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One of the early uses for 3D graphics was to animate corporate logos, and although Max can still do this without any problems, it now has capabilities far beyond those available in the early days. The Shape tools can even be used to design the logo. In this example, you'll design and create a simple logo using the Shape tools for the fictitious company named Expeditions South.

To use the Shape tools to design and create a company logo, follow these steps:

1. Create a four-pointed star by clicking the Star button and dragging in the Top view to create a shape. Change the parameters for this star as follows: Radius1 = 60, Radius2 = 20, and Points = 4.

2. Select and move the star shape to the left side of the viewport.

3. Now click the Text button, and change the font to Impact and the Size to 50. In the Text area, type Expeditions South and include a line return and several spaces between the two words so they are offset. Click in the Top viewport to place the text.

4. Use the Select and Move button (W) to reposition the text next to the Star shape.

5. Click the Line button, and create several short highlighting lines around the bottom point of the star.

The finished logo is now ready to extrude and animate. Figure 12.13 shows the results.

FIGURE 12.13

A company logo created entirely in Max using shapes

Tutorial: Viewing the interior of a heart

As an example of the Section primitive, you'll explore a section of a Heart model. The model was created by Viewpoint Datalabs and is very realistic—so realistic, in fact, that it could be used to teach medical students the inner workings of the heart.

To create a spline from the cross section of the heart, follow these steps:

1. Open the Heart section.max file from the Chap 12 directory on the CD.

This file includes a physical model of a heart created by Viewpoint Datalabs.

2. Select Create⇒Shapes⇒Section, and drag a plane in the Front viewport that is large enough to cover the heart.

This plane is your cross-sectioning plane.

3. Select the Select and Rotate button on the main toolbar (or press the E key), and rotate the cross-sectioning plane to cross the heart at the desired angle.

4. In the Parameters rollout of the Modify panel, click the Create Shape button and give the new shape the name Heart Section.

5. From the Select by Name dialog box (opened with the H key), select the section by name, separate it from the model, and reposition it to be visible.

Figure 12.14 shows the resulting model and section.

FIGURE 12.14

You can use the Section shape to view the interior area of the heart.

Editing Splines

After you create a shape primitive, you can edit it by modifying its parameters, but the parameters for shapes are fairly limited. For example, the only parameter for the Circle shape is Radius. All shapes can be converted to Editable Splines, or they can have the Edit Spline modifier applied to them. Doing either enables a host of editing features. Before you can use these editing features, you must convert the shape primitive to an Editable Spline (except for the Line shape). You can do so by right-clicking the spline shape in the viewport and choosing Convert to⇒Convert to Editable Spline from the pop-up quadmenu or by right-clicking on the Circle base object in the Modifier Stack and selecting Convert to Editable Spline in the pop-up menu. Another way to enable these features is to apply the Edit Spline modifier.

Editable Splines versus the Edit Spline modifier

After you convert the spline to an Editable Spline, you can edit individual subobjects within the spline, including Vertices, Segments, and Splines. There is a subtle difference between applying the Edit Spline modifier and converting the shape to an Editable Spline. Applying the Edit Spline modifier maintains the shape parameters and enables the editing features found in the Geometry rollout. However, an Editable Spline loses the ability to be able to change the base parameters associated with the spline shape.

Note

When you create