3ds max 5

Remember to Save Frequently Yeah, I know, nag, nag, nag. But if you want to prevent some expensive sessions with a psychiatrist, save your 3ds max work frequently. I recommend saving your scene every ten minutes or so during a work session. ...

Render Previews at Lower ResolutionsIf you need a large-resolution rendering for either professional film or print use, don’t apply the resolution you want until after you get your final rendering. Use lower-resolution renders as you pu...

Use the Spacing ToolWhat if you have an object and a Splined path, and you want to create copies or instances of the object on that path? It could be a column that needs to be duplicated to form the multiple columns of a temple. Sounds like a...

Work with the Light ListerSometimes you may want to tweak the parameters of several lights in a scene. You could select each one in turn and then choose the Modify Command Panel, but that would take some time (and wouldn’t be much fun)....

Use the Schematic ViewSometimes a scene can get so complex that selecting one specific object to edit is nearly impossible. Fortunately, that’s when you can use the Schematic View. Right-click the name of any viewport, and then choose V...

Create Morphed GeometryAltering an object to resemble another object is called Morphing. The process requires a Source Object and at least one Target Object. Morphing can alter the shape of a character’s expression in an animation, or m...

Merge ContentAs you develop new scene content and save it, you may run into a situation where what you need in one scene has already been created in another. When this circumstance arises, you can combine two or more scenes into one, so that ...

Use the MaxScript ListenerRepetitive tasks are a drag — boring, time-consuming, and (in this case) unnecessary. To save your time and stimulate your imagination, 3ds max provides the MaxScript feature. MaxScripts are small bits of code ...

Use Connected SpringsThough you may only need it rarely, the Connected Springs modeling alternative really underscores the power of 3ds max. Here’s the drill: Choose Create>Geometry>Dynamics Objects, and click the Spring butt...

Trace ImagesWhen you want to model something from a photograph, it’s neat to trace the photograph inside of 3ds max to get a better idea about the shapes and proportions involved. To do that, you first look at the photo to decide which ...