• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

4. In the Cutter Picking Parameters rollout, enable the Auto Extract Mesh and Explode By Elements options; then select the Pick Stock Objects button and choose the Box object in the viewport.

5. Open the Material Editor and drag the image material onto each puzzle piece.

Note

If you don't want to see the cutter lines, you can select and hide them. •

Figure 27.27 shows the final puzzle with one piece moved away from the others.

FIGURE 27.27

A puzzle cut using the ProCutter compound object

Summary

Compound objects add several additional modeling types to your bulging modeling toolkit. From morph objects to complex deformed lofts, you can use these special-purpose types to model many different objects. This chapter covered these topics:

• The various compound object types

• Morphing objects with the same number of vertices

• Creating a Conform object with differing numbers of vertices

• Using splines and mesh objects to create a ShapeMerge object

• Creating a Terrain object using splines

• The Mesher object

• Using the BlobMesh object to simulate water

• Creating a Scatter object

• Creating a Connect object to join two objects

• Creating a Loft object

• How to control Loft parameters

• Using Loft deformations

• Modifying Loft subobjects

• Comparing the strengths of Loft objects versus surface tools

• Modeling with the ProBoolean and ProCutter objects

Max generally uses polygons and meshes as its default modeling type, but CAD packages generally work with solids. The Body Object is the answer for working between solids and meshes, and it is covered next.

Chapter 28: Working with Solids and Body Objects

IN THIS CHAPTER

Importing CAD objects

Converting Max objects to Body objects

Working with Body objects

Exporting Body objects

Okay, here's a trick for you. Take a Max primitive object, and place it completely inside another Max primitive object, such as a cube inside a larger cube. Then use the ProBoolean feature to subtract the inner cube from the outer cube. The result is nothing. That's because Max objects deal with surfaces, and if the surfaces don't overlap, then no operation is performed.

The CAD world, on the other hand, deals with volumes, also known as solids, and such an operation is common. Because much of Autodesk's efforts are directed toward the CAD and architectural markets, working with volumes becomes important. It also provides a way to bridge the CAD and Max worlds.

To address this issue, Max has introduced a way to work with volumes and solids, which in Max are known as Body Objects. Objects that are imported from a CAD package appear in Max as Body Objects, and you also can convert Max objects to this Body Object type and export the results to a CAD package. Max also includes a way to perform Boolean operations on Body Objects, so you can finally remove that inner cube.

Importing CAD Objects

If you've spent lots of time working in a CAD package to get your design to look just right and now you need to take it to Max to add some animation for an upcoming presentation, you start by importing your objects into Max using the ACIS SAT import file type. Max can also import WIRE files from Autodesk Alias Studio.

New Feature

The ability to import WIRE files in new to 3ds Max 2012. •

During the import, you get a SAT Import dialog box, as shown in Figure 28.1, full of options for the import. The Standard - No Welding option is the default and should be used in most cases. It imports all objects as separate objects, allowing you to select them independently.

FIGURE 28.1

The SAT Import dialog box includes options for importing CAD objects.

The Single Body options let you import all objects together as a single object in Max. If all objects are not welded together, you can select and move them independently in Element subobject mode. If they are welded, they act as a single object. This may be desirable if you are loading in a background or some terrain data.