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07_381304-ch03.qxp Part I 7/7/08 3:04 PM Page 90 Getting Started with 3ds Max FIGURE 3.8 The FBX Import and Export dialog boxes provide the best way of transferring among Max, Maya, and MotionBuilder. FIGURE 3.9 The OBJ Import and Export dialog boxes provide another excellent choice for transporting files to other packages. Presets button 90 07_381304-ch03.qxp 7/7/08 3:04 PM Page 91 Working with Files, Importing, and Exporting The OBJ Export dialog box includes presets for most common 3D apps including Amapi Pro, Blender, Bryce, Carrara, Cinema-4D, DAZ Studio, Deep Paint, Hexagon, Lightwave, Maya, Modo, Motion Builder, Mudbox, Poser, Realflow, Rhino, Silo, Softimage XSI, UV Mapper, VUE, Worldbuilder, and ZBrush. Clicking the Map Export button lets you specify the export map path where the textures for the scene are saved. You also can automatically convert the maps to a specific size or format. For each map format, you can configure the bits per pixel and any compression settings. If you click the Presets button in the OBJ Export dialog box, then the export options for each format are shown in a table, like the one in Figure 3.10. Each of these settings can be quickly altered using this dialog box. FIGURE 3.10 The Edit OBJ-Export Presets dialog box lets you change the settings for multiple formats quickly. Exporting to the JSR-184 (M3G) format The JSR-184 export option lets you save a scene to a format that can be viewed on mobile devices that support the Java 2 Micro Edition standard interface, such as mobile phones and PDA devices. Because wireless devices have such a limited bandwidth, the JSR-184 Exporter dialog box, shown in Figure 3.11, includes several options for optimizing the exported scene. This dialog box lists the Max scene hierarchy, the JSR-184 scene hierarchy, and the parameters for the selected scene object. Using the toolbar buttons at the top of the dialog box, you can change the hierarchy that is to be exported. Before a scene can be exported, the Max scene must include a camera and you must specify an Active Camera in the JSR-184 Exported dialog box. When a material map is selected from the JSR-184 hierarchy list, the Texture Tool icon on the toolbar becomes active. Clicking this button opens the Texture Tool dialog box, shown in Figure 3.12, where you can precisely control the size and format of the exported maps. 91 3 07_381304-ch03.qxp 7/7/08 Part I 3:04 PM Page 92 Getting Started with 3ds Max FIGURE 3.11 The JSR-184 Export dialog box lets you choose which resources to export. Add World Object New JSR-184 Scene Convert Mesh to Sprite Add 3ds Max Scene Remove Object Texture Tool Add Group FIGURE 3.12 The Texture Tool lets you specify the exact size of texture maps to be exported for mobile devices. 92 07_381304-ch03.qxp 7/7/08 3:04 PM Page 93 Working with Files, Importing, and Exporting To view the exported M3G files, the default installation of Max includes an M3G Player, which can be found along with the other Max programs in Start ➪ Programs ➪ Autodesk ➪ 3ds Max 2009 ➪ JSR Viewer. To use this player, the Java Runtime Environment needs to be installed. You can install it from the Max setup disc. NOTE The JSR Viewer application is built using Java. If you’re having trouble with the viewer, try installing the latest Java version from the installation DVD. Exporting to the DWF format The Design Web Format (DWF) is an ideal format for displaying your textured models to others via the Web. It creates relatively small files that can be attached easily to an e-mail. You can use the File ➪ Publish to DWF menu command to export the current scene to this format. This command opens a dialog box of options that specify to Group by Object or Group by Layer. You also can choose to publish the Object Properties, Materials, Selected Objects Only, or Hidden Objects. Another option is to Rescale Bitmaps to a size entered in pixels. Saved files can be viewed in the Autodesk DWF Viewer, shown in Figure 3.13. The Autodesk DWF Viewer can be downloaded for free from the Autodesk Web site. This provides a way for users without Max installed to view models. FIGURE 3.13 The Autodesk DWF Viewer is used to view files exported using the DWF format. Copy to Clipboard Print Open Orbit Pan Zoom tools The Autodesk DWF Viewer is automatically installed along with 3ds Max. If you want to view the exported files in the viewer, simply enable the Show DWF in Viewer option in the DWF Publish Options dialog box. The viewer includes controls for transforming the model, changing its shading and view, and printing the current view. 93 3 07_381304-ch03.qxp Part I 7/7/08 3:04 PM Page 94 Getting Started with 3ds Max Exporting utilities In addition to the menu commands found in the File menu, Max includes a couple of utilities that export specific information: the Lighting Data Export Utility and the Material XML Exporter Utility. You can access these utilities from the Utilities panel in the Command Panel by clicking the More button and selecting them from the pop-up list that appears. Lighting Data Export Utility The Lighting Data Export Utility exports exposure control data for a scene’s Illuminance and Luminance values. These files can be saved as PIC or TIF files, which you can select in the 2D Lighting Data Exporter rollout. You also can set an image’s Width and Height dimensions. CAUTION Exposure Control must be enabled for this utility to be enabled. You can learn about exposure control in Chapter 45, “Using Atmospheric and Render Effects.” Material XML Exporter Utility The Material XML Exporter Utility exports a selected material to an XML file format, where it can be easily shared with other users. After you select this utility, the Parameters rollout offers four options for selecting the material to export: the Material/Map Browser, the Object List, Pick Object in Scene, and All Objects in Scene. The utility also offers several export options including Native XML, export to an Autodesk Tool Catalog, and using an XSLT template. You also can select to export the material with a thumbnail and along with its mapping modifiers. Tutorial: Importing vector drawings from Illustrator In most companies, a professional creative team uses an advanced vector drawing tool such as Illustrator to design the company logo. If you need to work with such a logo, learning how to import the externally created file gives you a jumpstart on your project. When importing vector-based files into Max, only the lines are imported. Max cannot import fills, blends, or other specialized vector effects. All imported lines are automatically converted to Bézier splines in Max. NOTE Although Max can draw and work with splines, this feature takes a backseat to the vector functions available in Adobe Illustrator. If you have an Illustrator (AI) file, you can import it directly into Max. To import Adobe Illustrator files into Max, follow these steps: 1. Within Illustrator, save your file as “Box It Up Co logo” using the .ai file format by choosing File ➪ Save As. NOTE When saving the Illustrator file, don’t use the latest file format. For this example, I’ve saved the file using the Illustrator 8 format instead of the latest Illustrator CS, CS2, or CS3 formats. Figure 3.14 shows a logo created using Illustrator. 94 07_381304-ch03.qxp 7/7/08 3:04 PM Page 95 Working with Files, Importing, and Exporting FIGURE 3.14 A company logo created in Illustrator and ready to save and import into Max 2. Open Max, and choose File ➪ Import. A file dialog box opens. 3. Select Adobe Illustrator (AI) as the File Type. Locate the file to import, and click OK. The AI Import dialog box asks whether you want to merge the objects with the current scene or replace the current scene. 4. For your purposes, select the replace the current scene option and click OK. 5. The Shape Import dialog box asks whether you want to import the shapes as single or multiple objects. Select multiple, and click OK. Figure 3.15 shows the logo after it has been imported into Max. Notice that all the fills are missing. 95 3 07_381304-ch03.qxp Part I 7/7/08 3:04 PM Page 96 Getting Started with 3ds Max FIGURE 3.15 A company logo created in Illustrator and imported into Max CROSS-REF Spline objects that are imported from Illustrator appear in Max as Editable Spline objects. You can learn more about Editable Splines in Chapter 12, “Drawing and Editing 2D Splines and Shapes.” Using the File Utilities With all these various files floating around, Max has included several utilities that make working with them easier. The Utilities panel of the Command Panel includes several useful utilities for working with files. You can access these utilities by opening the Utilities panel and clicking the More button to see a list of available utilities. Using the Asset Browser utility The Asset Browser utility is the first default button in the Utility panel. Clicking this button opens the Asset Browser window. The Asset Browser resembles Windows Explorer, except that it displays thumbnail images of all the supported formats contained within the current directory. Using this window, shown in Figure 3.16, you can browse through directory files and see thumbnails of images and scenes. NOTE 96 Even though thumbnails aren’t visible in Windows Vista, thumbnails are visible when you use Asset Browser. 07_381304-ch03.qxp 7/7/08 3:04 PM Page 97 Working with Files, Importing, and Exporting FIGURE 3.16 The Asset Browser window displays thumbnails of the files in the current directory. The supported file types include AVI, BMP, CIN, CEL, DDS, GIF, HDRI, IFL, IPP, JPEG, MPEG, PNG, PSD, MOV, RGB, RLA, RPF, VST, TIF, and YUV. These types are the same ones that the File ➪ View Image File command can open. All files with these extensions are viewable within the Asset Browser. You can select to view only a certain type of file using the Filter menu. You also can view and filter MAXScript and AutoCAD DWG files. TIP Open and display the Asset Manager within a viewport by right-clicking the viewport title and choosing Views ➪ Extended ➪ Asset Manager from the pop-up menu. You also can drag and drop files from the Asset Browser window to Max. Drag a scene file, and drop it on Max’s title bar to open the scene file within Max. You can drop image files onto the map buttons in the Material Editor window or drop an image file onto a viewport to make a dialog box appear, which lets you apply the image as an Environment Map or as a Viewport Background, respectively. The Asset Browser window is modeless, so you can work with the Max interface while the Asset Browser window is open. Double-clicking an image opens it full size in the Rendered Frame window. The Asset Browser also can act as a Web browser to look at content online. When the Asset Browser first opens, a dialog box reminds you that online content may be copyrighted and cannot be used without consent from the owner. The Display menu includes three panes that you can select. The Thumbnail pane shows the files as thumbnails. You can change the size of these thumbnails using the Thumbnails menu. The Explorer pane displays the files as icons the same as you would see in Windows Explorer. The Web pane displays the Web page for the site listed in the Address field. To view Web sites, you need to be connected to the Internet. The Asset Browser can remember your favorite Web sites using the Favorites menu. The Asset Browser window also includes the standard Web browser navigation buttons, such as Back, Forward, Home, Refresh, and Stop. You also can find these commands in the Browse menu. 97 3 07_381304-ch03.qxp Part I 7/7/08 3:04 PM Page 98 Getting Started with 3ds Max Max keeps thumbnails of all the images you access in its cache. The cache is a directory that holds thumbnails of all the recently accessed images. Each thumbnail image points to the actual directory where the image is located. Choose File ➪ Preferences to open the Preferences dialog box, in which you can specify where you want the cache directory to be located. To view the cached files, choose Filter ➪ All in Cache. The Preferences dialog box also includes options to define how to handle dropped files. The options include Always Merge or Import, Always XRef, or Ask Each Time. Choose File ➪ Print to print the file view or Web window. Finding files with the Max File Finder utility Another useful utility for locating files is the Max File Finder utility, which you get to by using the More button in the Utilities panel. When you select this utility, a rollout with a Start button appears in the Utility panel. Clicking this button opens the MAXFinder dialog box. Using MAXFinder, you can search for scene files by any of the information listed in the File Properties dialog box. You can use the Browse button to specify the root directory to search. You can select to have the search also examine any subfolders. Figure 3.17 shows the MAXFinder dialog box locating all the scene files that include the word blue. FIGURE 3.17 You can use the MAXFinder utility to search for scene files by property. Collecting files with the Resource Collector utility When a scene is created, image and object files can be pulled from several different locations. The Resource Collector utility helps you consolidate all these files into one location. The settings for this utility appear in the Parameters rollout in the Utility panel of the Command Panel, as shown in Figure 3.18. The Output Path is the location where the files are collected. You can change this location using the Browse button. The utility includes options to Collect Bitmaps, to include the Max scene file, and to compress the files into a compressed WinZip file. The Copy option makes copies of the files, and the Move option moves the actual file into the directory specified in the Output Path field. The Update Materials option updates all material paths in the Material Editor. When you’re comfortable with the settings, click the Begin button to start the collecting. 98 07_381304-ch03.qxp 7/7/08 3:04 PM Page 99 Working with Files, Importing, and Exporting FIGURE 3.18 The Resource Collector utility can compile all referenced files into a single location. Using the File Link Manager utility The File Link Manager utility (which also can be accessed using the File ➪ File Link Manager menu) lets you use external AutoCAD and Revit files in the same way that you use Max’s XRef features. By creating links between the current Max scene and an external AutoCAD or Revit file, you can reload the linked file when the external AutoCAD or Revit file has been updated and see the updates within Max. This utility is divided into three panels — Attach, Files, and Presets. The Attach panel includes a File button to select and open a DWG or DXF file. The Attach panel also includes options to rescale the file units, a button to select which layers to include, and a button to attach the file. The Files panel displays each linked AutoCAD file along with icons to show if the linked file has changed. A Reload button allows you to click to reload the linked file within Max. The Preset panel lets you define file linking presets. Using i-drop To make accessing needed files from the Web even easier, Autodesk has created a technology known as i-drop that lets you drag files from i-drop supported Web pages and drop them directly into Max. With i-drop, you can drag and drop Max-created light fixture models, textures, or any other Max-supported file from a light manufacturer’s Web site into your scene without importing and positioning a file. This format allows you to add geometry, photometric data, and materials. Accessing File Information As you work with files, several dialog boxes in Max supply you with extra information about your scene. You can use this information to keep track of files and record valuable statistics about a scene. Displaying scene information If you like to keep statistics on your files (to see whether you’ve broken the company record for the model with the greatest number of faces), you’ll find the Summary Info dialog box useful. Use the File ➪ Summary Info menu command to open a dialog box that displays all the relevant details about the current scene, such as the number of objects, lights, and cameras; the total number of vertices and faces; and various model settings, as well as a Description field where you can describe the scene. Figure 3.19 shows the Summary Info dialog box. 99 3