WIP: Creating an Asset from start to finish.

[Enriched Uranium]

Edited *draft 2* Lesson ONE

-DETOUR LOL In part #2 I'll talk about resources, how to define them and how to use them. LOL DETOUR-

IN PART 2 I WILL BE PROVIDING, AT LEAST ONE DRAWING EXAMPLE FROM, 3DMAX AND HOPFULLY BLENDER TOO.

I didn't realize how different these programs are from what I am use to. SO, I am going to have to take a little extra

time learning these programs. I may add a video tutorial on them... If I have what I need to accomplish this, without

tooooo much extra effort.

THANK YOU, TO EVERYONE WHO SHARES THEIR THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS PROJECT.

This still needs a lot of work

[nli2work]

forget the drawing stuff from CAD when dealing with Max; Blender; etc. Different work methodology for creating real-time assets. Pretend you don't know any 3D at all and start with polygon modeling basics. after that it's just a matter of figuring out what each 3d app calls the particular tools you are looking for; Max retains some tool names from AutoCAD, but don't let that lull you into complacency.

[Enriched Uranium]

I really appreciate the advice. Im working on getting 3dmax installed now so I can, actually start doing some real work on this. Boy their website sure is slow lol

I am going to try to forget I know anything and follow as many of the tutorials, these 2 programs have that their websites recommend, so i can become comfortable with them... unless you know of a better reference for tutorials on 3ds and blender...

anyway, I am about to start 3ds "Animated Battle Scene" tutorial now. Hopefully this will give me a better idea... about the possibility of making some drawing tutorials, on these programs, that are specific to KSP...

Im still learning and enjoying this... but, once again, im having to go back and... do some remedial stuff lol

At least it will give me more educational data that I can use here on this Thread.

[CaptainKipard]

Im working on getting 3dmax installed now

Oh boy. I hope you didn't pay money for that just for this. Most people here use Blender. It's just as good, and open source.

[Enriched Uranium]

OH heck no! lol

3DSMax has a 30 day free trial. I am simply using it to learn all these cool features that I am unfamiliar with. I am planning on switching to Blender as soon as this new stuff makes a little better sense to me. I think I am picking it up fairly quick.

If I am understanding this correctly, I will still be able to use my cad software, if I wanted to... maybe for creating a new base object, but so far, I don't see a need to do that. At least with 3DSMax, it provides you with so many objects... I can't think of anything I would want to create. Its all here already. Maybe that is different in Blender, I don't know yet, I haven't looked that closely at blender after realizing how different it is from what I am use to.

The kinda money they want for these programs... If I decide to buy one, and not use blender I will shop around for awhile first. And Ill see what my brother can get threw his University bookstore. I may end up using something entirely different when I start modeling outside of ... this Thread, who knows. Since most use Blender, eventually I will shift my focus to that program. I won't buy any of it for a long time, yet.

[sumghai]

Blender and 3DS Max have significantly different workflows, shortcuts, dialogs etc - if you ever decide to switch from 3DS to Blender, you have to relearn everything from scratch all over again.

I recommend just getting started with Blender, since the vast majority of add-on authors here on the forums use it, and are in a position to give you better advice.

[CaptainKipard]

Right.

In fact unless you're job-hunting there's no good reason to use Max at all. Companies who employ 3D artists usually want experience with Maya or Max or ZBrush (there's also Softimage, which is being discontinued and sometimes Blender obviously), with which you'd need to be quite familiar, but if you're only learning 3D art as a hobby then Blender has no contender.

You can have a look at Sketchup too if you're new, but Blender is a lot more powerful.

Edited October 3, 2014 by Cpt. Kipard

[Enriched Uranium]

Ill have too load up blender again to make sure about this but I think I remember a preset for the interface that would configure it to look more like either 3DMax or Maya. (I'm hoping that will take some of the learning curve out of Blender for me.) I kept the standard blender interface preset and had trouble even selecting my objects. lol It was taking me so much time to go threw and change the settings... and confusing the %$^%$ out of me lol I had already glanced at the tutorials 3DS has so thats how I got pointed in this direction. 3DS tutorials are really good and I think I am learning it quickly. At least a few things clicked while I was working on it tonight... im tired and can't think of a specific (one was about particles) example but it... made me say, so that why the game does that, in that way to myself a couple times. I'm hoping the interface preset in Blender makes getting comfortable with Blender... a little smoother. It will take a while to learn it first, judging by the ONE tutorial I watched on it. I understand why the tutorials level of quality are so drastic, 3DSMax cost a pretty penny. They have the resources to produce quality tutorials.

I'll do my best to match the quality of 3DSMax tutorials, with this tutorial.

[Enriched Uranium]

Right.

In fact unless you're job-hunting there's no good reason to use Max at all.

You can have a look at Sketchup too if you're new, but Blender is a lot more powerful.

No, no lol, Im retired and definitely not looking for a job. Im still young to be retired but I plan on playing for the rest of my life. If I make money playing great, if not I will have had a blast when I die. Im not rich but what I own is paid for, so I am... or I feel relieved of responsibility to everything but my kids. Ill have to chill on my feeling of responsibility to my kids soon, as they start their own lives. lol If I went back to work, I could afford more stuff but Im happy with where Im at right now and with what I have so... Ill keep having fun everyday. lol I know Im lucky to have it the way I do, but the road getting here wasn't easy either. I sold cars for a while, for extra cash, and learned how to start my own business. When I worked at the hospital, I started a company called MowJoe's. It was a landscaping company and it just about turned into a full time gig. I had few guys working for me, cutting grass while i was working at the hospital. With this robot, my brother and I have planned,... who know what is going to happen. But both of us have to get C down like we know the back of our hands, plus the other facets of designing this and building a working prototype... We have set a high but achievable goal and we have a lot to learn and do before we achieve our goal. I have been retired for about 7 years now so Ill have to... make sure this all stays fun for my brother so he can keep up with me. lol He is bustn his butt right now in school and work so I don't think he's having much fun. I know it wasn't fun when i did it but this is fun and I can learn at my own pace without having to rush to keep up... or wait for anyone to catch up.

I think I either have Sketchup or have used it and am confusing it with another program I have, not sure... I am liking 3DS and I hope to like Blender just as much.

ok, I am rambling a lot lol I'm Tired. Gnite All

[Enriched Uranium]

Note - On 3DSMax, the tutorial software should be extracted into Documents, not into the program like i did. The install instructions for the package are not clear and it does not give you the complete/correct installation path for the package, It just says to extract it into a folder called 'Autodesk 3ds Max 2015 tutorials'. If you had to use the alternate download method, like i did, then you need to know this or you will be reinstalling the software, like i am now. Due to the way they have this, I am having to download everything, again... So I am basicly losing a day on my trial getting this installed correctly. BUMMER MAN gotta wait 2 hours to start again this morning... thats what happens when your too tired to be working on something lol

Edited: Well, my mistake, installing the tutorial package ended up costing me... today. I didn't get anything done. I tried to hurry this morning and I downloaded the wrong program, installed it, then realized I was in AutoCad... so Im a little annoyed with myself. I have the mess i created cleaned up and the correct install going, correctly now but Im not going to get anything other than installation done today...

3DSMax is... a pain for me to install but a good program with good tutorials available at AutoDesk. Take your time on their site, read everything about installing the tutorial package b4 you do what i did. The full program is around $6k so you want to be able to use every day of your trial.

If your a student, you can get the program for free, for 3 years... but i don't know the details.

Ok, I now have the tutorials working, I think. I am working on them now. If you run into issues getting access to your textures during the 3ds tutorials... Let me know and Ill try to help you get it working correctly, but, at least right now, im not sure what I did that actually worked.

Im hoping to Post my example, using the "Animated Battle Scene" tutorial this evening.

Yall have a great day.

Edited October 4, 2014 by Enriched Uranium

[Enriched Uranium]

*** IF YOU HAVE NEVER USED 3DSMax before, I recommend you watch this group of 1 min videos. ***

I have them numbered in the order you should watch them in, but they didn't upload in order. It really doesn't matter too much

if you don't watch them in order, but they do build off of each other. There is also a link to these same video's in your software but

these are my copies of the intro videos, in case the videos are ever taken down or moved. (go to the link in your software to watch

them, at least for now... I need to organize my copys and get the names so you can see them, since they didn't upload in the correct order.)

In this tutorial, you will learn how to:

-Open a scene

-View a scene from different angles and perspectives

-Model objects and apply realistic materials

-Move and animate objects

-Render the scene and save it as a multimedia file

1 OPEN A SCENE

In this lesson, you'll open a partially-completed scene of a battlefield and learn how to adjust the view and navigate the viewports.

On the Quick Access toolbar, click (Open File).

In the \scenes\startup\battlefield folder, highlight battlefield_start.max,

then click Open.

Your drawing windows should now look like this:

-Note- pay attention to your windmill in this image. If your windmill is grey, you do not have the tutorial installed correctly and you may not have access

to the textures when we get to that step.

Perspective viewport

The Perspective viewport should be active, indicated by a yellow border. If no border is visible, right-click anywhere within the viewport to activate it.

To Maximize the isometric view click the [+] and select "Maximize viewport"

or press "alt+W" with the view you want to be maximized, highlighted with the yellow border (by right-clicking within that window)

With the isometric view Maximized, your drawing window should look like this:

Navigating with the ViewCube:

• Depending on how 3ds Max is currently set up, the ViewCube controls might be visible in the upper-right corners of the viewports.
  

• 
  If the ViewCube is not visible, click the Perspective viewport's General label
  â€â€which looks like "[ + ]"â€â€and choose ViewCube Show the ViewCube.
  (you will find it in the top left corner of the drawing window your working in)
  

In the Perspective viewport, right-click the ViewCube and choose Set Current View As Home.

This will allow you to return to this view, any time, by clicking the small icon that has now appeared

above and to the left of the ViewCube control when you hover your mouse over the cube.

No matter where your camera currently is, it will return to this exact position when you click "Home."

Click the different face's of the ViewCube to view the scene from the from the different sides.

As you can see, the ViewCube lets you view the scene from alternative viewpoints with a simple click of a mouse.

Realize, when you click the different faces that they will position your camera corresponding to your alternate, face,

drawing window.

Click on the "Left" face of the ViewCube in your isometric view.

If your Isometric view is still Maximized, click the [+] in the top left corner of the drawing window you are working in,

and select "Restore Viewport" from the drop down menu. (or press "alt+W" again, the window must be highlighted.)

The bottom 2 views, in your drawing window, should look like this:

Notice that the two views are basically identical. The one on the right is your perspective view.

Go ahead and maximize your perspective view now, and click home on the CubeView.

You can reset the Home viewpoint to the current view at any time by right-clicking

the ViewCube and choosing Set Current View As Home. So as your building your

battle field you can move "home" around so that its more convenient to you.

Next you want to click on the 'zoom' button in the bottom right corner of you interface.

These are your viewport navigation controls.

With the mouse, drag downward in the Perspective viewport. Your view zooms out so you can see the scene from a distance.

Note: You can also zoom in or out by rotating the mouse wheel forward or backward.

On the viewport navigation controls click (Orbit)

The button highlights when active.

This button's tooltip might show Orbit Sub-Object or Orbit Selected.

For this lesson, any of the Orbit versions will do.

A yellow navigation circle appears in the viewport.

Position the cursor inside the yellow circle. Click and hold the left mouse button and move the mouse. This action is called dragging.

The point of view orbits around the scene.

Tip: Avoid dragging outside the yellow navigation circle, unless you want to roll the entire viewport.

Use a combination of Orbit and Zoom to zoom in on the windmill,

until your Viewport looks like this:

Orbit your view by dragging to the left or right until you can see the cannon in the opposite direction.

Right-click the viewport to exit Orbit mode.

Click (Pan) in the viewport navigation controls,

and move the mouse in the viewport.

The viewport view now follows the movement of your mouse.

( If you have a mouse wheel, or a middle button, you can press down on it and move your mouse around to do the same thing)

Navigating with SteeringWheels:

Press shift+W to display the SteeringWheels controls.

The SteeringWheels controls offer an alternative way to navigate a scene.

This might take a little while to get use to. It will follow your cursor around

inside your active viewport. This is a very cool little tool, as you will soon see.

You should get use to using it fairly quick.

Click and drag each of the Zoom, Pan, and Orbit controls in turn, and experiment with how they can be used to navigate the scene.

When you’re done, hold down the Rewind button and drag to the left.

If done correctly you should see a horizontal row of thumbnails showing your battlefield. As you drag to the left over these thumbnails

you should notice the viewport go back threw all your moves while using the SteeringWheels controls.

Release the mouse on any thumbnail, and the viewport rewinds to that point.

Experiment with the Center, Walk, Look. and Up/Down controls in the center of the SteeringWheels icon.

When you are done, click the arrow at the bottom right of the wheel and from the menu,

choose Go Home.

This repositions the viewport view to the Home viewpoint.

Click the small “X†in the top right of the wheel to hide the SteeringWheels control.

Tip: You can press + W to display the SteeringWheels controls once more.

Next, you'll create a camera and a Camera viewport. The Camera viewport is similar to the Perspective viewport but with different functionality.

You can animate it and add effects to it.

Creating a camera:

Right-click the Top viewport to activate it. The active viewport is outlined in yellow.

On the Create panel, activate (Cameras), then click to activate Target.

In the Top viewport, click behind and slightly to the right of the cannon, then drag down to a point just left of the windmill (as shown in the following illustration).

Don’t worry about the exact camera placement yet: You will adjust this later.

To see what the camera sees, you now need to display one of the viewports as a Camera viewport.

Right-click the Perspective viewport to activate it, then press C.

- Right-clicking a viewport activates it and keeps any objects in other viewports in a selected state (in this case, our camera object).

- Left-clicking a viewport deselects previously selected objects.

On the main toolbar(across the top of the interface),

click and activate "Select And Move".

A tripod of red, blue, and green arrows appears in the [Perspective] viewport.

you can only see 2 of the three arrows in either the [top] or the

viewports.

This is the transform gizmo.

As you move your cursor over the arrows, each axis label and arrow stem turn yellow. When one is yellow,

you can click and drag to move the object in a single direction. If you move your cursor over the inner

corners of the transform gizmo, the plane turns yellow. This lets you move in a single plane.

Right-click the Left viewport, click the camera’s Y axis manipulator, and drag it slightly upward so you cansee more of the horizonort.

If the cannon is not visible in the Camera001 viewport, then in the Left viewport

drag the camera until the front of the cannon comes into view in the

Camera001 viewport. Try to get it looking as close to this as you can,

but it does not have to be exact.

You may or may not be able to view additional objects that are inserted

into the battlefield, depending on their location. They are still there

even if the camera can not see them from its position. You

can always move your camera around for a better view.

Hopefully, you just passed your first test.

If you are still unable to get your camera positioned close to the way I have shown in the illustration...

What I have done is combine 2 steps and not told you. You need to raise the camera, on its y axis in the

view (as shown)

to show more of the horizon. And to bring the cannon into view, you must move the camera along the x axis in the [Top] view.

in the same manor.

Next, you'll create a rock and a tree, then add them to the scene.

Creating a Rock and a Tree

You will now create two primitive objects, then modify their parameters so they take on the appearance of a rock and a tree.

Create a rock:

On the Create panel, activate (Geometry), then in the Object Type rollout, click to activate Sphere.

The button highlights to show that it is active and ready to use.

Create a sphere in the Top viewport by holding down the left mouse button anywhere to the front and left of the cannon

and dragging away from where you started. As long as you hold the mouse button down, you can adjust the size of the sphere.

When you release the mouse button, the sphere is complete.

Tip: Your sphere might be a different color from the one in the illustration.

The sphere in the camera viewport.

On the Modify panel Parameters rollout, change the Radius setting to 25 and press

The sphere changes size in the viewport. In 3ds Max, it’s typical practice to rough

out an object with the mouse, then refine it on a rollout.

Click the Modifier List drop-down menu and choose the Noise modifier.

In the Noise group, turn on Fractal, and in the Strength group, set X, Y, and Z to 30.0.

The rock is taking shape, but it could be flatter.

On the main toolbar, click to activate (Select and Uniform Scale).

In the Camera001 view, drag the gizmo Z axis downward until the rock object is about 1/3 - 1/2 its original height.

Change the name of the sphere: In the Modify panel object name field, double-click the name Sphere001 to highlight it.

Type in rock to change the name of the sphere. Press to set the new name.

Note: Pressing is an explicit way to change a parameter. 3ds Max also accepts a parameter change as soon as you click anywhere else in the 3ds Max window.

Now, that was a basic rock... NOT very much fun or interesting at all. So on you own, create a second rock.

Make it larger than the first one and place it in front and to the left of the cannon so it can be used for cover.

MAKE the rock extend in front of the cannon, but it is critical that the barrel is unobstructed.

Try to make an interesting rock... If you want to use mine, the strengths are (60,120,30) but not in this order.

If you used my rock, it should look something like this, now: (Don't forget to name your new rock something OTHER THAN rock... rock1would work fine or rock_one)

Create a tree: (I am going to assume you are getting comfortable menu locations. So I won't show button locations, unless ... i do lol)

On the Create panel, activate (Geometry), then from the drop-down list (at present, it shows “Standard Primitivesâ€Â), choose AEC Extended.

- AEC Extended objects are pre-built geometry, including railings, fences, and plants. They are a fast way to add realistic details to a scene.

On the Object Type rollout, click to activate Foliage.

On the Favorite Plants rollout, choose Generic Oak as the species of tree.

Right-click the Top viewport to activate it, and add the tree to the scene by clicking a point slightly below and to the right of the rock.

To give the scene some atmosphere, we’ll make the tree appear stunted and battle-scarred.

With the tree still selected, on the Parameters rollout, set Height to 150.

In the Show group, turn off Leaves, and in the Level-Of-Detail group, choose Low to reduce the number of branches.

If you are not yet satisfied with the appearance of the tree, on the Parameters rollout click New. Each time you click this button, the Seed value is changed,

causing the tree to undergo a random reconfiguration.

When you are satisfied with the appearance of the tree, rename the Foliage001 object in the Name field using the same procedure

you followed for the rock. Call this object oak_tree.

If the tree is obscuring your view of the windmill, feel free to move it aside using (Select And Move) on the main toolbar.

See, trees aren't hard. Place a second tree on the other side of the battle field, to the left of the windmill. Get it as close as you can

keeping it out of the way of the sails on the windmill. Make it how you want it to look, but make it much larger/older than the first one,

If you use the Generic Oak. I have a big Yucca in my yard, but its no where near the size I am making this one, so thats what i am using,

for my second tree.

When you are satisfied with you second tree, your battle field should look something like this: (don't forget to name your second tree. I named mine yucca_tree.)

Next, you'll apply a material's to your rock's using the Material Editor.

You add realism to scene objects by adding materials to their surfaces. Material texture can include information from bitmap images,

as well as bump maps for a 3D effect. In this tutorial the battlefield terrain, as well as the tree, rock, cannon, and windmill, all get

their appearance from bitmap texture mapping.

Cannon texture

Rock texture

Add a battlefield material:

On the main toolbar, choose (Material Editor) from the Material Editor flyout to open the Compact Material Editor.

(A flyout is like a drop-down menu, but with buttons instead of text.)

The Material Editor opens as a floating window, and can be moved outside of the interface window.

So, if you have more than one monitor, you can put this menu on another screen. If you don't have

a second screen, you can also click the task bar and select show windows side by side, to get the menu

out of your way.

The Compact Material Editor is usually more convenient when you

want simply to assign materials that have already been designed.

The Slate Material Editor, which takes up more screen space,

is more convenient and versatile for designing materials.

Note: If you open the large Slate Material Editor by mistake,

then from the Material Editor toolbar choose Modes Compact Material Editor.

By default, the Compact Material Editor shows six sample slots, each of which

is capable of holding a material. Typically, you would have multiple materials

to choose from, so you might prefer to expand the number of sample slots

selectable from the editor.

Locate the Battlefield material sample slot and click it.

Notice that the name Battlefield appears in the Material Name field below the sample slots.

This material has already been constructed for you. It uses a bitmap as a texture and includes a bump map.

Drag the Battlefield material from its sample slot and drop it onto the Field object in the Camera001 viewport.

The viewport now displays a landscape covered by grass and dirt.

Tip: If the material doesn't appear in the viewport, click to turn on (Show Shaded Material In Viewport).

This button is in the row of buttons just below the sample slots.

Drag the Stone material from its sample slot onto the rock object in the viewport. The stone surface updates to a realistic texture.

If at first you can't see the sample slot for the Stone material, right-click one of the sample slots and choose 5 X 3 Sample

Windows to display more of the slots. If its still not there, you may need to add it to one of the material editor slots.

You do that by clicking on one of the slot that just has a grey texture. Below that it will have the name of that texture,

in my case Standard_13. To the right of Standard_13, there is a button labed 'Standard, click it. This will open the

Material/Map Browser. If you don't see "Stone ( Standard )", scroll down until you do and click it. And click the

button labeled 'OK' at the bottom of the Material/Map Browser. If you still do not see the textures, you have the

tutorial install, incorrectly.

Next, you will apply a material to the cannon.

Apply a material to the cannon:

All parts of the cannon were previously grouped together into a single entity, called a selection set.

This way, when you choose a material, it is applied to all components in the selection set in a single action.

From the main menu Named Selection Sets drop-down list, choose Cannon.

On the Material Editor, click the Cannon sample slot and then click (Assign Material To Selection).

This method is another way to apply materials to selected objects.

When finished with that it should now look something like this:

The oak tree's and windmill should already have materials applied to them, so now you’re ready to begin animating the scene.

Close the Material Editor.

Save your work:

Save your scene to your local folder as my_battlefield_scene.max.

Next

Animating the Scene

In this next part, you'll bring the battlefield scene to life by animating scene objects.

You'll do this with keyframe animation. The Auto Key tool in 3ds Max lets you record the physical characteristics of an object at any given point in time.

This state in time is called a keyframe. 3ds Max then figures out all the in-between states from one keyframe to the next, for a smooth transition of the object.

The following procedure consists of two animations. Between frames 0 to 120, you will advance the cannon to its firing position, next to the rock.

Between frames 120 and frame 160, you will raise the cannon barrel in preparation for the first shot.

3ds Max gives you three different ways to create keyframes. One is to turn on the Auto Key button, move to any point in time, and transform (move, rotate, or scale)

the object. A second method is to right-click the time slider and then set keys using the Create Key dialog.

There is also a Set Key animation mode, designed for professional character animators.

In this part, of this tutorial, you’ll use the Auto Key button.

Animate the position of the cannon:

Right-click the Top viewport to make it active, then zoom in and pan the scene so that the cannon and rock are clearly in view.

On the main toolbar, click (Select And Move), then hover your mouse over the rear portion of the cannon.

After a moment, a tooltip appears that says frame.

The tooltip indicates your selection tool is hovering over the frame object.

In this scene, the frame is the parent object of the cannon; meaning that if the frame moves,

the rest of the cannon assembly moves with it.

Click the frame object to select it.

The time slider is the wide button located directly above the time scale display

below the viewports. Drag the time slider to frame 120.

Note: The default playback rate is 30 frames per second,

so 120 frames is four seconds of animation.

Click to turn it on.

The button turns red.

You are now in automatic animation mode.

Tip: The time slider bar also turns red,

and the active viewport is outlined in red

to remind you that you are in Auto Key mode.

In the Top viewport, drag the frame object on its Y axis until the cannon is lined up next to the rock.

Auto Key interpolates, or averages out, the cannon position at each frame from its start position at frame 0

to its final resting place at frame 120.

Turn off .

Tip: To avoid accidentally creating unwanted animation,

develop the habit of turning Auto Key off after animating each movement.

Move the time slider back and forth from frame 0 to frame 120, and watch the cannon move forward.

Notice how animation has already been applied to the windmill in the background.

Add a second animated movement:

Turn on and advance to frame 160.

In the Scene Explorer to the left of the viewports,

expand the frame entry if you need to,

and then click the barrel entry to select the barrel object.

Tip: By default, the Scene Explorer panel appears to the left of the viewports,

but if it has been hidden, you can press the H key to display a floating version of the Explorer.

On the main toolbar, click to activate (Select And Rotate).

In the Camera viewport, rotate the barrel on its X axis by –10 degrees.

As you modify the barrel rotation, the axis values update in yellow.

Drag the start keyframe at frame 0 to frame 130.

Turn off .

In the animation playback controls, click (Go To Start), then click (Play Animation). Watch the animated cannon prepare its deadly attack on the windmill.

Click (Stop, in the same location as the Play button) when you are done watching the animation.

Save your scene to your local folder, this time as my_battlefield_attack.max.

This is about what your animation should look like now:(I was really tired and I used my Webcam to record this, sry on the quality)

http://vid245.photobucket.com/albums/gg61/jhg2007/Kerbal%20Space%20Program%20Stuff/Tutorial%20images/2014-10-0419-58-20710_zpsc6a5cad1.mp4

.

Next

Rendering the Animation

Rendering multiple frames for a complete animation can be time consuming, even on a fast machine,

because each frame is individually processed. Realistic materials, shadow casting, and other factors

can slow the process as well. This scene is relatively simple however, so it doesn’t take long to render.

The rendering time is probably about 6 minutes, depending on the speed of your machine.

On the main toolbar, click (Render Setup).

3ds Max opens the Render Setup dialog.

In the Time Output group, choose Active Time Segment.

(If you left the setting at Single, just the currently displayed frame would render.)

Tip: If your computer is fast, you can skip the next step.

In the Output Size group, change the default (640 x 480) to 320 x 240.

This smaller size has only one-quarter the area of the default, making it much faster to render.

In the Render Output group, click the Files button.

(You might have to scroll down in order to see this control.)

On the Render Output File dialog, name your animation

mybattlefield_attack.avi. Click Save to save the

animation to the default folder (usually \renderoutput).

Warning: You must either add the extension .avi in the file name,

or else select AVI as the file type. If you don't tell the program what

type of animation format to save in, the rendering won't work.

3ds Max opens a AVI File Compression Setup dialog.

Click OK to choose the default settings.

Note: You can use the Compressor drop-down list to choose a particular video compressor, or codec.

The available choices depend on your system setup. Many codecs let you use the Quality slider to adjust

the quality of the output (primarily the output resolution). For the default DV Video Encoder, this control is not available.

On the Render Setup dialog, Save File is now on and the output field shows the location of mybattlefield_attack.avi.

At the bottom of the Render Setup dialog View list, choose Camera01.

Always check to be sure you’re rendering the right viewport.

Tip: In most cases, you will render the camera viewport.

Click Render to begin the rendering process.

Watch a few frames to make sure that the rendering gets off to a good start.

The Time Remaining estimate gives you an idea of how long the rendering will take.

Play the rendered animation:

When your animation is finished rendering, choose Rendering menu View Image File.

Navigate to the \sceneassets\animations subfolder.

Highlight mybattlefield_attack.avi and click Open to display the Media Player.

In the Media Player, play your animation.

You can also see my version of this animation by playing this movie:

http://vid245.photobucket.com/albums/gg61/jhg2007/Kerbal%20Space%20Program%20Stuff/Tutorial%20images/mybattlefield_attackHighRes_zps5f0f4ab8.mp4

If you have seen the 3DSMax version of this movie, you will notice that this is a little different. I didn't like the way

their tutorial prepared the cannon for firing so I changed it a bit. I have found that.... sometimes, if you don't follow

the directions, you can learn something. If you haven't tried it, you should. Im probably the only person who will

say this... but, and if you fail, your way, you can always go back to what works, the directions. Also, you can alway

change or redo your animations, as long as you are careful to change the file names as you save the different steps

of your animation. I have rendered 3 movies myself and have added my "high res" movie. I just saved them with

different names. Remember to do this and save your work threw each step.

You will learn, reading my tutorials, that sometimes I will miss lead you, trying to get you to learn something and

not just do it for you. If you find, that something in your stuff looks different than mine, and you followed the

directions... this might be what has happened. So continue reading for your answer, it should come at the end of

the section, if that is what i did.

You have learned how to find your way around the 3ds Max user interface while creating an animated scene.

You now know how to navigate the viewports, create simple objects using primitives, and assign materials

to them. You've also learned how to move objects as well as animate and render your animation.

It takes A lot of time for me to get this information transferred over to this interface, as I do the tutorial myself,

and I only have a little under 27 days left on this trial. SO, I THINK, I am going to go threw thew as much as I

can, then come back to this animation (find a faster way to add all my new data) and build from here.

I may not post much until I get threw a lot of this stuff myself, but i will check this Thread and reply to

comments/questions regularly.

Im not exactly sure how Ill make this... more specific to KSP, but that is my intent, from this point to the end.

If needed I will show more 3DSMax examples and add to them like I did in this part of this tutorial.

I think this is a fairly good start, If i can get a couple people to try it out and point out any areas i need to

improve, or make more clear I would most appreciate it. If you try this and you get close to the same looking,

or better final animation as what I am showing here, please post it.

NEXT - Working in Blender

(I AM BUILDING THIS TUTORIAL - this part is finished the rest still ISN'T FINISHED)

Edited October 6, 2014 by Enriched Uranium

[Enriched Uranium]

Wow, I like your Thread Cpt. Kipard. I wish I had found it months ago!!! lol

nli2work gave me a link to it... last week I think but i just had time to read some of it. You have what i was looking for when i started creating this Thread. My first tutorial isn't specific to KSP at all but it did allow me to become more comfortable with Blender, which is now what i am working in.

It also showed me how I can change the Blender tutorials that i do, make them specific to KSP, and re-create them here.

The whole time i was making the 3ds tutorial I was trying to think of a way to make it more specific to KSP... the only thing i could think of was making a cannonball for the cannon to shoot and making it a planet with it's own texture. lol I thought about finishing up that animation and putting in the planet/cannonball and have the windmill blow up but Im in blender now so... unless i finish that one in Blender I may not go back to it, not sure at this point.

I sure do appreciate any feedback you have for me, on this thread. My intent is to make all my tutorials, look at least as nice as the one I finished today and be just as easy to follow. I hope both you an Mu like how this turns out!

[Enriched Uranium]

Starting Blender for the first time

If you are familiar with Blender 2.4x or other 3D software such as Maya, 3ds Max or XSI, you will immediately notice that Blender is quite different from what you are used to seeing. However you will soon see similarities with your previous software, like a 3D Viewport, an Outliner and a Timeline. If this is the first time you have used any 3D software, you may be a little lost. Fortunately there's really only one rule when you want to learn 3D with Blender: don't be afraid to explore and experiment!

After starting Blender, take a look at the splash screen where you will see the Blender version in the top right-hand corner.

The left side shows you some useful links like the release log of the version you are using (what's new in this version),

the wiki manual (what you're reading now) and the official Blender website. These links are also accessible from the Help menu.

The right side lists recent blender files (.blend) you have saved. If you're running Blender for the first time, this part will be empty.

This list is also available in File » Open Recent. The interaction menu lets you choose a keymap preset (by default, Blender or Maya) are available.

Blender Download Page (just noticed they relased the new version on 10/4 so I have the wrong version right now.)

The left side shows you some useful links like the release log of the version you are using (what's new in this version), the wiki manual (what you're reading now) and the official Blender website. These links are also accessible from the Help menu. The right side lists recent blender files (.blend) you have saved. If you're running Blender for the first time, this part will be empty.

Edited October 6, 2014 by Enriched Uranium

[CaptainKipard]

Actually I just took over the maintenance of that compilation from Hoojiwana, but I added a lot to it since then.

Here's the thing. The tutorials that come with Max and the tutorial you wrote are more to do with 3D graphics in general, than with creating game assets. You will almost never need to know how to animate scenes like that cannonball because that's more for the purpose of rendering. The only animations we're concerned with are ones which can be imported into KSP and used for practical purposes. A flying cannonball is not that.

Your time and effort are appreciated but they're wasted right now. There is something that you could do actually, if you have the inclination.

This guide on the wiki is very old. It contains a lot of bad information and techniques that have been superseded by newer and better techniques. You could write a new one based on it. All that's needed is a simple model, like a fuel tank. I have one you could use for it, but if you take it and attempt this then I'll be watching carefully to make sure you're not talking nonsense

If you're up for it then I suggest you start a new thread for the purpose of developing this guide, and once it's finished you could replace the OP with the guide you created. I think this a great place to start because I myself started with that guide as a noob and I had to ask a lot of clarifying questions when I read it. I'll be glad to help, and I'm sure others would too. We can then let that wiki article rest in peace.

Edited October 6, 2014 by Cpt. Kipard

[Enriched Uranium]

I am on it. Really, I just have not had time to get very deep into the Part Modelling Guidelines, after realizing how outdated that page is.

Im not committing to this yet, but I think I will be. As i have never updated any wiki info b4... I think I can update wiki without too much trouble so i think i will be doing this.

I sure hope there is a faster way to upload changes to wiki because the way I have to upload my tutorials to this Thread, with the images, takes me all day. lol

When I have a chance to look at it a little closer, maybe later today... When i do, Ill let you know for sure if I will be doing this.

Just to keep my info, kinda in one place Ill put it on an entry here on this Thread, and when finished Ill move it to its own Thread.

Ok, I didn't post this yet but OK lol Ill come back to this but Im out of time right now and have to run... just wanted to say something about that first tutorial i did...

its really about learning and being comfortable with the software, not modeling yet. It also will give a quick example of how Ill be teaching this stuff... to myself lol

Edited October 6, 2014 by Enriched Uranium

[CaptainKipard]

No don't bother with the wiki. No one uses it anyway. It's best to just keep things in the forum where everyone can see and contribute and ask questions.

Make an outline first and post it. Get some feedback, then get to nitty gritty.

[sumghai]

Looking at all of your prior posts on these forums, it appears that while you've used add-ons for KSP before, you really don't have any add-on authoring experience.

My suggestion is that, instead of confusing newcomers with erroneous concepts and misinformation, learn to make a proper mod for KSP first.

[Claw]

Enriched,

Unfortunately a lot of the information you are posting off of the Wiki is old and outdated? A lot of this is 2+ years old (v0.15)and doesn't necessarily apply to KSP's current code state or building pipeline (v0.25). It's not that people don't want your work, it's that the information you are pulling is a little outdated. Perhaps see if you can dig into some more contemporary KSP coding and modding techniques?

Cpt Kipard also has a good suggestion. Instead of trying to pull all of your information together directly into the forum, maybe get an outline together of what you want to cover. Then the masses can help you find current information to fill it in.

Cheers,

~Claw

Edited October 7, 2014 by Claw

[Enriched Uranium]

Perhaps see if you can dig into some more contemporary KSP coding and modding techniques?

Cpt Kipard also has a good suggestion. Instead of trying to pull all of your information together directly into the forum, maybe get an outline together of what you want to cover. Then the masses can help you find current information to fill it in.

That is exactly what I am trying to do Claw.

I hate that the way I found out that I had been learning old stuff was posting this Thread. I am very sorry I have not had time to finish going threw the correct methods and update the old material I have been using to learn this. I am going threw all the information as fast as I can while learning it at the same time. This takes more time than just reading it once. I have an update spot up at the top, informing those who read this that the info is out of date right now but i am working on it.

I just have to get there and people attacking me personally, like I feel that sumghai did on the other Thread i posted... Takes the fun out of this for me and since I am a confrontational person, I feel the need to work it out with him so Im wasting time I could be using to learn. I can't tell you how surprised I was to find out he is a moderator when i tried to put him on my ignore list. I should have realized he was, because he is the one who moved my post but I didn't.

I do need direction... if I get off track... but Im just starting to go back over the Part Modelling Guidelines, like Cpt Kipard suggested and i hope the source of info i use is much more up to date. I won't know that until i get my outline posted here.

I sure hope, what ever problem sumghai has with me doesn't effect the help I have been getting already. I am trying to do my best to add content that i wish had been here and i hope it helps others not run into what i have.

ok I have wasted enough time, I need to get busy.

sumghai, Looking at all of your prior posts on these forums, it appears that while you've used add-ons for KSP before,

you really don't have any add-on authoring experience.

My suggestion is that, instead of confusing newcomers with erroneous concepts and misinformation,

learn to make a proper mod for KSP first.

This is what i am talking about, and this is how I would have said this to you, if I were you.

"my suggestion is learn to make a proper mod for KSP first." (leave your opinion out of it, if you can't be nice)

As this is exactly what i am in the process of learing, this statement is a waste of your time #1 and a waste of an entry on my Thread #2 and #3. Sorry, but it makes you look bad.

So, if our personality clash so badly that we can't get along on my Thread... don't read it and don't help me, but please don't try to hinder me. edited: Im not happy about the fact that it seems, you and I can't get along.

Edited October 7, 2014 by Enriched Uranium

[nli2work]

The point is you are really getting off track. The modding forum is for things specifically related to KSP modding, not general 3D modeling techniques or programming. A tutorial on setting up a scene and rendering a video out of 3DSMax has nothing to do with KSP modding.

KSP modding, parts or plugin, requires fair amount of prior knowledge; how you acquire the prior knowledge is really not in the scope of these forums.

[CaptainKipard]

No one is attacking you personally. What sumghai said is objectively true. That tutorial was incredibly misleading. It's just odd for someone to dive head first into writing a tutorial without any forethought and apparently not taking advice. People have been telling you to use Blender from the beginning because it's available to the widest audience. Very few hobbyists can afford to buy Max or even need it. And you still wrote a huge wall of text for Max... which is another thing. You need to write a lot more concisely. People on the internet do not have the time or attention span to read so much.

My suggestion now is to forget this thread entirely and move forward more productively. I'll be here to help, just take advice and get a little bit organised.

I think you should first create a fuel tank or something simple like that. Just for yourself. Get familiar with the info in the dev links compilation. You can start your own development thread for your future parts, where you can ask questions if you don't understand something.

Edited October 7, 2014 by Cpt. Kipard

[Enriched Uranium]

ok.

I am taking your advice here and I have taken the advise of others, thats how I got on 3dsMax in the first place. Thats how I found your Thread too. 3dsMax did allow me to start using the interface faster too. Blender just looked... alien to me the first time I looked at it. lol

I am trying to move on, get organized again and I guess start over. I may not have ever posted this Thread if I had found the one you took over first. But posting this did allow me to find it and it informed me that all the info I was finding prior to posting this Thread was worthless.

Im writing the outline you suggested i do and I will post it in a new Thread, like you suggest.

Once again it is full of garbage and I have learned enough now, that i can see that.

I am trying to find more up to date stuff as I go but I am not finding much, I guess i do not know where to look for it.

I will post it as soon as i have it finished, i guess and shoot you a link... it sure is frustrating, knowing ill have to go back and change all of this

[Enriched Uranium]

I have this outline finished, kinda, but I haven't played the game much lately. So, I am enjoying .25 now and finding all the cool new stuff lol... I didn't see the new flight computer until last night, now I have to learn how to use it.

Ill be back soon.

Edited: My new GPU said I Quit, Ill be a bit longer....

Edited October 16, 2014 by Enriched Uranium