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This tutorial will introduce you to 3D Studio Max. It e.g. tells you how to make simple objects, how to attach textures and how to render your scene. This tutorial is based on 3D Studio Max R3 but other versions can be used.

Step 1: View ports

fig. 1

The four big squares are named view ports (fig.1) and it is here you work with your project. The default view ports are named top view, left view, front view and perspective. That means you will see your project from four different views.

The view ports can be changed to e.g. bottom view or right view if you want that. You can change the views by right clicking on the name (e.g. left view). A menu will appear – click on views and choose a view you like. You will probably not notice any change because you have not drawn anything yet.

When you work on a object it can be handy to change the size of the view port. For example you can change the top view port size so it is the only view port that is visible. You can change the size by clicking on the icon named Min/max toggle that is placed in the lower right corner. Click on it again to go back.

Step 2: The menu at the right

fig. 2

On the right side on the screen you find a menu like figure 2. We will only see on the first menu named Create. In the Create menu you find a menu which contains 3D-objects, a menu with 2D-objects, a menu with light sources, a menu with cameras and some others we will not need in this tutorial.

Now we will create two 3D-objects: a box and a torus knot. Click Create -> geometry -> box. Now you have chosen to make a box. Right click on the front view port to activate it. When a view port is activated a white square will appear around it.

Click in the front view and hold down the mouse button. Move the mouse to choose height and width on the box. Release the mouse button and now choose the depth on the box by moving the mouse up and down. Click again when you are satisfied with the box. Congratulation – you have created your first box.

fig. 3

Now make a Torus knot by clicking on the rollout menu and choose Extended primitives (fig. 3). Now there are several new objects. Click on the Torus knot and click and hold down in the front view. Release the mouse button when you are satisfied with the sixe.

fig. 4

Step 3: Camera

Allways create a camera when you are working in 3D Studio Max. It makes it much easier to for example change angle and the distance to the objects.

Before creating the camera we will zoom the views a bit out. Click on in the lower right corner, click on the top view and move the mouse down. Zoom out until it looks like figure 5. Click on in the lower right corner to pan the view – move the top view till the objects are in the centre of the view.

fig. 5

Now create the camera. Click create -> cameras -> target. Click at the lower section in the top view and hold down the mouse. Move the mouse upward until the mark is close to the objects (fig. 6) and then release the mouse button. Now you have created a camera. A camera will not appear on the finished rendered picture.

fig.6

Now we want to look through the camera – change the perspective view to camera01 view. Right click on the name perspective (perspective view port), choose view and click on camera01 (fig. 7). Now you are looking trough the camera. You can move the camera to zoom or change angle by clicking on (select and move) and move the camera in one of the views.

fig. 7

fig. 8

Step 4: Textures (material editor)

You can make the objects much better looking by adding colors or textures. Press the M key to go to the material editor. In this window you can make or find the textures you want.

Click on to open the materialbrowseren. Click on Mtl library. Now you can choose between a lot of premade textures – Stone, glass, tree and others (fig. 9). Choose for example Granite Pink Gray (or another one). Dobbeltclick on it to choose it. Now you can see the texture is transferred to the material editor window. Click on another sphere in the material editor without the texture to activate. Click on to go back to the browser again and choose another texture for the Tours knot.

fig. 9

Click on the box in front view to activate it (default it becomes white when it is selected). The box is the first object to get a texture. In the material editor you have to click on the granite texture and then click on . Now the texture is copied to the box. Activate the Torus knot and copy the other texture to it – like before. Close the material editor.

Now the objects are ready to be rendered so the finished picture will appear.

Step 5: Render

fig. 10

Click on rendering in the rollout menu (fig. 10). Now the renderings window appear (fig. 11). Here you can choose how big your picture must be. Click 640x480. Choose camera01 in the rollout menu: view port. That means the picture is made trough the camera view. Click now render.

fig. 11

Wow – you have made at picture by using 3D Studio Max.

fig. 12

Now you have learned a few of 3D Studio Max’s functions but there are thousands more. Try out other tutorials and learn more.