Further Skills & Techniques

In the third lecture, we were introduced to a few more skills as to how to create things in 3ds Max.

One of the things we were taught was to use the Boolean method in order to mould and cut out shapes into another object. For example, one of the tasks we were given was to make a castle. Therefore, using this new technique we would be able to create features such as windows and archways to make the structure look more realistic.

To carry out the Boolean technique all you needed to do was create a shape that you wish to be cut in to, and then create a another shape which is to be the cutting object. So in the sense of creating an archway in a castle, a box object would be used to create the wall, and then a sphere, which would create the arch and be the cutting object. Once, the objects are effectively placed together in the right positioning, on the right hand panel on the drop down list, the 'compound objects' needs to be selected, before clicking the 'boolean' option underneath. The 'Pick Operand B' option then needs to be selected so that you can select the cutter shape, which will then create the cut out in the shape. (I will go in to this in more detail in the making of my castle later on.)

Another technique we were taught was using the Alignment tool, which can come in very useful when you want to align certain objects together quickly and efficiently.

To do this technique, an object first needs to be selected before clicking the Align tool, located on the top tool menu bar. You are then able to select the second object you want to align, which will cause a new menu window to pop up. The new window will allow you to adjust the position on each axis of the object to move the object inalighment with the other in a chosen position.