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Mastering
3D Studio MAX R3 |
It may be a good idea to save or hold your scene at this time. When viewed
from below, it should be obvious that the house is not a solid form. Nonetheless,
from above, it should still resemble Figure 4.18. This fact is the precise
point of all these combinations of Mesh Select and Delete Mesh modifiers:
What was once a 48-polygon house should now be a 39-polygon house, with
no loss of visible detail. This can, again, be verified by the Summary
Info under the Edit menu.
While this might not seem that drastic a drop for the amount of work
you have performed to get nine polygons shaved off, a better way to think
about this process is that we reduced the entire scene by almost 20 percent.
If you maintain this process while modeling, a neighborhood of 100 homes
drops to less than 4,000 polygons from nearly 5,000. This saves the game
rendering engine valuable calculation time, which directly translates
into faster game play. Also, remember that the modifiers we have added
are cumulative, parametric, and non-destructive. This means, at any time,
you can get back into the stack and edit any parameter, all the way back
to and including the line that formed the initial house shape. This would
not be the case if we used Edit Mesh and deleted polygons at the Sub-Object
level (or just deleted polygons from a collapsed, editable mesh object).
Renaming
the Stack
At this time, the modifier stack of the two objects in our scene should
be relatively short, compared to what they will shortly become due to
specific texture-mapping requirements. The order and parameters might
still be fresh in your head, but lets assume that this scene is
going from one artist to another, and then a third. It is important that
we label the modifier stack so it is clear what each operation is doing,
and how it affects the rest of the stack.
| 1. With HouseShape01 still selected,
click the Edit Stack button. The Edit Modifier Stack dialog box will
appear and should look like Figure 4.21.
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FIGURE
4.21 The modifier stack after two deletions
If we examine the list, we see a history of all the modifications we
have performed to the base objectin this case, a Line. First, an
extrusion was performed, giving the shape depth. Next, some part of the
object geometry was selected and deleted. Finally, another selection of
some part of the object was performed and then deleted. To clarify what
selections and what deletions were performed, lets edit the modifier
stack slightly. These modifications are only in name, and will not affect
the current state of the object. This being the case, it is important
that you do not change any setting inadvertently while renaming existing
modifiers within the stack, especially when you are at a level
of the stack with a yellow Sub-Object button active (make sure you leave
these selections alone at this time!). You will be jumping back and forth
from the Modifier Stack drop-down list and this Edit Modifier Stack dialog
box, and caution is prudent.
- 2. Click Cancel on the Edit Modifier Stack dialog
box.
- 3. In the Modifier Stack drop-down list, go down
to the first Mesh Select modifier, just above the Extrude modifier.
Notice that the bottom face of HouseShape01 is highlighted. Make a mental
note of this.
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| WARNING Make sure that you
are not changing the Sub-Object level to something other than its
current setting of Polygon. The Modifier Stack drop-down list is just
above the Selection Level drop-down list, and its easy to accidentally
click the wrong list.
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- 4. Click the Edit Stack button again to return to
the dialog box.
- 5. Click the name of the Mesh Select just examined
(the one just above Extrude). You will see that its name now appears
in the Name field at the bottom of the dialog box.
- 6. Change the name in this field to MeshSelect-BotmPoly.
Notice the change of name in the stack above as you type.
- 7. Click the name of the DeleteMesh modifier just
above MeshSelect-BotmPoly. Rename it Delete-BotmPoly.
- 8. Click OK to exit this dialog box.
- 9. Return to the modifier stack and go to the second
from the top of the stack, which should be Mesh Select. Notice that
the back or inside polygon of HouseShape01 is highlighted. (You may
need to view the house from beneath to see this.) Again, make a mental
note of this.
- 10. Click the Edit Stack button.
- 11. Change the name of the second modifier from
the generic name of Mesh Select to MeshSelect-InsidPoly.
- 12. Likewise, change the name of the last modifier
(top of the stack) to Delete-InsidPoly.
You should now have a modifier stack that looks like Figure 4.22. Save
or hold your file.
FIGURE
4.22 The modifier stack after renaming modifiers
Applying
Materials
Now that our low-resolution house has been modeled, we can add texture
maps to vastly heighten the realism of the house. To do this, you will
continue to use the same methods of creating a non-destructive modifier
stack and then renaming it during its creation.
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| NOTE If you want to start
from here, you can open the file House02.max on the
CD.
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- 1. Open the Material Editor and click the Get Material
icon. The Material/Map Browser will appear.
- 2. Check the Root Only box, select Browse From Material
Library, and click the File Open button within the Material/Map Browser.
When the file requester appears, switch the file type from *.mat
to *.max.
- 3. Open the file House_Materials.max
from the CD.
- 4. Drag the sample sphere to an empty slot in the
Material Editor. Close the Material/Map Browser, but leave the Material
Editor open.
- 5. Edit Ø Select
All.
- 6. In the Material Editor, click the Assign Material
to Selection icon. This will apply the house textures to all three objects
currently in the scene.
- 7. From the Selection floater, select (only) the
object named MaterialTempObject.
- 8. Delete the object either by pressing the Delete
key or by using Edit Ø Delete.
- 9. Close the Material Editor.
Creating
Material ID and Mapping Coordinates
You should now have something that looks like Figure 4.23. It is expected
that the materials will not be mapped appropriately at this time. This
is because you have only applied the material to the object and
have not assigned mapping coordinates or material ID values to individual
polygons. Well do this now to first control the selection and then
the placement of individual textures.
- 1. In any viewport, select HouseShape01.
- 2. Apply a Mesh Select modifier.
- 3. At the Polygon sub-object level, select the front
polygon of the house.
FIGURE
4.23 The house with a texture applied
- 4. Apply a Material modifier.
- 5. Apply a UVW Map modifier.
© 2000, Frol (selection,
edition, publication)
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