3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [126]
• Hair and fur: Modeling hundreds of thousands of cylinder objects to create believable hair would quickly bog down any system, so hair is modeled using a separate system that represents each hair as a spline. The Hair and Fur modifiers are covered in Chapter 29, “Adding and Styling Hair and Fur, and Using Cloth.”
• Cloth systems: Cloth―with its waving, free-flowing nature―behaves like water in some cases and like a solid in others. Max includes a specialized set of modifiers for handling cloth systems. Creating and using a cloth system is discussed in Chapter 29, “Adding and Styling Hair and Fur, and Using Cloth.”
Note
Hair, fur, and cloth are often considered effects or dynamic simulations instead of modeling constructs, so their inclusion on this list should be considered a stretch. •
With all these options, modeling in Max can be intimidating, but you learn how to use each of these types the more you work with Max. For starters, begin with primitive or imported objects and then branch out by converting to editable objects. A single Max scene can include multiple object types.
Converting to editable objects
Of all the commands found in the Create menu and in the Create panel, you won't find any menus or subcategories for creating editable objects.
To create an editable object, you need to import it or convert it from another object type. You can convert objects by right-clicking on the object in the viewport and selecting the Convert To submenu from the pop-up quadmenu, or by right-clicking on the base object in the Modifier Stack and selecting the object type to convert to in the pop-up menu.
Once converted, all the editing features of the selected type are available in the Modify panel, but the object is no longer parametric and loses access to its common parameters such as Radius and Segments. However, Max also includes specialized modifiers such as the Edit Poly modifier that maintain the parametric nature of primitive objects while giving you access to the editing features of the Editable object. More on these modifiers is presented in the later modeling chapters.
Caution
If a modifier has been applied to an object, the Convert To menu option in the Modifier Stack pop-up menu is not available until you use the Collapse All command. •
The pop-up menu includes options to convert to editable mesh, editable poly, editable patch, and NURBS. If a shape or spline object is selected, then the object can also be converted to an editable spline. Using any of the Convert To menu options collapses the Modifier Stack.
Note
Objects can be converted between the different types several times, but each conversion may subdivide the object. Therefore, multiple conversions are not recommended. •
Converting between object types is done automatically using Max's best guess, but if you apply one of the Conversion modifiers to an object, several parameters are displayed that let you define how the object is converted. For example, the Turn to Mesh modifier includes an option to Use Invisible Edges, which divides polygons using invisible edges. If this option is disabled, then the entire object is triangulated. The Turn to Patch modifier includes an option to make quads into quad patches. If this option is disabled, all quads are triangulated.
The Turn to Poly modifier includes options to Keep Polygons Convex, Limit Polygon Size, Require Planar Polygons, and Remove Mid-Edge Vertices. The Keep Polygons Convex option divides any polygon that is concave, if enabled. The Limit Polygon Size option lets you specify the maximum allowable polygon size. This can be used to eliminate any pentagons and hexagons from the mesh. The Require Planar Polygons option keeps adjacent polygons as triangles if the angle between them is greater than the specified Threshold value. The Remove Mid-Edge Vertices option