3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [313]
FIGURE 27.5
Use the Parameters rollout for the ShapeMerge compound object to cut or merge a shape.
Cookie Cutter and Merge options
The Operations group includes options for cutting the mesh, including Cookie Cutter and Merge. The Cookie Cutter option cuts the shape out of the mesh surface, and the Merge option combines the spline with the mesh. You can also Invert the operation to remove the inside or outside of the selected area.
Like the Boolean Subtraction operations, the Cookie Cutter option can remove sections of the mesh, but it uses the area defined by a spline instead of a volume defined by a mesh object. The Merge option is useful for marking an area for selection. Figure 27.6 shows a ShapeMerge object with the Cookie Cutter option selected.
Note
You can use the Merge option to create a precise face object that can be used with the Connect object. •
The Output Sub-Mesh Selection option lets you pass the selection up the Stack for additional modifiers. Options include None, Face, Edge, and Vertex.
Note
To see the backsides of the faces, right-click the object, select Properties from the pop-up menu, and disable the Backface Cull option. •
Tutorial: Using the ShapeMerge compound object
When outlined text is imported into Max, it typically contains letters that have shapes within shapes. For example, the letter p, when outlined, includes the outline of the letter p and a circle shape to denote the interior section of the letter. When outline text like this is converted to a mesh object, both the letter outline and its interior section are covered, making the text illegible. You can use the ShapeMerge compound object to remedy this tricky situation.
You can practice handling this situation using the logo for the fictional Box It Up company. Before this logo can be extruded, you need to do some work involving the ShapeMerge object.
FIGURE 27.6
A ShapeMerge object using the Cookie Cutter option
To use the ShapeMerge object to remove the center area from an extrusion, follow these steps:
1. Open the Box It Up Co logo.max file from the Chap 27 directory on the CD.
2. Select all the letters in the logo, press the Alt key, and deselect the interior shapes in the B, O, and P letters. Then apply the Modifiers⇒Mesh Editing⇒Extrude modifier with an Amount value of 0.010 feet.
3. Select the letter B shape again. Then select the Create⇒Compound⇒ShapeMerge menu command.
4. Set the Operation to Cookie Cutter, and click the Pick Shape button in the Pick Operand rollout with the Copy option. Select the two interior shapes for the letter B. Then click the Select Object button on the main toolbar again to exit ShapeMerge mode. Then repeat this step for the letters O and P.
5. If the interior of the ShapeMerge letters is still visible, select each and convert it to an Editable Poly object by right-clicking its type in the Modifier Stack and selecting Editable Poly.
Figure 27.7 shows the finished logo. Notice that the letters have the interior sections removed.
FIGURE 27.7
The logo with the interior centers removed from extruded letters using the ShapeMerge object
Creating a Terrain Object
The Terrain object is a great object that enables you to create terrains from splines representing elevation contours. These contour splines can be created in Max or imported using a format like AutoCAD's DWG. If the splines are created in Max, make sure that each contour spline is a separate object. The splines all must be closed splines. If all the splines have an equal number of vertices, then the resulting terrain object is much cleaner. You can ensure this by copying and scaling the base spline.
To create a terrain, create splines at varying elevations, select all the splines, and click the Terrain button. The Terrain button is available only if closed splines are selected. You can use the Pick Operand button in the Pick Operand rollout to select additional