3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [290]
Tip
Another way to use XRef scenes is to create a scene with lights and/or cameras positioned at regular intervals around the scene. You can then use the XRef Scenes dialog box to turn these lights on and off or to select from a number of different views without creating new cameras. •
You also can nest XRef scenes within each other, so you can have one XRef scene for the distant mountains that includes another XRef for a castle.
Note
If a Max file is loaded with XRef files that cannot be located, a warning dialog box appears, enabling you to browse to the file's new location. If you click OK or Cancel, the scene still loads, but the external scenes are missing. •
Tutorial: Adding an XRef scene
As an example of a project that would benefit from XRefs, I've created a maze environment. I open a new Max file and animate a simple mouse moving through this maze that is opened as an XRef scene.
To set up an XRef scene, follow these steps:
1. Create a new Max file by choosing Application Button⇒New.
2. Choose Application Button⇒References⇒XRef Scenes to open the XRef Scenes dialog box.
3. Click the Add button, locate the Maze.max file from the Chap 25 directory on the CD, and click Open to add it to the XRef Scene dialog box list, but don't close the dialog box just yet.
Tip
You can add several XRef scenes by clicking the Add button again. You also can add a scene to the XRef Scene dialog box by dragging a .max file from Windows Explorer or from the Asset Manager window. •
4. Select Create⇒Helpers⇒Dummy, and drag in the Perspective viewport to create a new Dummy object.
5. In the XRef Scenes dialog box, click the Bind button and select the dummy object.
This enables you to reposition the XRef scene as needed.
6. Select the Automatic update option, and then click Close to exit the XRef Scene dialog box.
7. Now animate objects moving through the maze.
Figure 25.7 shows the Maze.max scene included in the current Max file as an XRef.
Tip
With the simple mouse animated, you can replace it at a later time with a detailed model of a furry mouse using the Application Button⇒Import⇒Replace command. •
FIGURE 25.7
The maze.max file loaded into the current file as an XRef scene
Using XRef objects
XRef objects are slightly different from XRef scenes. XRef objects appear in a scene and can be transformed and animated, but the original object's structure and Modifier Stack cannot be changed.
An innovative way to use this feature would be to create a library of objects that you could load on the fly as needed. For example, if you had a furniture library, you could load several different styles until you got just the look you wanted.
You also can use XRef objects to load low-resolution proxies of complex models in order to lighten the system load during a Max session. This method increases the viewport refresh rate.
Many of the options in the XRef Objects dialog box, shown in Figure 25.8, are the same as in the XRef Scenes dialog box.
The interface buttons for the XRef Objects dialog box are listed in Table 25.2.
FIGURE 25.8
The XRef Objects dialog box lets you choose which files to look in for external objects.
The XRef Objects dialog box is divided into two sections. The top section displays the externally referenced source files (or records), and the lower section displays the objects, materials, or controllers selected from the source file. If multiple files are referenced, then a file needs to be selected in the top pane in order for its objects and materials to be displayed in the lower pane.
The Convert Selected button works the same as in the XRef Scenes dialog box. It enables you to save the selected objects in the current scene to a separate file just like the Application Button⇒Save As⇒Save Selected command and to have them instantly made into XRefs.
In the XRef Objects dialog box, you can choose to automatically update the external referenced