Max Primitives
Max Basic Objects
3D Studio Max come with many built
in primitive. We will first look at the objects you can create with the
CREATE TAB.
Just below the create tab (shown above) is a button with
a sphere, this is the geometry button. While this button is selected you
will see a screen as above. This is the STANDARD
PRIMITIVES control panel. The ten buttons each represent a
standard primitive that you can use to build your scenes.
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Box - Creates a box of any dimension, including a cube.
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Sphere - Creates a sphere with four sided polygons.
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Cylinder - Creates a cylinder.
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Torus - Creates a 3D donut.
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Teapot - Creates the ever popular teapot object.
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Cone - Creates a cone.
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Geosphere - Creates a sphere with triangular polygons.
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Tube - Creates a tube. Similar to a pipe with any inner and
outer diameter you want.
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Pyramid - Creates a pyramid.
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Plane - (new in version 3.0)Creates a flat polygon mesh that
can be enlarged by any amount at render time.
If you switch the text box that says Standard Primitives
above to EXTENDED PRIMITIVES you get a choice
of another 12 primitives.
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Hedra - Creates a multi-sided 3D object. You can choose from
several choices, e.g. star, when in the Hedra panel look at the choices
in family.
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ChamferBox - Creates a box with beveled or rounded edges.
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Oil Tank - Creates a cylinder with convex caps.
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Spindle - Creates a cylinder with peaked caps.
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Gengon - Creates an extruded polygon with sides of equal
size.
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RingWave - (new with Version 3) Creates a ring with irregular
inner and outer edges whose shapes can be animated. Used for special effects
animation.
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TorusKnot - Creates a knotted torus (3D donut).
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ChamferCyl - Creates a cylinder with beveled or rounded edges.
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Capsule - Creates a cylinder with rounded caps.
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L-ext - Creates an Extruded L shaped object.
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C-ext - Creates an extruded C shaped object.
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Prism - Creates a three sided prism with independently segmented
sides.
The other selections in the text box where Standard Primivities
and Extended Primitives are located are the following:
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COMPOUND OBJECTS - This allows you to combine two or more
objects into a single object.
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PARTICLE SYSTEMS - These are objects that generate particle
sub-objects over time for purpose of simulating snow, rain, dust, and so
on.
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PATCH GRIDS - 2D objects that can be changed to 3D surfaces.
They provide convenient building material for custom surfaces and objects.
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NURBS SURFACES - These are the basis of Nurbs models. Just
the Raw Material for creating Nurbs model.
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DYNAMIC OBJECTS - This allows you to create objects that
will react to the motion of other objects.
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DOORS - Allows you to define a door in your scene and what
type of door it is.
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WINDOWS - Allows you to define a window in you scene and
what type of window it is.
Following the row of buttons next to the GEOMETRY
button under the Create tab are
SHAPES, LIGHTS, CAMERAS, HELPERS,
SPACE WARPS, and SYSTEMS.
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SHAPES - Shapes are 2D and 3D objects that you typically
use as components of other objects. Most of the default shapes in 3D Studio
Max are made of splines. There are 11 basic spline objects, plus two types
of NURBS curves.
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LIGHTS - Lights are 3d Studio Max objects that simulate real
lights such as household or office lamps, the light instruments used in
stage and film work, and the sun itself.
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CAMERAS - Cameras present a scene from particular point of
view. Cameras are objects that simulate still-image, motion picture, or
video cameras in the real world.
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HELPERS - Helper objects play a supporting role, like stage
hands or construction assistants. There are five sets of helpers available.
They can be used for comparing, animating, or creating.
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SPACE WARPS - These are non-renderable objects that affect
the appearance of other objects. Things such as gravity, deflector shields,
and explosions.
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SYSTEMS - A system combines objects, linkages, and controllers
to produce an object set that has a behavior as well as geometry.