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Access the Array dialog box by selecting an object and choosing Tools⇒Array or by clicking the Array button on the Extras toolbar. Figure 8.13 shows the Array dialog box. The top of the Array dialog box displays the coordinate system and the center about which the transformations are performed.

The Array dialog box is also persistent. You can reset all the values at once by clicking the Reset All Parameters button. You can also preview the current array settings without actually creating an array of objects using the Preview button. The Display as Box option lets you see the array as a bounding box to give you an idea of how large the array will be.

Linear arrays

Linear arrays are arrays in which the objects form straight lines, such as rows and columns. Using the Array dialog box, you can specify an offset along the X-, Y-, and Z-axes at the top of the dialog box and define this offset as an incremental amount or as a total amount. To change between incremental values and total values, click the arrows to the left and right of the Move, Rotate, and Scale labels. For example, an array with 10 elements and an incremental value of 5 will position each successive object a distance of 5 units from the previous one. An array with 10 elements and a total value of 100 will position each element a distance of 10 units apart by dividing the total value by the number of clones.

FIGURE 8.13

The Array dialog box defines the number of elements and transformation offsets in an array.

The Move row values represent units as specified in the Units Setup dialog box. The Rotate row values represent degrees, and the Scale row values are a percentage of the selected object. All values can be either positive or negative values.

Clicking the Re-Orient check box causes the coordinate system to be reoriented after each rotation is made. If this check box isn't enabled, then the objects in the array do not successively rotate. Clicking the Uniform check box to the right of the Scale row values disables the Y and Z Scale value columns and forces the scaling transformations to be uniform. To perform non-uniform scaling, simply deselect the Uniform check box.

The Type of Object section lets you define whether the new objects are copies, instances, or references, but unlike the other cloning tools, the Array tool defaults to Instance. If you plan on modeling all the objects in a similar manner, then you will want to select the Instance or Reference options.

In the Array Dimensions section, you can specify the number of objects to copy along three different dimensions. You can also define incremental offsets for each individual row.

Caution

You can use the Array dialog box to create a large number of objects. If your array of objects is too large, your system may crash. •

Tutorial: Building a white picket fence

To start with a simple example, you'll create a white picket fence. Because a fence repeats, you need only to create a single slat; then you'll use the Array command to duplicate it consistently.

To create a picket fence, follow these steps:

1. Open the White picket fence.max file from the Chap 08 directory on the CD.

2. With the single fence board selected, choose Tools⇒Array or click on the Array button on the Extras toolbar to open the Array dialog box.

3. In the Array dialog box, click the Reset All Parameters button to start with a clean slate. Then enter a value of 50 in the X column's Move row under the Incremental section. (This is the incremental value for spacing each successive picket.) Next, enter 20 in the Array Dimensions section next to the 1D radio button. (This is the number of objects to include in the array.) Click OK to create the objects.

Tip

The Preview button lets you see the resulting array before it is created. Don't worry if you don't get the values right the first time. The most recent values you entered into the Array dialog box stay around until you exit Max. •

4. Click the Zoom Extents All button (or press Shift+Ctrl+Z) in the lower-right