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The Viewport Body Mesh Quality setting is used to set the density of the mesh displayed in the viewport. The 3D Trimming Tolerance option lets you set how accurately the imported objects are trimmed. It is best to start with a lower tolerance and increase it as you see import problems such as missing faces.

Caution

SAT files can be large, and selecting any of the Fine settings results in huge Max files. •

Enabling the Automatic Face Flipping option causes the importer to attempt to correct any normals that are pointing the wrong way. Most CAD formats have a different coordinate system with the Z axis pointing up instead of the Y axis. Enabling the Convert SAT Y Axis to Z Axis option fixes this for the imported objects.

The Select Additional SAT Files for Import button opens a file dialog box where you can select more files to import using the current settings. Importing SAT files takes a long time, so selecting and importing several files at once is a good idea.

Converting Max Objects to Body Objects

Objects that are imported from the SAT or WIRE formats appear in Max as Body Object types in the Modify panel. Max objects can be converted to the Body Object type using the Body Object button found in the Create panel by opening the Body Objects subcategory. Simply select the object to convert, and press the Body Object button.

The conversion works best when used on only the most basic primitive objects. If a more complex mesh object needs to be converted, try converting it to a NURBS object first and then to a Body Object.

Note

Max objects that are converted into Body Objects are still only shells and not solids. •

If you have multiple objects that you want to convert to Body Objects, you can use the Body Utility button, also found in the Create panel. This button is also useful for changing the properties of multiple Body Objects at once.

Working with Body Objects

If you open a Body Object in the Modify panel, you can work with three subobjects: Edge, Face, and Element. Within the Modifier Stack is another subobject mode, Operand, which lets you work with the pieces resulting from a Boolean operation.

The notion of subobjects is unique to Body Objects. For example, the face subobject selected in Figure 28.2 wraps most of the way around the torus object. This is common for CAD object faces. You'll also notice, when subobjects are selected, that the transform tools are disabled.

FIGURE 28.2

The subobjects for Body Objects are unique from other modeling types.

Editing Body Objects

Body Object edges are different from polygon edges in that they typically only show the profile of the object. When one Body Object is cut into another, an open edge is created. Open edges are not welded to the surface and are colored blue. Open edges also mark the borders where holes in the object are located. Edges are welded to the surface using the Weld Selected or the Weld All buttons. There is also a Welding button that opens a rollout with options for selecting and welding specific edges. Welded edges are displayed as white, and selected edges are red.

The opposite of welding edges and combining faces is to explode them apart. There are buttons for exploding the selected face or exploding all faces together. The Face Flip button provides a way to switch the normal for the surface using the Face Flipping/Visibility rollout.

Applying modifiers to Body Objects

One of the benefits that Max has over CAD packages is its lengthy list of modifiers. These modifiers can alter objects quickly without changing the parametric nature of the object, but not all modifiers preserve the default object type.

Using Boolean operations with Body Objects

Within the Object Parameters rollout is a Pick Object button. Using this button, you can select other Body Objects that are outside the current selection and then use the other buttons below the Pick Object button to define how the two objects are combined. The options include the following:

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