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Note

When saving the Illustrator file, don't use the latest file format. For this example, I've saved the file using the Illustrator 8 format instead of one of the latest Illustrator CS formats. •

Figure 3.20 shows a logo created using Illustrator.

FIGURE 3.20

A company logo created in Illustrator and ready to save and import into Max

2. Open Max, and choose Application Button⇒Import⇒Import.

A file dialog box opens.

3. Select Adobe Illustrator (AI) as the File Type. Locate the file to import, and click OK.

The AI Import dialog box asks whether you want to merge the objects with the current scene or replace the current scene.

4. For your purposes, select the replace the current scene option and click OK.

5. The Shape Import dialog box asks whether you want to import the shapes as single or multiple objects. Select multiple, and click OK.

Figure 3.21 shows the logo after it has been imported into Max. Notice that all the fills are missing.

FIGURE 3.21

A company logo created in Illustrator and imported into Max

Cross-Reference

Spline objects that are imported from Illustrator appear in Max as Editable Spline objects. You can learn more about Editable Splines in Chapter 12, “Drawing and Editing 2D Splines and Shapes.” •

Using the File Utilities

With all these various files floating around, Max has included several utilities that make working with them easier. The Utilities panel of the Command Panel includes several useful utilities for working with files. You can access these utilities by opening the Utilities panel and clicking the More button to see a list of available utilities.

Using the Asset Browser utility

The Asset Browser utility is the first default button in the Utility panel. Clicking this button opens the Asset Browser window. The Asset Browser resembles Windows Explorer, except that it displays thumbnail images of all the supported formats contained within the current directory. Using this window, shown in Figure 3.22, you can browse through directory files and see thumbnails of images and scenes.

Note

Even though thumbnails aren't visible in Windows Explorer on Vista or Windows 7, thumbnails are visible when you use Asset Browser. •

FIGURE 3.22

The Asset Browser window displays thumbnails of the files in the current directory.

The supported file types include AVI, BMP, CIN, CEL, DDS, GIF, HDRI, IFL, IPP, JPEG, MPEG, PNG, PSD, MOV, RGB, RLA, RPF, VST, TIF, and YUV. These types are the same ones that the Application Button⇒View Image File command can open. All files with these extensions are viewable within the Asset Browser. You can select to view only a certain type of file using the Filter menu. You also can view and filter MAXScript and AutoCAD DWG files.

Tip

Open and display the Asset Manager within a viewport by right-clicking the viewport Point-of-View label and choosing Extended⇒Asset Manager from the pop-up menu. •

You also can drag and drop files from the Asset Browser window to Max. Drag a scene file, and drop it on Max's title bar to open the scene file within Max. You can drop image files onto the map buttons in the Material Editor window or drop an image file onto a viewport to make a dialog box appear, which lets you apply the image as an Environment Map or as a Viewport Background, respectively.

The Asset Browser window is modeless, so you can work with the Max interface while the Asset Browser window is open. Double-clicking an image opens it full size in the Rendered Frame window.

The Asset Browser also can act as a Web browser to look at content online. When the Asset Browser first opens, a dialog box reminds you that online content may be copyrighted and cannot be used without consent from the owner.

The Display menu includes three panes that you can select. The Thumbnail pane shows the files as thumbnails. You can change the size of these thumbnails using the Thumbnails menu. The Explorer pane displays the files as icons the same as you would see in