite VSP). The DWG Import Options > Geometry tab contains a few important settings.
I use the Derive AutoCAD Primitives by set to layer, which basically attaches/groups all MAX objects together by their layer. The Maximum surface deviation for 3D solids is a very import setting, and this controls the level of detail created for the 3D objects. Having a high setting creates a small amount of MAX faces, but then the 3D objects created can be very “jaggered” as shown below.
This 3D model was created using a setting of 1.0m, but is not good enough to use.
Decrease to setting down to 0.01m and the 3D model created is much smoother, but has many more faces. I adjust this setting for each 3D model until I am happy with the result.
The DWG Import Options > Layers tab allows you to only import certain layers into MAX, depending on what layer is ticked.
Once the 3D model is in MAX, assigning Dynamite Material Channel or Face ID’s is a simple process.
1. Select the object you want to assign a Face ID to i.e. Stainless Steel
2. Open the MAX Command Panel rollout
3. Select the MAX Modify icon (blue half rainbow) in the Command Panel
4. Expand the Editable Mesh option and select Face
5. Now you can select the 3d model in the MAX window by “windowing” around it. Only the faces of the Stainless object will be selected
6. With these faces selected, scroll down to the bottom of the Command Panel rollout, and type in the Dynamite Material ID you need into the Set ID: opening. Dynamite Material ID’s can be found on pages 186-192 of the Dynamite VSP Reference Guide PDF file , or in the Dynamite VSP help menus. In this case I want a material finish of Steel, and so use a Face ID = 1
7. Continue this process until all Material ID’s are assigned to various objects.
8. Then you need to “attach” all objects to one of the objects, creating ONE 3D model for use in Dynamite. Do this by selecting an object, and using the attach button in the MAX Command Panel rollout, found in the Edit Geometry menu.
9. All you need to do now is place the .max file in the correct Dynamite VSP location C:\Program Files\3am Solutions\Dynamite VSP 3\Country Kit ??\Objlibs\Furniture\ along with a new .ini file for the Dynamite VSP object. The exact location depends on which country kit is currently active in Dynamite VSP.
3ds Max 2010 Takes Off
Well it’s been a while since my last post back in March. As you can imagine life has been pretty hectic over the past month with the launch of 3ds Max 2010 and 3ds Max Design 2010.
Both versions have been getting glowing reports from the press (3d world - 8/10 & 9/10, DigitalArts - 4/5), and deservedly so. In my personal opinion this is the best release of 3ds Max/Design we have ever had.
I have decided to dedicate the theme of this post to the mighty airport. Why you ask, well I have spent most of the past month sat in an airport of some description, waiting for delayed flights, drinking terrible coffee, eating soggy pre-packed sandwiches, and one occasion sat on the plane waiting for them to open a stuck door. Rock n’ Roll! And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Anyway let’s get on with the snippets of info - Please ensure your seat is in the upright position, your seatbelt is fastened, all baggage is stowed under your seat, and please remove all electronic equipment.
Me, Twit?
Autodesk (Northern Europe), now has a Twitter account which has recently taken-off from Farnborough. This is full of information as to what us Autodesk folks are up to. A quick and easy resource to find out what events us Demo-pilots will be at and where you can come say hi. (or similar words.)
If you already have a Twitter account, then collect your boarding card and proceed to twitter.com/ADSKNEurope. If not, go sign up now - it’s free.
To make life easier when following ‘tweets’ (as the kids call them) you can use the free Twhirl application, by clicking here.
In-Flight Entertainment
Those clever folks at Adobe have launched a adobe tv site which is packed full of technical resources. This site can be viewed by clicking here.
Optimising 3ds Max Design 2010
Below is some information from Pierre-Felix (mr mental ray and colour) at Autodesk. Before you try this, you might want to run some benchmarks to establish how fast things are without this tweak. Load a sample scene and render it with mr and measure the fps of the viewport. If you’re using 3ds Max 2010 - ignore this as you should already have these tweaks.
You’re going to change some ini settings:
1- locate the “Defaults” folder in your 3ds Max Design 2010 install (usually under Program Files) and copy the “DesignVIZ.MentalRay” folder to a new folder called “performancetest”
2- In the “performancetest” folder, there is a “FactoryDefaults” folder, open the “CurrentDefaults.ini” file in that folder.
3- locate the following strings:
DontRepeatRefMsg=0
InvalidateTMOptimization=0
and change them to
DontRepeatRefMsg=1
InvalidateTMOptimization=1
4- start 3ds Max Design 2010 and launch the Custom UI and Defaults Switcher from the Customize menu
5- pick the newly created “performancetest” folder and quit 3ds Max
6- relaunch 3ds Max Design: now, the mental ray translation of large scenes should be faster (at least, we can confirm that happens with Revit models containing many lights.)
Not only will this affect mental ray performance, but it will also affect general interactivity in large scenes. 3ds Max Design runs a lot better with complex scenes with this change.
Mile-high showreels
View the latest Games showreels by following this link. This showreels are ready for take-off. Please hurry up as your stopping the flight from leaving…...
Looks like my typical seating partner
See some great Mudbox quick start tutorials on Mudboxhub.com. These have been created by the talented Wayne Robson. Theres a lot to take in but form a great grounding in all you need to know about Mudbox. Topics covered include interop with Maya and 3ds Max. Enjoy by clicking here.
Landing Page
This Link takes you to the Autodesk Design Visualisation website. This is full of webcasts, testimonials and white papers. This site is full of important industry information, and has all the relevant links you need for your trip.
Lost in Transit
Ever lost a floating window in 3ds Max/Design and wanted to get it back? Well if you click on the relevant tool/floating dialogue box option, and then press ALT+spacebar, then press ‘M’ for ‘move.’ You will be able to use the arrow keys to move it back onto your screen. This normally happens when swopping from two monitors to one. This has been my life-jacket on numerous occasions.
Inflight safety demos
To download the service pack (sp) 2 for Mudbox, click here. This improves on the already amazing performance. What else can i say?
Engine Splutter
Splutterfish, the acclaimed makers of the Brazil render engine have a range of scripts and tools available for download on their website. Many of these links are Beta, so use with caution. The link can be found here.
Launched with a ribbon
The story of the Ribbon interface used in Most Microsoft applications can be found here. An interesting and long presentation that explains what the ribbon is and where it comes from.
The Ribbon is now implemented in 3ds Max 2010, and 3ds Max Design 2010. This is to hold the 100+ new Graphite modelling tools you should all hopefully be playing with. My favourite has to be the freeform spline/branch tools. Crazily powerful.
Streamlined
An interesting article on design form and the secret language it conveys. Not 3ds Max related, but interesting none-the-less - click here.
Free models
This site is aimed at interior designers to download free content for Autocad and 3d models. The site can be found here. I used to use this site in production and found it to be a great resource.
Airport weather files
Weather data files can be downloaded from the Ecotect website. Click through here. Use these in conjunction with 3ds Max Design’s independantly validated lighting analysis toolset.
This is also an interesting read on the concepts and principles involved. To view this click here.
Mental mill taking off
This download is for the mental images mental mill Artist Edition that allows you to create MetaSL shaders using a node-based interface that work with 3ds Max/Design 2010. Download here…
Ground crew support round up
Double-sided materials not displayed correctly in viewport - View article….
Marquee-select cropping tool is difficult to use on light-colored images - View article…
Running 3ds Max(r) 2009 with Backburner 2007.02 - View article…
User Reference not displayed when Material Editor is open - View article…
Hotfix - Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 - 2009.03.24 View article…
Hotfix - Autodesk 3ds Max 2010 - 2009.04.01 View article…
Xfrog freebies
3ds Max/Design 2010 users can download 100 production quality trees. The full details can be found here. To download the content then click here.
We are now at our final destination. Please ensure you have all your belongings.
See you aboard next time, and as always Happy Max’ing…
3ds Max MAXScript for Edge Visibility
Attached is a nifty MAXScript that should be useful for you all when using exported CAD data within 3ds Max.
The attached script will ‘turn off’ the internal face edges of imported geometry. This script will make the selected edges invisible. These can be manually brought back if required.
Also, as a reminder, the below ‘Hidden Line’ viewport style will automatically backface cull objects, and as a result give you much greater viewport performance on larger scenes.
**However, please note this script is unofficial and unsupported.**
Script Usage Instructions
1. Initial Import showing edges
2. Select objects required and then drag the .ms file into the viewport or from the MAXScript pulldown menu select ‘Run Script’ and choose the attached file.
3. Image showing end result
All the best and happy Max’ing,
Jamie.
A Mixed Bag
Well, it’s just under 3 weeks since my last post, so today’s is a mixture of snippets I’ve been meaning to tell you all about.
1. First up - Have you ever wondered about the release history of ‘3D Studio’, such as code names, and what features were introduced when, etc. Yes? Then lucky you, the magic of the internet is here to help, by clicking here. 3d Studio Dos screengrab shown below.
Still not good enough and want to go back further? Then click here.
2. www.MyMentalRay.com has been newly updated and includes a fresh new look, and content. If you haven’t visited recently, then I recommend a visit to check it out.
3. www.MrMaterials.com is a very promising new website of exciting new mental ray materials ready for you to use. Why not create and upload your own, and become world famous*.... (*not guaranteed). Many of the materials are created by Jeff Patton, renowned as one of the main authorities on MR and rendering.
4. Following the implementation of the EPW file format for accurate Daylight systems in 3ds Max Design 2009, many of you have asked where to get these freely available files.
There’s a wealth of information out there, but the main site I visit is the EERE. Click here to visit the European section of the website. This data is often collected by weather stations at most major cities, where an airport is situated. This data is generally recorded on an hourly basis, and saved as a text file, which then be imported into 3ds Max Design. The main benefit of this data is it based off real world values, and not generic, cloudy or bright, as some other systems use. In short this ensures the data you are using is accurate and reliable.
5. And finally…. Are you using Distributed Bucket Rendering (DBR) in Mental Ray for 3ds Max? If not, then you should. This feature is a huge time saver when rendering large images, or doing test renders on single frames. However, If you have an 8 core machine then you may notice that DBR is only utilizing half the cpus. To get around this issue, you can trick MR into using them all, by adding the computer twice.
The simple process is:
- Connect to your slave using the Machine’s name.
- Connect to the same slave using the IP address.
- Ensure your firewall will allow access to 3ds Max.
Press render, and hey presto, mental ray will use all the cores and you get an image in about half the time! A full detailed explanation of general setup can be found within the 3ds Max Design help files.
All the best and Happy Max’ing.
All shook up?
This latest post comes to you from Autodesk University in Las Vegas, so it wouldn’t be right to not have a small Elvis theme. If you are interested in finding out more about AU and what’s been going on, then click here.
This latest round-up of news seems to be full of scripts that will rock ‘n roll your daily working life and give you more time to be creative. Hopefully you won’t be doing any jail house rocking though. As always I hope the below is useful, and thanks to everyone who takes the time to provide feedback into this newsletters.
Daylight Analysis Whitepapers
Before we get to look at the scripts though, I want to show you the light. The following whitepapers have been written to provide a clear understanding of the principles involved with daylight analysis. For many of you this is a new area, but certainly with the help of this whitepapers, in shouldn’t be a daunting one.
Daylight Simulation in 3ds Max Design 2009: Getting Started (pdf - 6698Kb) - Learn how to take models that were created in Revit(r) or AutoCAD(r) and import them into Autodesk(r) 3ds Max(r) Design to create accurate and compelling daylight simulations with the Exposure(tm) feature. This white paper is for the daylight simulation novice.
Daylight Simulation in 3ds Max Design 2009: Advanced (pdf - 3342Kb) - Learn about advanced concepts in daylight simulation using the Exposure(tm) feature in Autodesk(r) 3ds Max(r) Design. This white paper is for architects, designers, engineers, and visualization specialists who are familiar with daylight simulation and want to take it to the next level.
And without further ado, here’s the latest and greatest scripts that I’ve been sent to have a look at…
Script of the year goes to….
This has to be one of the most useful scripts I have been sent in a very long time. Make sure this is the one script that you install. It will immediately benefit your workflow on a daily basis when using the ‘Project folder’ option.
The main purpose of this script is for quickly switching between multiple project folders. It keeps track of the previously opened projects, saves them to an .ini file and presents them in a dropdown list. The Macroscript can be downloaded here.
This script was highlighted by Michael Langmayer, 3ds Max specialist, in the Autodesk Munich office. So if you bump into Mike, make sure you buy him a weissbier and some sauerkrautto say “dank”.
All in the timing
The first of two thanks go to Paulo Kiefe for pointing out these handy scripts.
Script 1 is ‘Time control v0.1’ for handily being able to control your time range. This can be downloaded here.
Script 2 is extremely powerful and predominately designed to enhance the existing snap functions in 3ds Max when working with verts. The script is called ‘Snap!’ and can be downloaded here:
- Moves selected or all vertices of one or more objects to nearby vertices or grid points
- You can snap multiple selected objects with one click
- Only snaps to and from Editable Poly or Editable Mesh objects, other types are disregarded
- You can filter out hidden, frozen or currently selected objects to gain snap speed on larger scenes
- Use the “selected” flag to keep objects apart when snapping multiple objects
- Added axis constraints
- Lower seek distance speeds up large snap selections in large scenes
- Infinite snap will try to snap to any valid point at any distance, its slow on large complex scenes
- Remove debug snap seek box visualisation to gain speed, it disables screen redraw
Jamie has left the building…..
Happy Max’ing.
All things ‘F’
This week’s article is brought to you by the letter ‘F’, and the number 2009…..
FBX
For those of you using the FBX file format, don’t forget to check the Autodesk site for updates. There is also a very useful Quicktime plugin that allows FBX data to be viewed within a Quicktime player, and to be played back from all major 3D apps. This is a very useful format for importing Revit and Maya data into 3ds Max.
You can also download a convertor which transfers data from OBJ, DXF + 3DS files to and from FBX. If you have no idea what I’m talking about then read the FBX whitepaper.
Films & VFX
During your next coffee*/tea*/diet coke*/cigarette*/kit-kat*/rendering* break (*please delete as appropriate), have a look at Kens Blog for all the films/vfx that 3ds Max has had a helping hand in. Its probably more than you thought, and some might surprise you.
Free Showreels
To view the past Autodesk Media & Entertainment showreels, and view some of the inspirational work, follow this link.
Fun Tutorials
If you want to find all the tutorials for past versions, or the tutorials for the other flavour of 3ds Max, then follow this link to the main tutorials page. At the bottom you will find all the links to previous versions. The Design tutorials can be found here.
Very Good mr Tutorials
(I know it doesn’t start with ‘F’, but your filters would probably stop it if did!)
A very talented artist, David McKie, and mental ray power user, has updated his website with some inspiring tutorials. You may remember Dave’s Dalek model from recent presentations of mine.
Dave is a nuclear scientist - no seriously, and is a mind of mental ray knowledge. I recommend you all view his site and work.
Finally…
A thanks to everyone who supplied some of their latest and greatest work for inclusion in the latest Autodesk ‘eye-candy’ showreel.
Until next time, Happy Max’ing.
Camera Tracking and DVSP
Here is an update on my first blog entry, Google Earth, SketchUp, 3ds Max, and explains how we used helicopter video footage and CAD models to produce a fly thru visualization.
Once our team had agreed on the general helicopter flight path and points of interest, we sent up the chopper to start filming. Unfortunately for me, the quality of the video wasn’t that great. The only camera available to us was an old police video camera mounted on the belly of the helicopter. It could only record a 640x480 movie on miniDV tape - don’t do this!! Garbage in garbage out! I would highly recommend that you don’t use anything lower than 720x486 if your target platform is going to be television. Lower quality video will not only make the end result look sub par but will also affect the camera tracking quality. Also, it’s best to use a CCD chip camera instead of a CMOS chip camera. Again, tracking quality may be sacrificed.
Anyway, I was given a huge 400MB Quicktime movie of the flightpath. I then brought this clip into Syntheyes (http://www.ssontech.com/) which analyzed the footage and generated 2D and 3D points which then solved a 3D camera for me. I won’t go into the details of the magic of Sytheyes but will tell you that it’s truly amazing software. It does other fancy things too like: color corection, stabilization, lens distortion removal, etc. Check out some of the tutorial movies here: http://www.ssontech.com/learning.htm.
It took me awhile to figure out how to align the Syntheyes scene to my MAX scene. Also, camera tracking is notorious for taking a long time to calculate. In my case, it had to process over 7000 frames which took hours to solve. Since I only had low quality footage I had to tweak and filter many things to get it somewhat smooth.
From Syntheyes, I exported my solved camera and points to a 3DSMAX format(a MAXScript .ms file). I then ran the .ms file in my MAX/DVSP scene and suddenly I was looking thru the Syntheyes generated camera! From here it was reletively easy to render an image sequence from that camera. You need to use a file type like PNG or TGA that has an alpha channel. I then merged my footage and my rendered out MAX scene in my video editing package, Sony Vegas 8 Pro. Once inside the NLE I then started to make travelling masks, titles, and last minute color adjustments. It doesn’t matter which video package you end up using but I wouldn’t do a project like this without the ability to use masks. I cannot emphasize this enough. Vegas Pro was barely good enough for this project. Next time I would use Combustion or After Effects for this.
I used Sony’s Cinescore to generate a royalty free soundtrack which I also brought into the Vegas timeline. From Vegas I exported the final composition to DVD(mpeg2) and WMV formats because my client wanted to play the final product on a DVD player, stream from the Web, and play on Broadcast television. Here is the final movie on Vimeo (which I also highly recommend for free video hosting):
http://www.vimeo.com/1488512
password: SR179
Overall, I was pleased with the outcome. I only wish the video quality had been better. Dynamite VSP was an invaluable tool for the management of plants, signs, walls, rails, cars, road markings, and many other things that are needed for a big project like this. The combination of DVSP with Syntheyes is a great way to offer your clients a realistic view of what that new highway or road will look like without having to model the surrounding enviroment.
Coffee Break
Theme-tastic
So what’s the latest theme?.... (Add drum roll here)... Well it’s dedicated to my best friend, who’s stuck by me when times have been tough - COFFEE.
Coffee has played an important role in my daily life - without caffeine many of my projects would never have got done (which may be a good thing). Thank you my dark beverage friend.
Before we get stuck-in to this latest beauty, I just wanted to point out the brief online survey found at the bottom of this newsletter. This new section is designed to provide a brief snapshot of 3ds Max/Design usage. Use this as an area to see how others are using 3ds Max. This starter question is an easy one….
Correct Ingredients
This is a great script that will help you concentrate and stay focused on composition. Much of this is already possible by customising the safe frame, but This script helps you more control, and speeds up the process. Great for anyone who wanst to ensure they set-up a great composition. To download this, please click here. Thanks to Paulo Kiefe for pointing this one out.
Viewports with an extra shot
For those of you who have seen me at recent events, you will of noticed a script I have used for playing with the viewport shading features. The script can be found in your help files (viewport_shading_explorer.mcr). Simply run the macroscript file inside of 3ds Max/Design using either the MAXScript utility or the MAXScript menu header (alternatively you can just drag into the viewport). Then, hey presto - job done.
Please note that the DOF and Indirect illumination features are not officially supported by Autodesk.
Hot, Hot, Hot
There is a new Hotfix for 3ds Max/Design 2010. To download this latest offering, please follow the relevant links below. As always with 3ds Max, these hotfixes are cumulative and therefore include all previous hotfixes.
3ds Max DESIGN 2010- 32 and 64 installers - click here.
3ds Max 2010 - 32 and 64 installers - click here.
This hotfix addresses the following issues:
- Localized Versions - When running the English version of 3ds Max / 3ds Max Design on a Japanese OS, or the English version of 3ds Max on an English OS with Language for non-Unicode programs set to Japanese, the mouse pointer now works correctly when using the ParticleFlow Particle View window. The pointer is no longer offset from the cursor when you drag an item onto a node.
- Materials - When creating a new material that uses bitmaps, the bitmaps did not save with the material when saved to a library. Now when saving to a custom library, the bitmap and its full path are saved correctly.
- Maxscript - When encrypting a Maxscript file (encryptscript YourMaxScript.ms), the file would generate an error when executing the resulting encrypted file (YourMaxScript.mse). This error would also occur when reading from an encrypted MaxScript file. These issues are resolved.
- Parameter Wiring - When Resetting a Scene Parameter, Wire Sub-Controllers would be removed due to the Maxscript Garbage Collection clean-up process. This only occurred when the scene was Reset or an XRef tree was deleted. It did not occur when exiting with a scene Open. This clean-up procedure was fixed for all instances of scene change states.
- Undo - Various instances where an action would not appear in the Undo Stack have been resolved. There is no longer an issue when:
- Loading the Render To Texture (RTT) dialog by pressing a keyboard shortcut while in the middle of a mouse operation in the viewport, where the mouse operation has started a hold, but not yet accepted or cancelled the hold.
- Switching focus away from 3ds Max/3ds Max Design and then back while in the middle of a mouse operation in Trackview, where the mouse operation has started a hold, but not yet accepted or cancelled the hold.
- Performing any actions after opening the Time Configuration dialog and clicking OK. New actions would not appear in the Undo stack. This was not a problem if you made changes in the Time Configuration dialog.
- Performing a file reset by pressing a keyboard shortcut while in the middle of a mouse operation in the viewport, where the mouse operation has started a hold, but not yet accepted or cancelled the hold.
- Switching focus away from 3ds max and then back while in the middle of a mouse operation in the viewport, where the mouse operation has started a hold, but not yet accepted or cancelled the hold.
Script To Use A Script
This script is great for searching scriptspot.com by running a script - confused? Then click here.
Script for all flavours
This script is designed to quickly render those passes that many people commonly use. To download then click here. Claims to support Scanline, mentalray and vray.
Free Instant Sample
The FBX plugin range has been updated for the 2010 suite. To sample the latest offerings then please click here. Don’t forget you can download the 2010 plugin for some prior versions of 3ds Max/Design.
Instant and Satisfying
To view all of the standard shortcut keys available in 3ds Max/Design then click here.
IE 8
In case you didn’t know IE 8 is now available. To download the latest build then fclick here.
Is that to go?
After an open public beta, Ozone4 is now released. This looks set to be a great tool to use for creating realistic skies. These tools are built on the popular Vue technology. To view what this software can do please click here.
Free re-fill
cebas Computer, maker of finalRender(r), have announced the release of scalpelMAX(tm) for 3ds Max 2010 and 3ds Max 2009. All registered users of scalpelMAX for 3ds Max 9 and higher will get this update for free. Click here for more info.
Sweetener
Vray has been updated. Here’s the official info from Chaosgroup - the newest build, V-Ray 1.5 Service Pack 3, is available from the download section of the Chaos Software site. The upgrade is free of charge for all current V-Ray customers of Chaos Software.
The V-Ray 1.5 Service Pack 3 is compatible with Autodesk 3ds Max 8, 3ds Max 9, 3ds Max 2008, 3ds Max 2009 and Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009. The new V-Ray build supports both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of 3ds Max.
It includes several new features: Linear Workflow, Mesh-based lights, V-Ray light material as direct light, V-Ray Fog environmental effect, Vector Displacement, Import Proxy as mesh, Support for Max Arch & Design materials, Region Rendering directly in VFB, VRayFastSSS2 material for accurate sub-surface scattering.Improved features include Irradiance map - further reduction in flicker in animations, Camera Overrides now work with Physical Cam, Render Elements - MultiMatte, VRayExtraTex and VRayZDepth work with transperancy, DR Improvements - support for the incremental modes of the irradiance map.
The complete list with the improvements of the existing features can be found in the changelog file, which is a part of the installation.
Support Round-up
3ds Max fails to start up properly after installation - View article…
Suppressing Learning Movies dialog box on startup in 3ds Max 2010 - View article…
Hotfix - Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 - 2009.03.24 - View article…
Hotfix - Autodesk 3ds Max 2009 - 2009.03.16 - View article…
Well my coffee’s now gone cold, so until next time - Happy Max’ing….
Cooking On Gas
As many of you were inconsolably upset and distraught about not having a pointless theme running through my last blog post, I have made the ground breaking decision to bring it back for this one. So let’s go with a completely obscure and non-3d related ‘Cooking’ theme….
Hot in the Kitchen
We recently released a hotfix for a few issues in 3ds Max/Design 2009. If you want to know what ingredients they add to the mix, then look below:
- Improve memory management to reduce loss of the undo stack.
- Improve Network render time for some scenes
- Backburner was not working correctly with a limited user account.
As always this hotfix is cumulative, so it includes service pack 1 and all previous hotfixes. Make sure to download the relevant hotfix for your version of 3ds Max or 3ds Max Design.
To download the appropriate hotfixes then click here.
Cut It Out
The guys over at Vyonyx continue to spread the design vis love by adding to their collection of cookie cut-outs for commercial use. In case your not aware, Vyonyx are a creative des vis studio, who have a very distinct style to their melting pot of work. I would recommend that whilst you’re there grabbing as much from their free cupboards as possible, you also mince on over to their gallery of work. To download the freebies then click here now.
Feel free to email me any links to free libraries of work you may wish to share also…
Dinner Gong
Axyz-Design have released a collection of royalty-free ambience sound effects to add your pot of creativity, and hopefully earn more dough* (add groan here). These cover indoor and outdoor public places.
Axyz-design say that “Each track in the library is digitally recorded and is three to four minutes long to reduce the need for looping and editing. If you’re involved in Architectural Visualization video production, this premier collection is an indispensable creative tool that will save you time and money!”
To download the g(O)ng Sounds collections click here.
Don’t forget that with the ‘Creativity extension’ (Exclusively for subscription customers) you can now have 100 audio channels running inside of 3ds Max/Design. If you haven’t downloaded this yet, then make sure you hurry over to the subs web-portal and download now.
Registration is required for the axyz content.
Insert Witty Header Here (as I couldn’t think of one)
As many of you know I’m a die-hard mental ray fan. However, in principle of all thats fair, let’s have a look at a new renderer on the block for 3ds Max/Design - Indigo - and see what new ingredients it brings to the mixing pot.
Indigo’s marketing claims are:
- Metropolis Light Transport
- Spectral light simulation
- a virtual camera model
- Physical sky and more
- Indigo Renderer can achieve much more realistic results than traditional global illumination ray-tracers.
Indigo is free for commercial and non-commercial use. More information about Indigo renderer can be found here.
To view their gallery of work then click here.
Chrysler Makes Tasty Site
Chrysler have been good enough to upload a few complete dishy car models to the below online resource, dedicated to promoting CGI within the automotive industry.
To view this interesting site, click here.
All the best and Happy Max’ing…
Drop-in Days
I wanted to tell you all about a number of ‘3ds Max drop-in-days’ I have organised throughout the UK. Please sign-up if you feel that would benefit from attending one of these sessions. This is your chance to stay ahead of the competition….
3ds Max/Design UK ‘Drop-in-Days’
As it’s not always possible to attend the latest new feature presentations for 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design, I’ve created twelve FREE drop-in-days to be held at various locations throughout England. If you wish to attend, then please click on one of the below links, and an exact time and address will be emailed to you. Please note these are on a first come basis, and will be limited to a 60 minute time-slot. The first of these dates are shown below. To be one of the first to hear of future dates, please click here.
This is your chance to have a 1-2-1 informal discussion, focusing around best practices and techniques relevant to your workflow. These sessions are designed for you to maximize your return on investment in 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design, and are not necessarily 2010 release specific. I would also request that you bring along some examples of your recent work on a USB key.
The drop-in-days are open to any existing users of either 3ds Max or 3ds Max Design, and for those looking to see how 3ds Max/Design 2010 can enhance their projects. Your industry type does not matter for these sessions.
This is your chance to see why there is a huge amount of excitement around the latest 3ds Max/Design 2010.
26th August - Farnborough, Autodesk Office Click here
30th September - London, Autodesk Office Click here
01st October - Farnborough, Autodesk Office Click here
23rd October - London, Autodesk Office Click here
If these prove successful, it is my intention to roll these informal sessions out to the rest of Northern Europe, and make it a regular item for your calendar. Keep an eye out for more dates to follow.
Connection Extension for 3ds Max 2010
I also want to take this opportunity to remind you there is a new extension only available for subscription customers running 3ds Max/Design 2010. Make sure you log into the subscription center to download this extremely powerful connectivity extension. A full spec of what this brings can be found below.
The Connection Extension for Autodesk(r) 3ds Max(r) 2010 software makes it easier and more cost-effective to turn external designs into more accurate, creative advertisements by delivering new levels of interoperability, based on intelligent data workflows, between 3ds Max and design packages from Autodesk and certain third-parties.
Features and Benefits
1. Streamlined compositing with OpenEXR—Streamline your 3D-to-compositing workflow. A rewritten OpenEXR translator supports HDR workflows with advanced compositing applications.
2. Enhanced interoperability with Design Data - Bring solid models from many of your favorite CAD packages into 3ds Max for visual enhancement or conceptual design. A new high-fidelity SAT data translator helps make it easier to move solids-based data between 3ds Max and the Autodesk(r) Alias(r) family of products, Autodesk(r) Inventor(r) Professional software, and certain other design products without translating to polygons.
3. Intelligent workflows - Helps save time with new, more effective workflows for dealing with complex scenes.
4. Extensive connectivity with Google(tm) SketchUp(tm) modeling software - A powerful new SKP file translator enables you to bring SketchUp scenes into 3ds Max with minimal effort and get right to work rendering or enhancing the visuals. Also, 3ds Max can now read numerous free models from the 3D Warehouse section of the Google website.
Download from here - http://subscription.autodesk.com
As always Happy Max’ing…
From Backburner Blues to Render Farm Relief
After using Dynamite VSP for a number of years, I decided to start using a render farm to create my animations. After reading the Autodesk documentation and comments on the DVSP forums, it sounded like a simple process to set up. A very good article written by Gary Davis “Down on the Farm” gave me the final inspiration to set the process in motion.
Up until this point I had been using my own “home made” render farm, where I would manually farm out portions of an animation to various computers or “slaves”. Each slave would render a series of frames directly to AVI format, and then I would compile all AVIs into a final animation. I found a way to do this all off one VIZ license and while this process does work, there are many limitations with it.
Anyway, once I started to set up the render farm I encountered a few problems, and I couldn’t find any documentation or information to help. I have since fixed the errors and I thought I would include them here, so if any one else has similar problems it might be of some help.
Initial Problems
I have always installed Backburner at the same time as VIZ, and so I felt assumed that the software would work without too many headaches. Our computers are all networked and communicating between computers has never been a problem. I used an old laptop as the backburner Manager, and launched the Server application on the slaves that would form my render farm. The Manager accepted all the slaves, and I was ready to start my first net render.
I submitted the net render job from my VIZ computer, which the Manager accepted into the queue. But the render job would not start or “activate” and all slaves would sit idle.
Error logs in the backburner directory indicated that some kind of blocking going on: “A blocking operation was interrupted by a call to WSACancelBlockingCall. (0x2714)”. My immediate thoughts were that company firewall settings had stopping the job from rendering. Turning off the firewall and group policy settings had no effect and the slaves would still sit idle after sending the net render job.
After re-reading the Autodesk documentation and searching the internet for these backburner errors, I was almost ready to throw the towel in and give up. Maybe this is too hard to setup after all, was my main thought.
However, after a few days with the problems put firmly on the “backburner”, sense prevailed and I decided to check what actual versions of backburner I had installed, and if in fact it was the correct install. My setup was VIZ 2008 and the latest backburner version 3.02, along with a VIZ2007 which I had never un-installed. I discovered that VIZ2008 actually should install backburner version 2007.0.2.224. Ah so that’s my problem then! A quick un-install and re-install of backburner should fix the problem.
Making Progress
So, that’s what I did, followed by sending another net render job to the queue, only to find a new error: “No plugin available to handle job” At least I was having some progress now!!
A closer inspection of my VIZ and Backburner installations showed that the new version of backburner was still pointing to the VIZ 2007 directories for some reason. A quick un-install of VIZ2007 had no effect on backburner, and the “No plugin” error still remained.
Now my course of action was clear. Un-install *all* VIZ products, Backburner and DVSP along with the deletion of any keys in registry referring to VIZ and Discreet products. I then did a re-install of VIZ 2008 and backburner version 2007.0.2.224 and all of a sudden the net render to backburner was working !!! Hooray - success at last!!
Because I had never previously used Backburner, I was wasn’t sure of what to look for in the net rendering dialog boxes. This would have shown me some vital signs that all was not well with my render farm setup. When you use the net render option in VIZ / MAX, the Network Job Assignment dialog is opened. The first step is then to connect to the Manager PC. Once connected, the servers or slaves should all be shown in the top right hand corner. See the difference in screen shots. The first shows that I have connection to the Manager, but no slaves are listed. The second shows a correct connection to the Manager and all slaves are listed.
Once connected properly, the render jobs can be submitted and the render farm activates and starts farming out frames to the slaves.
Anyway, I’m off to get my monies worth out of VIZ now and to catch up on lost rendering time.
Happy rendering !!
Google Earth Terrain to DVSP
A number of CAD and GIS applications feature the ability to export CAD data to Google Earth, but some applications can also capture 3D Google Earth DTM data. This 3D DTM data can then be used in DVSP to form some approximate ground data (although the accuracy may be unreliable).
Microstation, PowerDraft and the MX CAD Engine all have this functionality (AutoCAD may do as well, but I’m not sure ??).
Here are some simple steps to do this:
The Google Earth tool box can be loaded from the following menu “Tools > Google Earth”.
Link Google Earth to CAD application
There are a number of ways to accurately define the geographic location of your CAD data including:
a. Using a single Placemark to define the location of a known point
b. Using the Geospatial Extension application (Geographics) to handle the geographic projection
c. Place two or more Placemarks to provide the complete projection transformation
The first of these methods is the simplest to use and is outlined below (its worth noting that this is probably the most inaccurate method):
1. Open Google Earth and create a single Placemark. This must be in a location that is commonly known to both Google Earth and the CAD application. i.e. known co-ordinates.
2. Save the placemark as a “kml” file, by right-clicking on the created placemark and choosing “Save As”. Save to a logical place as you need to browse to it in the next step
3. In the CAD application, use the Define Placemark Monument tool to define a monument point that matches the location of the newly created placemark.
4. Once you select a point on the CAD display, a Select Monument Placemark File dialog box is displayed, and you point to the newly created “kml” file. This now links the CAD application to Google Earth.
Export CAD data to Google Earth
You can then use the Export Google Earth (KML) File tool to export your CAD data to a new Google Earth “kml” or “kmz” file. This will be the file that stores all you CAD entities, imagery, and reference data. This is the file you can send to others.
Capture 3D Google Earth DTM Data
You can then Capture a Google Earth image: This tool allows you to not only capture the imagery from Google Earth, but also capture DTM data from Google Earth.
The Terrain setting in Google Earth must be switched on for this tool to work. The amount of zoom used on the Google Earth display determines the extent density of DTM data which is exported back to the CAD application.
Hit the icon, set the data point on the CAD display, and the DTM data will be exported to a 3D mesh (CAD entities) to the CAD application.
From there, its a simple process of importing the 3D mesh to Dynamite VSP via a Civil Application (LandXML, GENIO, Model.fil etc) or even just a DWG. There are various methods to thin or reduce this type of data, which I can outline in another post if anyone is interested.
Google Earth, SketchUp, 3ds Max
This is a helicopter pre-viz flight path done with free versions of GoogleEarth and SketchUp Pro. Files then brought into 3DS MAX 9 via the FBX file type. Added details and rendered.
Nothing much, but the client really liked it and it was cheap and fast to produce. Once posted on YouTube my project group commented on it. I then changed what was neccessary and re-rendered. This movie was then sent to a helicopter pilot to give him a sense of the kind of flight path we needed.
The resulting helicopter footage will then be composited with the CAD models of the roadways. I will post the final results when completed.
Keeping it Fresh and New…
Feeling fresh and relaxed after a week-long break from work, I want to keep this fresh, new and learning theme going for as long as possible….
So, who else better than the ‘The Fresh Prince’ to get us jigging along this week… Hit it Will - “just a little something to break the monotony, of all that hard core dance that has gotten to be a little bit out of control…”
Back to University
For me, this is the highlight of the calendar. Autodesk University (AU) runs from the 2-5 December, in Las Vegas. There are over 600 sessions which cover all things Autodesk. Let me know if you plan on attending, and I will see you there.
Tuesday, December 2 - 5, 2008
The Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino
3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Capture Motion with 3ds Max
As you know the Biped system in 3ds Max/Design is extremely powerful, however, the human eye is excellent at spotting if movement is computer generated. So to solve this issue, the Biped System will read Motion Capture (MoCap) data.
But how do you find good MoCap resources? On the installation DVD you will find a wealth of files that do not get installed. These are designed to cover most scenarios, so go back and trawl through those brilliant clips. Especially when you start to add this to the MoFlow options and animation layers to build up the clips to form the animation you need. 3ds Max will handle the four most commonly used motion analysis file formats.
Its all Rigged
Should you be new to MoCap and Biped, then have a look at these PDF tutorials from aXYZ, which I personally recommend. (No online registration needed for download)
I also want to point you in the direction of Rocketbox, another great online commercial resource of textured, and animated libraries for use with 3ds Max, to add life to animations.
When choosing a library of props and furniture, try to ensure they have normal maps, specular maps and have the same models set up in various poly count states - ie high, medium, and low. Normal maps are particularily important, buy adding extra detail (for example creases in clothing) but without any of the over-heads of extra rendering time that modeled detail will bring..
A Free animated and rigged* model can be downloaded by clicking here. As you know, nothing is ever free, so you will need to register your details with the company to download the content. This is an external resource.
(*A ‘rig’ is the term for the process of adding controlling ‘skeleton’ to the mesh.)
However if you want more raw MoCap data then you should have a look at this web site from Carnegie Mellon University. They have been kind enough to post over 1 gb of free data for use worldwide in research and commercial projects.
Its Elemental my dear Watson:
Special congratulations go to the following companies for having work published in Elemental 3, the latest offering from Ballistic Publishing.
- Aedas Imaging
- Smoothe
- AHD-imaging
- Preconstruct
- Neoscape
- GMJ
- Uniform
Another ‘M’ in the family
And last, but certainly not least, Autodesk Mudbox 2009, was released last week.
This is the much anticipated release of the intuitive and artistic modelling package that features of wealth of organic modeling brushes. This extremely powerful package is a great accompaniment 3ds Max, especially when you require more detail in your high poly models.
I have been playing with Mudbox for a while now, and strongly recommend you download the trail to see why I’m passionate about this product inconjunction with 3ds Max. The Free trial can be downloaded here.
To view what some of the existing user base have been doing then follow this link: Gallery of stunning work can be viewed here.
An Image showing work of Jacques Defontaine:
As with any ‘new’ product there is a learning curve. In the case of Mudbox, this is extremely small, and for most people I’ve shown it to they can get going on their own and feel comfortable with the UI after the first 20 minutes. However to help you along then a full set of Learning resources can be found here.
Until next time, Happy Max’ing
March On
Surprisingly enough March is upon us already, and with it brings St Patricks day, Daffodils, Easter egg hunts, Barbies 50th, and the highlight of my calendar… World Maths day. Rock on.
With a wealth of potential themes to choose from, I think its only fair we run with a general ‘March’ theme throughout this post. So on that note, lets get cracking (sorry, but the “jokes” dont get any better)....
RPC
The guys and gals over at Archvision have published a free and eggciting 30 day trial of over 3000 RPC’s. This is a fully functioning trial, with access to people, trees, cars and objects for use in your visualisation. New content is added regularily. Archvision’s RPC technology allows the easy placement of content in 3ds Max/Design, Revit and Adobe’s Photoshop, and with it being a free trial of their content, you cant go wrong….
To view the archvision website click here.
To download and install the trial click here.
Green
If you thought being green meant dressing up in a St Patricks day hat then I would recommend you view these podcasts from Autodesk/e2.
The main site can be found by clicking here, but to view some of the podcasts directly then click the relevant links below.
Paving the Way (Transportation)
Energy for a Developing World (Bangladesh)
Harvesting the Wind (Minnesota Wind)
Growing Energy (Brazil)
State of Resolve (California)
Coal /Nuclear: Problem or Solution? (energy Future)
I See Dead Pixels
This is an eggtremely interesting read on the slightly scarey and techy side of pixels, sampling, processes and the possible future of hi-def. Take from this what you will for your day to day work (or just for when you buy a new telly.) I found this a very interesting read. Click here to read the in-depth article.
March to Multilight Goodness
This handy script will turn anyones St Patricks green with envy. It should work with all the big renderers; fR, mr, vray and brazil. Well what does it do? This great toolset will let you interactively change various parameters like intensity, gamma, tint, etc. of each light or self emitting material.
Tweak the lighting on you project or drastically the appearance of your project. From day to night and anything in between.
This ver1 tool requires 3ds Max/Design 2009. For an exmple of what the intent is, click here. To view the main website and download, then please click here.
Following on from this, I would recommend a trip to the other scripts section to see what else is on offer. Theres some crackers in there. To go through to the extras then click here.
Converted?
If you wish to convert materials between mr, vray, standard, and Maxwell then this link should be helpful. To download the script click here.
Mastering Design Vis
The number one event for visualisation is back upon us again. If you’ve never been to vismasters, then I strongly recommend it. The event is invaluable and a whose-who of the visualisation world. To register and see whose speaking click here. The event runs in San Francisco on the 28th April.
Closer to home
If your budget wont stretch to a trip to Sunny San Fran, then I would recommend having a look at this event (EUE). I was lucky enought to speak at the last one, and found the other sessions extremely informative. However, if the thought of me speaking last time, hasnt put you off, then click through to visit their site and view more information. Held near Amsterdam, for two days starting on the 28th May, the event, has many of the top 3ds Max people from the industry. Our very own Neil Hazard (Mr Viewports), and Jeff Mottle (Mr Vismasters) will be talking this time round. If your still not sold on the idea, then the venue should help… it’s in a bar.
Random, non-3d related, non-helpful, useless fact
Ever wanted to speak like the king of eggheads Elmer Fudd? I know i have. Well if the answer to this disturbing question is yes then go to ‘search preferences’ in google, and change the ‘interface language’ to Elmer, or Klingon or bork, bork, bork to name a few. I have no idea why you would want to do this, but I have to do something when im waiting for a 4k render. Right now im off to google my own name….
Phew… Happy Max’ing…..
Mental Ray Proxy System Script
Just a quick note to make sure you aware of the script, Zap at Mental Images, produced for the MR proxy system found in 3ds Max (Design) 2009.
This enhances the already excellent MR proxy functionality by:
- new Quad menu item “Convert Object(s) to Proxies”
- retains material
- retains child parent linkage
- animation
- replaces all instances of the original with the proxy, (save the file first)
- Will even make you a cup of coffee
The script can be found here, but please note this is an unsupported tool but one which I have found extremely useful:
http://www.lysator.liu.se/~zap/ad/mental%20ray-mrProxyBake.mcr
What Are Mental Ray Proxies?
Well, technically, it’s a render-time demand-loaded piece of geometry. The particular implementation chosen for 3ds Max is in the form of a binary proxy. This means that the mental ray render geometry data is simply dumped to disk as a blob of bytes together with a bounding box. These bytes can then be read in… but not until a ray actually touches the bounding box!
Normally, geometry lives in the 3ds Max scene, and is then translated to mental ray data. So it means the object effectively lives twice in memory, once in 3ds Max, and once as the mental ray “counterpart”. Not only does the proxies remove the translation time, it actually removes the need for the object to exist in all it’s glory in 3ds Max; there is only a lightweight representation of the object in the scene, that can be displayed as a sparse point cloud so you can “sort of see what it is”, and work the scene at interactive rates. Not until the object is actually needed for render is it even loaded into memory, and when it is no longer needed, it can be unloaded again to make room for other data.
One neat feature with the proxies is that they can be animated
, i.e. mesh deformations can be stored (you can naturally just move the instances themselves around normally without having to save them as “animated” proxies, as a matter of fact, instance transformation is not baked into the file, only the deformations).
You can think of it as a point-cache on stereoids, because the entire mesh is actually saved - which means that topology changing animation (such as, say, a fluid sim) can be baked to proxies. Naturally, it’ll eat lots of disk ... but it’s possible. The animation can be re-timed and ping-pong’ed (so you can make, say, swaying trees more easily).
Making Proxies
Now, creating proxies in the shipping 3ds Max 2009 is a bit of a multi-step process. I wrote a little script to simplify that, but it wasn’t ready in time to make it into the shipping 2009, so you can find it here:
- Download mental ray-mrProxyMake.mcr
- Launch max, and on the MaxScript menu choose “Run Script” and pick the file. By doing this, it should now have installed itself.
- Now open your “Customize” memory, the “Customize User Interface”
- Choose the “Quads” tab
- On the left, choose the category “mental ray”
- In the list that appears, you’ll find a “Convert Object(s) to mental ray Proxy”. Make sure the one with the plural “s” on “Object(s)”, if you find one without s it is the shipping one which is not so fun.
- Drag it to a quad menu of your choice - done!
Now you should be able to right-click an object, and get a “Convert Object(s) to mental ray Proxy” option.
This allows you to convert an object and replace the original with a mr Proxy. Note this removes your original, replaces it (and all it’s instances) with the proxy. It retains all transformation animation, children and parent links in all the instances. Now be aware your original is thrown away - do don’t do this on some file which you do not have a saved copy of your carefully crafted object!!!
You can also select multiple objects for baking to proxies. This, however, works slightly differently. Instead of just a filename, you are asked for a file prefix, and the actual object name in the scene is then appended to that name…. so if your prefix is “bob”, then “Sphere01” is saved as “bobSphere01.mib”.
Disclaimer
Now, this is an unsupported experimental tool. Be aware it will delete your original Object(s) - so save your original scene. It may have a gazillion of bugs, misfeatures, and may cause your computer to explode. There is no warranty that it’ll even execute. But if you find it useful…. enjoy.
New 3ds Max Hotfix including SP1
There is a New Hotfix available (20080610) for the following issue found in 3ds Max/Design 2009 Service Pack 1 (SP1):
- Light Lister now shows light instances.
Note: This Hotfix includes all previous hotfixes and includes SP1.
3ds Max 2009 - http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=11601340&linkID=9241178
3ds Max Design 2009 - http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=11601436&linkID=10381720
Happy Max’ing
Recent Article
I can do words as well as pictures!
Below you will find a recent article I wrote for Experience Building magazine. The article features some great visuals, and hopefully will hopefully aid some of your next projects. Please feel free to contact me with any comments.
If you are based in Northern Europe and you want to subscribe to Experience Building magazine for free, then please click here. If you are outside of the territory then you can download a pdf from the same website.
An Introduction to the Art of Visualisation
Before we discuss what should form the basis of a good Computer Generated Image (CGI) we need to remind ourselves of the most important part of the process and an area which is often overlooked - the purpose of the visual. We need to ask ourselves ‘What are the key points to communicate to the viewer?’ It’s all too easy when working on an image to lose track of the main reason for it. Instead we get carried away with the small, insignificant details. These small technical design details will often add little to the overall impact, mood and effect of the animation or visual. It’s always worthwhile to draw up a list of 5-7 important features that need to be communicated. This can be helped by re-visiting the original mood-boards for the scheme or product.
By helping to re-define the important differentiators of the project (for example the strategic balcony view or building’s footprint), we can ensure the imagery enforces the important key points to the viewer and end client. Remember, your job when producing a 3D image is to portray the unique points of the project in the clearest way possible, and not just to make a pretty picture. With Photorealism we aim to fool the audience into believing that what they see is real. With technical visuals, our sole aim is to educate the viewer in the clearest way possible.
3D visuals generally fall into one of two categories - to either sell an idea or to improve upon the design. Both areas often require two different styles of visualisation. For example a marketing image will be quite different to one required for a planning submission or massing model. The two images below clearly demonstrate how they both serve different needs for the user, be it technical or artistic. A good 3D image doesn’t depend on the level of photorealism but on how well it matches its purpose.
Once we have outlined our brief and viewers needs we start to create our test compositions. If this is the first visualisation project you are embarking on then you should create as many test ‘shots’ as possible. Create quick block previews from all angles within the project. These do not need to be fully materialised renders, but instead can be simple hidden-line screen grabs or greyscale renders. By producing grey renders, we can also check our 3D model for potential defects, which may have been overlooked. At this stage, all we are concerned with is the form and mass. This part of the process should be all about speed and experimentation. Treat the project as a real-world development in which you’re running around with a digital camera. Take as many shots as you feel is necessary, then throw away the ones which don’t work. This will help you learn which angles and compositions work well for your next project. Ensure, however, that you give no more than 7 concept shots to the lead architect or developer to choose from. Showing too many concept shots will often just lead to confusion and the client asking for a mix of a few, as they’re unable to make a decision.
As a general rule, dramatic angles with large perspectives work well for tower blocks, whereas small dwellings deserve a more refined approach where you’d use a more natural lens. One concept which sits well with most visuals is to add a ‘Dutch Camera’ or ‘Dutch Angle’ effect. This is an early cinematic effect which often adds interest to an otherwise standard shot. Often, as seen below, the horizon line needs to be tilted, and one of the perspective lines to run into the images corner. It’s worth noting that this technique works extremely well if you wish to enforce the notion of speed and movement. The tilted angle will always add a level of drama to the visual too. Now look at the grey scale image, and see how the compositions impact is lacking. On a side note, this greyscale look is a great way to test angles, without being distracted by colour. It also has the added luxury of a faster render/production time.
This technique can be seen in many of the visualisation specialists’ work. But beware when creating animations, as it is easy to overdo this effect, and can result in a sea-sick end client. Also, experiment with the frame or image size to see what suits the effect. Don’t get stuck in producing a standard A4-proportioned visual. In the same way the Dutch angle will add to the mood of a 3D image, a change in image proportion will result in a different mood. For example letter box proportions add to the notion of speed as a result of the larger horizon line which is available to the viewer.
3D Imagery courtesy of Yane Markulev, Smoothe Bulgaria.
Cameras
Try to understand the basics of how real world cameras work. Read up on principles of physical cameras and try to understand the basic terminology. Often the best 3D imagery and artists employ real-world principles. If anyone in your office has a SLR, then these are people who will become great 3D visualisers as they already have an understanding of composition and common photographic terminology. This includes such as shutter speed and film ISO. Many of these terms are used within the 3D visualisation process and as such, the two worlds are overlapping more than ever. Many visualisation beginners fall into the trap of forgetting they’re in control of the camera and instead do all the shots at a ‘safe’ eye level. For extra drama in an interior image, try placing the camera in the bottom corner of the room and focus the target upwards to the ceiling. This will have the added benefit of making the space seem wider than it is, and less of a snap-shot.
The Rule of Thirds
Much in the same way we look to cinematography and photography for inspiration, we should also implement their standard photographic and painting techniques. One such method is the ‘rule of thirds’. This practice of splitting the image into 9 equal imaginary boxes requires the horizon line to be placed on or near to one of the box’s’ horizontal lines. This ensures the horizon is not distracting to the viewer by cutting the image in half. Implementing this simple technique, the eye is held within the image for longer. The intersection of the box lines can also be used for the benefit of the 3D artist by adding strong focal points to this area of the visual. This can be shown by the two Spanish Antarctic base huts pointing towards the viewer forming a central area of curiosity, in turn keeping the audience’s interest. This remains one of the biggest challenges in visualisation. These meeting points are powerful places to add objects in an interior scene or focus on key exterior parts of the development. Next time you’re using your compact camera, look out for this grid, on the camera’s viewfinder or screen.
3D Image courtesy of ARC
Control
The rule of thirds ensures we are able to hold the viewer’s attention in the image, but by adding subtle elements into the visuals and animations we can control or predict where the viewer’s eye will travel. There are many procedures we can implement, but it’s often the simplest that has the most effect. Now let us look back at the previous expedition imagery. We can see how the audience’s attention is pulled into the image by more of these imaginary visual lines. We can imagine these lines drawn along the two front facing huts roofs towards the centre of the image, forming a ‘V’ - thus leading us into the important background detail. In this case, the effect is subtle, but often can be more obvious by literal lines created by a road and path or a power cable for a product. It is these simple techniques which distinguish a good, captivating image from an average one.
In the below image we can see what I describe as the ‘Top Gear effect.’ In the illustration’s corners there is a very subtle darkening to the edges. This is what we often see when using a wide-angled lens in the real world. This darkening is the result of the lens-hood or shield we would attach to ensure no stray light gets into the camera body’s optics. The result of this is the clichéd lens flare of 1990s computer imagery. By adding this edge darkening we are also adding a sense of realism.
However, more recently this effect has been used to ensure the viewer focuses on the centre of the image if there are no obvious focal points for the viewer to latch onto. In 3D terms, when rendered into the image, it often has the added benefit of providing a quicker render time, due to less pixel data for the computer to analyse. Next time you’re watching Top Gear, look out for this technique and see how the eye is forced to a strategic point in the sequence. Good 3D artists will make sure you pick up on the key elements.
3D Image courtesy of Alex Roman (ThirdSeventh)
This technique of forcing the eye to strategic places is best revealed by Depth of Field (DOF). DOF is the process in which a selective part of an image is sharp and in focus, leaving the remainder of the image blurry and less distracting. In the below examples we can see how, without the blur effect, the monitor screen in the foreground is the primary focus. With the blur added, this pushes the focal point back towards the security wall screen. The image is simply easier to look at. The artist forces the eye to concentrate on the part of the image which is sharp and full of detail, and important to the marketing of the project. This is a very effective technique, which general works best on macros, or detailed close-ups. As an example, this could be an interior shot which highlights a desirable basin tap, with the remainder of the room out of focus. In 3D image terms it is often best to leave this effect until after the image has been produced. Producing these effects are processor intensive. To explore this workflow, I would recommend researching Z-depth and post-processing techniques.
3D Image courtesy of Aedas Imaging
Light and Colour Range
Colour will often characterise a mood and feel. It is important to revisit the mood board and inspirations for the initial design schemes to ensure the correct theme is carried throughout the full design phase. In the below visual we can see how the colour palette is from the same, warm tonal range. Now imagine the same image with a small red vase or a red chair. This would be far too distracting for the viewer and therefore become an interruption to the flow. Colours should be considered in detail. These should be as much a consideration as the camera angle. Below we can also see how the lighting carries that same warm, tonal range. Now, once again, envision the image with a blue palette. This would leave the viewer cold and create an unwelcoming mood in the visual. Generally, I feel warmer tones tend to work with more classical designs and exteriors. Colder moods lend themselves towards ultramodern projects that can exploit bluer tones to their advantage by means of strong modern reflections, creating the notion of expense or luxury.
Colour theory in itself can create a challenging area for an artist, but the best rule is to choose a palette and carry it throughout the scheme. Don’t use too many colours. Lighting should fall into this same colour category and range. My technique is to quickly convert the image to black and white to see if the colour range works by highlighting any distracting elements.
Lighting can be a valued part of the image, and can often hide unnecessary, time-consuming detail. Below we can see how the external windows have over-exposed, super bright areas. Generally this is what we would achieve with a real world camera. The room would be perfectly exposed (by means of a light meter) to show the detail within the room. However, because the room is perfectly exposed, this would result in the ‘brighter’ exterior being over-exposed and therefore appear super white.
Often, when recreating photography, it’s best to obtain reference photography from the internet to match it against. In the below example we can see how the artist has recreated this effect perfectly. By doing this, our focus in the image remains in the interior. From a 3D point of view, this has an advantage for the artist by reducing the amount of data the computer package needs to analyse. Don’t get caught out and produce an interior image where the externally viewed sky is a perfect Spanish blue. Ensure the lighting conditions and environment are plausible. When adding this effect, it is often worthwhile to balance it with darker areas in the composition. The silhouettes will often fool the user into believing there is a much greater level of detail than apparent. It’s also worth noting the soft and subtle glow around these over-exposed openings. This is where we can see the haze and dust particles within the atmosphere. I generally describe these ‘glare’ effects as ones you notice more when not there, than when they are. These straightforward, but effective enhancements will trigger the mind into believing it is authentic.
3D Image courtesy of Visualisation One
We can also employ some extremely straightforward techniques to add to the realism. In the below visual we can see how the artist has suggested the camera is placed within a tree. This has been achieved by the addition of the two out of focus leaves in the top right hand corner. These leaves also help to frame the image. In computer terms we can add just these two leaves to suggest to the audience that the camera is in the tree. Our imagination will insert the remainder of the tree. By seeing the background wooded area, and by adding these elements, we believe the tree line to continue to wrap around the building.
As 3D artists, this careful placement ensures we have less work to do to the image. 3D imagery is often primarily about suggestion of detail and complexity. We can see how this theme has been carried through the image. Notice the shadow in the bottom left hand corner. This again suggests that a tree is present, but without the hard work of actually adding and rendering the physical tree. Foliage remains a sore point for architectural visualisation. Often there is more detail within the foliage than in the actual development. This results in an increase in computation and rendering times. We can also see how the background has been become less disturbing, by the addition of haze. Haze can be described as dust particles within the air. This automatically conjures up a notion of great distance and depth to the imagery.
3D Image courtesy of Creative Bureau
Summary
Visualisation has advanced considerably within the past three years, however, the basics of producing a good image have remained the same. It is no longer just a ‘fluffy’ marketing tool, but can and should be part of the full design process. Visualisation is a necessary part of the communication process to ensure a visually informed design. Finally, it’s always a good idea to slow down and test compositions. Try to know and use the above rules and guidelines, but it is more important to not always feel you must stick to them. Study the work of other companies and decide what makes a good image. Choose images you continue to look at and analyse what makes them attention-grabbing. Start by going back through the images within this article and see how many conventions they use from the above ‘rules’ we have discussed, if not all of them.
I hope that my guidelines above have offered some inspiration for those of you already creating visuals, and for those of you yet to try visualisation, I hope that this has encouraged you to try it in some form.
Ensure you explore ideas and angles, keep things simple to start with and most of all, be creative.
Renovation
Those that know me will know I’ve been renovating a house for the past year, and this week has brought an end to it. So i now managae to get my weekends back - well apart from all the 3d work I need to catch up on, of course…. So that means this newsletter theme is ‘Renovation.’
And just for the record, I hate silicone sealant and glossing paint…... oh, and filing cracks, and dusting, and sawing, and nailing, and hammering, and insulating, and bolting and…........
House keeping
First off, please take this opportunity to ensure your graphics card drivers are up to date - take 5 minutes out of your schedule, and ensure your machine is happy. Drivers will often be updated by the providers, ensuring you get the best possible user experience from the professional graphics card you own. As software is released these drivers will be optimized for them, for example the major providers will often have special drivers for 3ds Max/Design. As a general rule, I would recommend you do not use the driver beta versions. Often the graphics card information, can be found by right clicking on your desktop wallpaper, and navigating to Properties > Settings, and making a note of the card model displayed. If your running a laptop, you may need to check the laptop manufacturers website directly, to ensure compatibility. You can also find this inside of 3ds Max/Design 2009+ by clicking on the ‘Help’ menu header, and navigating to ‘Diagnose video hardware.’
To download the most up-to-date drivers then select the relevant icon below -
AMD/ATI card? - click here
NVIDIA card? - click here
The system requirements for 3ds Max/Design can be found here.
The ‘qualified hardware’ for 3ds Max/Design can be found via this link. This hardware is tested to ensure compatibility with the features you’ve come to rely on.
To learn more about graphics hardware compatibility please click here.
Design Icon
Take the ‘M&E’ icon test! Do you know which Autodesk Media & Entertainment (M&E) product these icons are for? To find out the answer, hover over the icon to be taken to the web page link. Hopefully the first one is easy….
‘BoB’ (the builder)
The latest ‘Best of the Best’ showreel is live on The-Area. This one is the best one yet….. go find the pop corn and enjoy. Click here to view.
f/x
finalF/X Bundle 1.5 is out for 3ds Max/Design 2010. finalF/X Bundle is made out of a collection of powerful plug-ins for 3ds Max. Each one of these plugins is now 3ds Max 2010 compatible. For more information on finalF/X, click here.
For more information on finalDOF click here
For more information on finalFlares click here
For more information on pyrocluster 3.5 click here
The official info is…...“3ds Max 2010 updates for finalF/X products are a free download and can be acquired by registered users at the cebas shop. If you already have an account you can simply go to the My Account section of the cebas shop and then go to My Downloads to get the update.
If you didn’t purchase finalF/X 1.5 directly from the cebas shop, you will need to create an account and then click the Register Me button in the My Downloads section. Within 24 hours, you will have all updates and downloads available to you for all of your cebas products. Please be aware that all fixes are included within this latest version of the software and you do NOT need to install all of the patches in order to become current. Simply installing the new build will give you all of the updates, fixes and enhancements.”
More Time
This script adds some functionality to the existing 3ds Max/Design timeline.. Haven’t had chance to test it myself, but looks promising. Cheers to Paulo Kiefe for this link.
To download from scriptspot.com, then click here.
To view the tutorial videos, click here.
Power Extensions
The guys over at Npower have added some interesting artist of the month interviews. (Thanks to Eric Pinkel for sharing these.) If you are not aware of Npower, then have a look at the inbuilt ProBoolens and ProCutter. In 3ds Max and Design. It’s thanks to these guys you have Booleans which work To view the two interviews, then click on the relevant name below.
Kevin Cimini - view article
Julian foster - view article
Booked
This online magazine has some interesting reads on architecture from across the pond. Packed with some stunning visuals from the likes of Dbox, CrystalCG, Tangram3ds, 3d-core and Spine3d.
There is also an interview with CrystalCG on some of their latest projects. To view the issue online, click here.
The skys the limit
E-on Software has released Personal Learning Editions (PLE) of its 3D landscape creation tools for creative pros, Vue 7.5 xStream, Vue 7.5 Infinite and Ozone 4.0. For more info, click here.
The Vue 7.5 PLE can be downloaded from here. Ozone 4.0 PLE is here.
Support Round-Up
The application fails to start up properly after installation - View article…
The application will not launch properly as a stand-alone license - View article…
3ds Max 2010 Biped Update - View article…
Material assignments lost when reloading filelinked DWG file - View article…
Hotfix - Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 - Activation Hotfix - View article…
As always Happy Max’ing…
Seasons Greetings
Seasons Greetings…!
You are probably all too busy drinking Egg-Nog and eating mince pies to worry about reading this. Anyway, at this time of year it wouldn’t be right to not have an obvious and overly unimaginative Santa theme running throughout the newsletter. So here we go with sleigh bells ring ring ringing along…
Experience, the Experience of Experience
Experience Building is a new quarterly magazine published by X3Dmedia. The publication is aimed at Autodesk’s AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) community. Printed copies of the magazine are currently only available within Northern Europe, but there’s certainly some good PDF articles on the website. Register here to receive your free copy.
In the latest publication (Issue 2), you will find a daylight analysis tutorial, By Darren Brooker, and in the showcase section, articles on Uniform and Boogertman and Partners.
Giftwrapped Autodesk Overview
Every wanted to see an overview of Autodesk(r) in a visually compelling way, that doesn’t involve a trace of PowerPoint? Then click here.
AU Tech Demo Unwrapped
This is an example of what the research teams have been exploring within viewports. Have a look at Ken Pimentel’s blog to grab a sneek preview of what was unwrapped at AU. Obviously this is a highly GPU intensive task, but is impressive none-the-less. My personal highlights are:
- Screen-space based ambient occlussion (AO)
- DOF
- Interactive Tonemapping/Exposure control
- HDRI environment maps
**Note: this is not what to expect in the product, but is purely an insight into ongoing research.**
Labs ‘Showroom’
Project Showroom is a technology preview for Autodesk’s vision of a new web-based home decorating tool. Allowing you to browse product selections from leading manufacturers, and get a feel for how those products will look in real-world settings. It’s free and open to anyone.
Select products of interest; then drag and drop them into the virtual space. Project Showroom requires no download and no special software - all you need is a standard web browser.
Frosty Windows
This free beta application brings the new Windows 7 drag-and-snap-to-size feature to your pre-Windows 7 machine. With ‘AeroSnap’ installed and running, pulling a window to the right edge of your screen resizes it to half of the screen on the right side; pulling it to the left resizes the window to your left half. Pulling a window to the top of your monitor will maximize it.
AeroSnap is a free download, and requires Microsoft’s Windows and .NET 2.0. This is as handy as Santa’s Elves when working with lots of menus. To ensure the app starts every-time you restart, you should add the app to the startup menu in Windows.
Yule love this from Craft Animations
The guys at Craft Animations have been kind enough to release condensed versions of some of their tools, for Free. Check out this link to download the range of powerful camera tools and extras they have uploaded. Hopefully these tools will be a welcome addition when setting up complex rigs or camera moves in 3ds Max/Design.
These tools are extremely powerful and it’s great to see more of them being adopted.
Softimage joins the family for Xmas
This acquisition is now complete. Read this link to find out more. Most noteworthy is ‘the SOFTIMAGE(r)|Cat(tm) character animation system is expected to be integrated into the Autodesk(r) 3ds Max(r) software product line.’
Finally, I wish you all a very happy break away from your workstations/coffee machines, and look forward to meeting up again in the year ahead.
Happy Max’ing into 2009…
Short and Sweet
This is a short one, mainly because I’m crazily snowed under with work, and secondly as a result of the 217, 218… 219 unread emails in my inbox, so lets get going…
CAD ‘Object Enablers’ (OEs) for 3ds Max / Design 2009
The latest Object Enablers for 3ds Max / Design 2009 can be found here. They cover all the main Autodesk applications including:
- AutoCAD Civil 2009
- AutoCAD Civil 2009 Mentor Grid Coord Sys Files
- AutoCAD Architecture 2009
- AutoCAD MEP 2009
- Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009
Object Enablers are freeware applications which allow data created in the relevant CAD application to be accessed. If any of you import CAD data from the above apps, then I strongly suggest you download these freeware updates.
Creativity Extension for 3ds Max / Design 2009
This is available exclusively for those of you on the Autodesk Subscription program and expands the existing toolset within 3ds Max / Design 2009. If you haven’t already downloaded this extension, I strongly recommend you do so, as this has a huge range of bonus tools that will make your life easier.
Key Features in the Creativity Extension for 3ds Max 2009 and 3ds Max Design 2009 include:
Advanced Particle Effects - The Creativity Extension offers PFlowAdvanced technology, which includes 12 operators new to both 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design, gives users easier access to a wide range of creative options. Developed with the help of Dr. Oleg Bayborodin, the original author of Particle Flow, PFlowAdvanced offers backwards compatibility with Orbaz Technologies Particle Flow Tools: Box #1, faster performance, improved memory management, and streamlined workflow. This addition greatly enhances the functionality of the Particle Flow toolset. It also gives artists a high performance workflow to access its features including numerous paint tools, Shape operators, Express Save and more.
Integrated Audio - ProSound technology in 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design now allows users to integrate multi-track audio directly into their scene files and adjust audio timing during the animation phase. Using the technology, artists can enhance their projects with high-quality audio and sound effects.
Polygon Modeling - New ProOptimizer technology allows artists to optimize high-poly count 3D models. This modifier offers precise control over the number of faces or points in a scene or model, allows artists to batch files with sub-object level control, lets users reduce a selection up to 75 percent without removing detail, provides real-time scene optimization and much more.
You can access the subs centre & info about what this is by clicking here. Both versions of the extension share the same features.
Random Material ID Script
Lastly here is an interesting script, allowing you to randomly set material ID’s to an editable poly. This was created by 3idee.nl. The script just needs a multi/sub material to be applied to the object, tweak the settings, and you’ve just allowed yourself more time to drink that coffee or read that paper.
The script can be downloaded here.
Image showing example result on roof tiles.
Happy Max’ing.
Snowed Under With News
Today’s post follows a week of very exciting news.
Yes, I know what your all thinking and saying - “its incredible”, “amazing news”, “astounding”, “wow” and “this news rocks” are all some of things I’ve heard people say recently. You never thought it would happen…... yes, that’s right. It has actually snowed in London!
So from this amazing news, let’s move onwards with a spring in our step:
An Essential Book for your Bookshelf
I luckily managed to get my hands on a pre-release of this book. As always, Darren has invested a huge amount of time, reworking the tutorials and large sections of this edition to keep up with the ever changing world of 3d. Past versions of this book have been extremely informative and packed full of essential information for any 3d studio that wants to take advantage of the full potential of 3ds Max and its powerful lighting systems.
This book is based around Darren’s wealth of real-world production experience for many of the top production houses. Cosgrove hall and Redvision to name a few.
Follow this link to view the sample pages.
Viewcube Magic
If only I could have a viewcube in my every day life I hear you say, well today is your lucky day.
The video link below shows how this tangible prototype could improve your 3d navigation. This technology is currently being previewed on Autodesk Labs. Click here for more information.
More goings on in the labs of Autodesk
If the above wasn’t enough we have also released a plugin for Autodesk’s Design Review. This plugin allows you to plug your Wii Remote(tm) into the viewer and use this as your trusty navigation device.
This can be used on any computer with a blue-tooth connection, and there is no need for the infrared sensor bar.
Download and install the viewer from this link. The service pack can be found here.
The navigation add-in can be downloaded here
.
Ivy League
The next time you need to make some ivy for your 3ds Max animation, then use this plugin to ‘grow’ the ivy around the 3ds Max object. This new version by our friends at guruware is based off of Thomas Luft’s Ivy generator. Its worth viewing his site to see what is possible via the example images found here.
As always, anything by guruware is rock solid, so I highly recommend you download the plugin. This can be downloaded here.
As some of you may know, in the latest release of 3ds Max/Design we have updated the OBJ importer/exporter to provide a much happier user experience when importing this type of data from multiple 3d applications including Autodesk’s Mudbox. It’s worth noting that his also came from those clever people at Guruware.
Please note these are my personal opinions and may not be the recommendations of Autodesk. Until next time, Happy Max’ing.
The CATs whiskers
For some great news on a fantastic plugin for 3ds Max / Design exclusively to Subscription customers….... read on.
Subscribe and get a free CAT
As of today, January 15th, 2009, all 3ds Max/Design 2009 subscription customers can download a complete version of CAT (Character Animation Tools) compiled for 3ds Max 2009 for free! Previously, this was sold for $995USD. Anyone who is trying to animate characters or creatures should check this out.
A full Overview of CAT, and what it is, can be found by clicking here.
About CAT
Autodesk’s CAT system is a character animation plug-in for Autodesk 3ds Max. CAT is designed by animators, for animators to take the tedious technicalities out of 3D character animation. Its complete toolset enables easy character rigging, non-linear animation, animation layering, motion capture import, muscle simulation, and more. CAT is fast, stable, simple, and packed with cutting-edge features that give artists an easier way to animate characters in 3ds Max.
Click here to view a Gallery of work.
For details of what is new in CAT 3, click here
Happy Max’ing….
The M25
Today’s theme is dedicated to the place I seem to spend a lot of time - The M25.
The M25 was originally designed in 1975 to be a road, circulating London, but has ended up being London’s largest car-park stretching 117 miles. You’ll be pleased to know I spend a lot of time contemplating why the person in front has decided to turn up their techno music, why they have dropped their cigarette packets on the road and why oh why oh why haven’t we moved for the past four hours? (I even keep a book in the car now!)
Time for a service
Service Pack 1 is here - This latest SP for 3ds Max 2010 and 3ds Max Design 2010 includes nearly 30 fixes for issues with undo, performance, responsiveness, viewports, material workflow, and mental ray® software. Specific areas addressed are Biped, Bitmap Pager, Bitmap Proxies, Containers, Edit Poly, Interoperability, Licensing, Materials, mental ray, Particle Flow, Performance, Photometric Lights, ProOptimizer, Render To Texture (RTT), Rendering, UVW Unwrap, and Viewports.
Click here for 3dsmax 2010 sp1 32-bit
Click here for 3dsmax 2010 sp1 64-bit
Click here for 3dsmax DESIGN 2010 sp1 32-bit
Click here for 3dsmax DESIGN 2010 sp1 64-bit
Click here for the Readme file
Increase your speed
Joep van der Steen and Ted Boardman have just sent a re-write of Joep’s previous mental ray book, Rendering with mental ray & 3ds Max to the Focal Press for publication.
Ted and Joep mention “....The book has all completely new chapters that are designed to ease you into the concepts of making mental ray productive. Setting up a mental ray scene requires a structured approach to set a base global illumination solution on which you can build more complexity efficiently.
This book will help you start off on the right foot and then leads you to more advanced topics and exercises that you can adapt to your specific needs…..”
I strongly recommend reading this book, as the previous versions helped me out in production many times.
Not going anywhere
Did you want to go to Siggraph? Disappointed you missed all the exciting and extremely informative demos? Well then worry no more, you can view all the demos via the wonders and joy that is online streaming, courtesy of the interweb.
Click here for more info.
Boardman Bored-in-traffic-man
The following is a request from Ted Boardman.
“...If you happen to have any old copies of my books would you please contact me with the title of the book and perhaps a scan of the cover so that I can compare it to what I have. I would really like to get the full collection. We can then work out details of price/shipping. Please pass the word that I’m looking and thanks very much. email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)”
Please help him out. Ted is a great character, and I strongly recommend you take the opportunity to see some of his presentations and talks. You won’t be disappointed.
Jammed full
The well respected 3DATS book for advanced architectural visualisation has been updated with chapters from leading authors in the CG industry. There’s too many high-profile users to list so I recommend you have a look at the weblink and think about adding this to your bookshelf. To view the sample chapters and get more info, click here.
Making roads
Autodesk has been named “Best Tools Provider” at the 2009 Develop Industry Excellence Awards. The award recognizes Autodesk’s commitment to developing innovative technology for the games industry. Autodesk serves the games community with many leading products, which have been used to create numerous hit titles, including “Rock Band 2,” “Prince of Persia” and “FIFA 09.”
“It’s no surprise to us that Autodesk was the winner in its category by a considerable margin,” said Ed Fear, deputy editor of Develop. “Not only does Autodesk continue to engage with the game development community when planning its new features, but its move into the middleware market shows Autodesk’s commitment to the games industry as a valuable and creatively-rich market.”
The Develop awards, now in their seventh year, recognize the best creative, technical and business minds in the U.K. and European game development industry. They are the only peer-voted awards for game developers throughout Europe. This year, about 80 of the world’s top game developers voted for the nominated games and companies.
A full list of winners can be viewed by clicking here.
Inspiring
Alex Roman has produced a stunning ‘teaser’ clip. I recommend you take a look at his work, and the other clips on his list. He is one of the leading figures in 3d architectural animation and continues to impress. Stunning work.
To view the work on Vimeo, click here.
Mud track
Friend and Mudbox guru, Wayne Robson, has kindly made a sneek peek of his latest plugins for Mudbox 2010. This was made especially for this newsletter so feel priviledged and remember to buy Wayne if you ever see him presenting Mudbox.
To download the specially made video for readers of this blog - click here.
To view more info on his free plugins, then click the following links -
1. MudWalker: click here
2. ReLight: click here
Wind-screen saver
There is now a free Autodesk Screensaver. The Screensaver is produced in English and there is no collection of name and e-mail to receive this free screensaver.
How: Go to your local web site (ie wwwautodesk.co.uk or use the below link).. Click on the text for downloading and save the screensaver file to your hard drive. Right click on your desktop and select “properties”. Go to the screensaver tab. Select “Autodesk Screensaver” in the list and hit OK.
Click here to download now
Making Waves
This free plugin for 3ds Max 9 (32-bit and 64-bit) allows users to “....new geometry object which generates a statistically generated ocean wave suface. It allows you to set parameters like wind direction and strength, required detail, ... to control the aperance of the sea surface.
This is basically the same “Tessendorf” method developed for my “H2Ocean” demo but adapted for non real time use. It is also the method used to generate the ocean surface in movies like “Titanic”.
See the included readme.html in the archive for details on how to use and install this plugin. The archive also contains a sample scene….” (Thanks to Paulo Kiefe for the heads up on this.)
I havent had chance to play with this yet, but it looks impressive and full of potential.
Click here to download the Max 9 Version.The 2009+ version is currently under construction.
Speeding video cameras
Peter Taylor has finally let me know what’s been keeping him busy for the past months - a full hdr video camera! the SpheroCam HDRV is capable of outputting footage as a series of EXR files, capturing a range of 20 f-stops. Oh, and the camera is capable of recording five hours of continuous footage. Which is about 24 Terabytes of data to you and me….
The files can be captured at 30 frames per second, at full 1920×1080 HD resolution.
Keep an eye on their website for upcoming details - click here
Thanks to Peter for the pic of his camera at the Siggraph booth. Now can I have one?
Power-ful engine
The guys over at Npower have passed on some links to their other ‘artist of the month’ sections. When next having a nice cuppa and digestive, then take the time to view these insightful interviews and imagery.
Mark Rademaker - click here
Neil Blevins - click here
Jens Mondry - click here
Carlos Fueyo - click here
Likeable road cones
Those that know me will know I’m a big believer in this *FREE* piece of software for viewing videos and doing presentations. This is great the next time you need to do a full screen customer pitch or presentation. They have finally reached version 1 ! (Thanks to Stefan Twigt for letting me know.) It fastly supports all major video and sound file formats, oh and its free, free, free….. (and if your wondering why the road cone icon - it was made by a group of students. Classic.)
To have more of an indepth look - click here.
Support round-up
Objects in viewport are not antialiased - View article…
Prerequisite components fail to install - View article…
Shader errors appear when using the mental ray renderer - View article…
Internal Error 2727 - View article…
You clicked on the “H” key to open the Select from Scene dialog but the dialog does not appear - View article…
You would like to improve rendering performance by disabling the Bitmap Pager - View article…
Assigning random colors to scene objects - View article…
Exit Isolation Mode button is missing - View article…
Object bounding boxes disappear - View article…
As always Happy Max’ing…
Themeless for 2009
Over the past year of newsletters you will notice a theme has cleverly (maybe) linked all the headers and snippets of news together. You may be thinking this is hard to do, and the answer is yes, it is. So there isn’t one this time around. Of course I could of gone with a ‘welcome to 2009’, or a creative ‘happy Chinese new year dragon’ theme. But I didn’t, instead I will pass the buck and let you add your own this time round.
So let’s dive straight in….
Seen The Light
It’s a common question from those of using 3ds Max Design into the accuracy of the daylight analysis toolset (Exposure). So, 3ds Max Design has been independently validated for Daylight analysis calculations and its accuracy to realworld lighting This link provides access to the results – they are good.
Isolated
IsolatePolygons is a script that works much like the normal isolate function that allows you to hide all other objects whilst working on the selection. This script does the same, but on a polygon level. Click here to download.
Masks
RenderMask is a nifty script which will render a mask, for ease of compositing either for an image or animation. The tool can be downloaded here. It will not affect materials, lights or renderer settings.
A video tutorial by the author can be viewed here.
Meta Matters
On some extremely large scenes a Revit 2009 file imported via FBX can take a noticeably longer time to open once saved into the file. This is due to the embedded metadata within the file. For example Revit category and type data. If this happens to you, then the current workaround is to purge or remove all of the custom attribute data. You can do this by downloading and running the clear.meta.data.ms script.
Silly Glasses
This link is for the new Philips range of 3d displays. This free plugin (download here) allows users to create 3d cameras for use with the displays. No special glasses are needed to view the content, unless you want to wear them of course. More info on the displays can be found here.
Philips marketing description is - “Philips 3D Solutions offers the 3ds Max plug-in, which enables creation of 2D-plus-depth scenes in 3ds Max. The plug-in supports visualization of 3ds Max based interactive applications in true 3D on autostereoscopic multi-view 3D displays. Artists benefit from enriching their existing legacy of applications in 3ds Max with a stunning 3D viewing experience on a Philips autostereoscopic display. The 3ds Max plug-in provides content creators full control over the viewing experience of their 3ds Max content on a Philips 3D display by controlling settings such as depth factor, offset, range and scaling. The 3ds Max plug-in is seamlessly integrated into the 3ds Max workflow empowering artists to start working with it right away.”
AutodeskTube
Autodesk now has a Youtube channel. To see what has been added then click here.
Puppetshop
Puppetshop, from Luminox, is a rigging and animation tool for 3ds Max (8+)
On the same day Autodesk announced CAT is exclusively free for those of you on subscription, Puppetshop, was announced as free also. You can view more info by clicking here.
As always, Happy Max’ing…
Virtual Siggraph
If you can’t make it to Siggraph this year, then check out the following link.
http://area.autodesk.com/siggraph
Autodesk’s Virtual Siggraph will be streaming live video of the User Group and all of the presentations on the big screen from the booth.
The User group has the following shining lights presenting -
- ILM on Iron Man
- ILM on Indiana Jones
- Lucasfilm animation on The Clone Wars
- LucasArts on The Force Unleashed
- Dreamworks Animation on Kung-Fu Panda
- The Third Floor on previsualization
- + more…...
There will also be product demos from 3ds Max, Maya, Motionbuilder, Toxik and Mudbox, to name a few….
Happy Max’ing and if your planning on visiting, in an old-fashioned non-virtual way, then come over and say hi at the booth…
What colour does that come in please?
This plugin is courtesy of Miles Walker at HOK.
Sometimes the default 3ds Max “color” selector can be somewhat limiting. If you also experience this then this is the plugin for you. Coolpicker, is a freebie which was originally developed by Daniel Rind, updated by Chris Johnson (SDK QA/Maxscript specialist at Autodesk), and then released as open source.
This is a great tool for those needing extra levels of refinement when choosing colours.
There is both a 32bit and a 64 bit version. Simply place it in your plug-in folder in the 3ds Max root directory. Within 3ds Max >Preferences, select Cool Pick from the ‘Color Selector’ from the drop down list.
Now, when you choose a pixel colour, the ‘cool picker’ colour selector will brighten up your screen.
It’s worth looking for the Saturation vs Value, and the Hue vs Saturation panel options, due to their usefulness. See Image for location of this.
The good news for all you taking full advantage of backburner, is using this plug-in will not affect your ability to send renderings to nodes that do not have it installed.
The 2009 version can be downloaded by clicking here, but others can be found by visiting the excellent resource, www.maxplugins.de, and select your version number to choose the one relevant to you.
All the best and Happy Max’ing
XBR Newsflash
Autodesk’s Ken Pimentel, has announced an event you don’t want to miss…..
“Join Autodesk Product Management and Development for a special webcast where we’ll unveil our plans for Project Excalibur (XBR).
“XBR is a restructuring of 3ds Max that is intended to occur over three phases. It addresses fundamental improvements in workflow, UI, and performance. 3ds Max 2010 is part of Phase I, and elements of XBR in the release include the visual quality of the viewport, the use of metasl, and new UIs. 3ds Max 2010 was a launching pad for XBR, but there’s still much more to come. Attend this webcast and get a sneak peak at the future of 3ds Max.
“This 90 minute webinar is scheduled only for January 27th 2010 and is only availabe at 9AM, 5PM and 8PM EST. This session will not be repeated. We apologize in advance if you can’t make these times. “
As always Happy Max’ing…