3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [148]
Note
The Section and Helix shape primitives have no Interpolation rollout. •
Figure 12.4 shows the number 5 drawn with the Line primitive in the Front viewport. The line has been made renderable so that you can see the cross sections. The images from left to right show the line with Steps values of 0, 1, and 3. The fourth image has the Optimize option enabled. Notice that it uses only one segment for the straight edges. The fifth image has the Adaptive option enabled.
FIGURE 12.4
Using the Interpolation rollout, you can control the number of segments that make up a line.
Creation Method and Keyboard Entry rollouts
Most shape primitives also include Creation Method and Keyboard Entry rollouts (Text, Section, and Star are the exceptions). The Creation Method rollout offers options for specifying different ways to create the spline by dragging in a viewport, such as from edge to edge or from the center out. Table 12.1 lists the various creation method options for each of the shapes and each of the extended shapes.
Some shape primitives such as Star, Text, and Section don't have any creation methods because Max offers only a single way to create these shapes.
The Keyboard Entry rollout offers a way to enter exact position and dimension values. After you enter the values, click the Create button to create the spline or shape in the active viewport. The settings are different for each shape.
The Parameters rollout includes such basic settings for the primitive as Radius, Length, and Width. You can alter these settings immediately after an object is created. However, after you deselect an object, the Parameters rollout moves to the Modify panel, and you must do any alterations to the shape there.
Line
The Line primitive includes several creation method settings, enabling you to create hard, sharp corners or smooth corners. You can set the Initial Type option to either Corner or Smooth to create a sharp or smooth corner for the first point created.
After clicking where the initial point is located, you can add points by clicking in the viewport. Dragging while creating a new point can make a point a Corner, Smooth, or Bézier based on the Drag Type option selected in the Creation Method rollout. The curvature created by the Smooth option is determined by the distance between adjacent vertices, whereas you can control the curvature created by the Bézier option by dragging with the mouse a desired distance after the point is created. Bézier corners have control handles associated with them, enabling you to change their curvature.
Tip
Holding down the Shift key while clicking creates points that are constrained vertically or horizontally. This makes it easy to create straight lines that are at right angles to each other. Holding down the Ctrl key snaps new points at an angle from the last segment, as determined by the Angle Snap setting. •
After creating all the points, you exit line mode by clicking the right mouse button. If the last point is on top of the first point, then a dialog box asks whether you want to close the spline. Click Yes to create a closed spline or No to continue adding points. Even after creating a closed spline, you can add more points to the current selection to create a compound shape if the Start New Shape option isn't selected. If the first and last points don't correspond, then an open spline is created.
Figure 12.5 shows several splines created using the various creation method settings. The left spline was created with all the options set to Corner, and the second spline with all the options set to Smooth. The third spline uses the Corner Initial type and shows where dragging has smoothed many of the points. The last spline was created using the Bézier option.
FIGURE 12.5
The Line shape can create various combinations of shapes with smooth and sharp corners.
In the Keyboard Entry rollout, you can add points by entering their