Introduction

In this tip video for 3ds max 2013, we’ll continue exploring new features, and this time we’ll talk about State sets.

State sets

State sets is the new Render Pass management system in 3ds max. It can be used in a lot of ways but the simplest is to create different sets of configuration for our scene where we can “record” a state of the project, to render it later, every single state can be a render pass, and it can be managed and manipulated as we like. It includes the Slate Compositor, a simple tool able to pre-comp render passes and export it in PSD file format or directly in After Effects via a direct live link that give us an amazing series of tools for look development and motion graphics tasks.

Introduction

In this video for 3ds max we’ll continue talking about the Planet death tutorial series, and this time we’ll be back on shaders and textures.

What we’ll do in Part 1

In part 3 of Planet death tutorial series, we’ll need to come back on materials to add some “death” effects, so we’ll add a new layer on the diffuse channel of our planet trying to simulate a “death” coloring masked byt a gradient ramp map with animated flags. Using same technique we’ll add an other layer that will create a “burning” mask done using noise electric map too.

Introduction

We continue our general introduction to new 3ds max 2013 release. This time we’ll talk about a new technology related to polygons handling.

gPoly

GPU computing is growing and growing every year and a lot of stuffs can be calculated in part or in total with GPUs. Autodesk is implementing gPoly technology that is and hardware accelerated pipeline to handle polygons in 3ds max, so everything will be faster and faster in the future. Actually, in 2013, we have just the 1st step, the possibility to turn to or collapse to gPoly meshes. In this way animated manipulationg or scene playback will be faster than using standard polys. In this video we’ll take a look at some advantages in using gPoly during animation tasks.

Introduction

In this video for 3ds max we’ll continue our new features sneak peek series for 2013 release. This time in 3ds max 2013 Sneak peek 4, we’ll explore a little bit the dynamic feature set.

What we’ll talk about

MassFX was introduced some times ago, but it is still not complete, so this time Autodesk worked a lot on it to make it more stable, faster and with more minor tweaks and fixes. One of the biggest new features is mCloth. This new modifier add cloth simulation to MassFX feature set, giving us a bigger unified dynamic solver with Rigid bodies, Ragdolls, and now Cloth meshes. It is similar to the old Cloth modifier, (that is still present), but it works in realtime or near-realtime with the possibility to control tearing and air pressure too. All the features and parameters can be simply understood because are similar to the other cloth simulator. We’ll take a really fast look at it just to introduce it and checking how it works in MassFX.

Introduction to the tutorial series

In this Citizen video for 3ds max, we’ll go back to talk about particles doing different excercises trying to simulate complex production tasks using different basic tools and external plug-ins. It will be a more depth look to playing with particles series so it is called advanced.

What is covered in this part of playing with particles – advanced series

In this video we’ll take a look at two different topics introducing this new series related to particles. First excercise will be really simple. We’ll use PFlow to simulate a complex abstract structure created with tiny boxes, in this way using a boxed emitter and a procedural map, we’ll simulate a volume made of little geometric voxel units as you can see in the tutorial sample image. This test will give us the possibility to move on the next topic, simulating a gas mass similar to a nebula or a galaxy in the space. We’ll use some techniques similar to the 1st scene, but we’ll see more interesting way to control galaxy shape, and then we’ll start working at basic scene setup to be ready to continue working on the look development and rendering.

Future videos

In Part 2 we’ll continue working on shaping the galaxy and we’ll start working on lighting and rendering using Krakatoa and Combustion for compositing.

Introduction

An other part of new Planet death series. This time we have to start working at additional effects layers.

What we’ll do in Part 1

Past time we worked to create the basic environment, lighting, shading and general look development in Combustion. Now we have to start working at various effects layers/passes and some dynamic stuffs to simulate the planet death. In this video for 3ds max we’ll work at the “ray of death” particle layer. We’ll use PFlow to add particles moving thru the ray that will destroy the planet, and using additional forces as turbulences, drag and vortex, we’ll obtain right dynamic simulation. We’ll use Krakatoa to render it and we’ll take a look at how it works in Combustion.

Introducing 3ds max 2013 new features

In this video for 3ds max we continue to talk about release 2013. It has been just released so we can start exploring it.

This time we’ll see more things related to viewports and UI. 1st new feature is how to use a gradient as background in the perspective views as seen in Mudbox, we’ll see how to manage it exploring the new viewport background setting panel and how to tune colors. Then we’ll check some new Nitrous features. Nitrous is the real time viewport rendering technology in 3ds max. We’ll see how the skylight can be used as illumination in viewport using the illumination bitmap and its colors to achieve a realistic illumination preview in viewport with HDR images as background and realistic materials as chromic metals with environmental reflections and specularity.

Introduction

In this tutorial for 3ds max we’ll start working on a new series related to VFX, particles and fluids. We’ll create a space scene simulating a planet death, something similar to Volcano death in Star Trek movie, but with differences based on our ideas.

What we’ll do in Part 1

In this video we’ll start creating the scene set, so we’ll create two planets, one similar to the Earth, and the second one, like an alien planet really near to the other. Earth-like planet shader will be simple and similar to the one we created in a past tutorial on MaxCookie, the alien planet material will be a little bit more complex and we’ll use a standard material with some procedural maps and NASA planet images to create it. We’ll use displacement too, to add more details. We’ll add a camera animation just to have a movement going near the death fx over the alien planet surface. We’ll prepare a basic illumination and setup for rendering out beauty pass and an object ID pass. At the end we’ll see a fast way to comp it and find a good look to continue on next part adding dynamic and FX using Krakatoa, FumeFX, PFlow and Thinking Particles.

Great 3D Studio Max Tutorials Series

With our education library of 3D Studio Max tutorials growing each week, we wanted to take a moment to showcase some of our most popular series on the site.  Some of these are Citizen only series, though we have a bit of free ones as well listed below.

There is now also a “series” tab on the top menu to help you get to these even quicker. If there is a series or tutorial topic you would like to see, be sure to let us know below in the comments.

Exclusive: Creating a Fire Dragon with FumeFX

Exclusive: Modern exterior villa

Creating Aged Stairs Part 03

Creating a Tron-like Portal

Exclusive: Working with Ocean and Fluids

Creating an Animated Flag

Creating an Architectural Scene

Thank you for all of the support on the site and see you on the next one!

Introducing 3ds max 2013 new features

In this video for 3ds max we continue to talk about release 2013. It has been just released so we can start exploring it.

This time we’ll see more things related to viewports and UI. 1st new feature is how to use a gradient as background in the perspective views as seen in Mudbox, we’ll see how to manage it exploring the new viewport background setting panel and how to tune colors. Then we’ll check some new Nitrous features. Nitrous is the real time viewport rendering technology in 3ds max. We’ll see how the skylight can be used as illumination in viewport using the illumination bitmap and its colors to achieve a realistic illumination preview in viewport with HDR images as background and realistic materials as chromic metals with environmental reflections and specularity.