[Tutorial] How to make vehicle models for ARMA2 using 3DS Max

[soul_assassin 1750]

No worries, mate. 3d modelling is easy once the concepts are in place. Honestly, for a beginner it can be as easy as tracing.

Having said that, things only seem easy when you understand them. It really depends on your skills and talent. Don't let anything be intimidating.

I also want to say thank you to everyone who has supported this thread by providing their own knowledge via tips. I'm learning a lot from you folks, and I can't wait to go home once the weekend is over and try out some of your techniques.

Abs

PS: PuFu - Why did you recommend against using booleans? I use them for windows and hatches all the time. Yes, it requires a little bit of cleanup, but nothing more than two or three minutes usually.

booleans need cleanup all the time, 2 or 3 minutes yes but dont forget, modeler is lazy and efficient :p the thing with booleans is sometimes they also mess up parts of model that were not even involved in calculation and if you miss it and then only see it after you have uv mapped for example it can be annoying.

I always use cut tool for anything a boolean can do. Weither it is to merge (cut and extrude) or to cut a window out (cut and delete) very much cleaner results. But of course sometimes its unavoidable like id the whole needs to be circular, no matter how good your cutting it, simply booleaning a cylinder is much simpler (or for example joining a very segmented wing airfoil profile to the fuselage). If both the boolean objects are complex, to avoid lengthy cleanups I simply detach only the affected faces of both objects, boolean those faces and then reattach everything back to normal).

Another unrelated tip:

Dont forget that max can work in different coordinate systems. Sometimes the World coords just dont cut it. You can always play around with the local gizmo of the object, set it us the way you want (for example you can snap one object's local system to one of another object or to some vertex) then you can rotate and move the object with this gizmo if you set the system to local. You can further use that gizmo on the subobjects if u set the system to Parent.

Edited November 26, 2011 by Soul_Assassin
splg

[PuFu 4600]

because, most of the time, the cleaning time required is well above the time would be needed to cut the whole manually (no matter of shape), and be sure your geometry and mesh flow remains intact...

the algorithms for booleans in max are acient. Sure, i have use them myself when i don't care about the end result meshflow, but i remember countless times where i had to revert to an earlier file (my max is set to save everything incrementally) because of a fuck up cause by a boolean..

But of course sometimes its unavoidable like id the whole needs to be circular, no matter how good your cutting it, simply booleaning a cylinder is much simpler (or for example joining a very segmented wing airfoil profile to the fuselage). If both the boolean objects are complex, to avoid lengthy cleanups I simply detach only the affected faces of both objects, boolean those faces and then reattach everything back to normal).

I still prefer the old manual way. Even with shapes that are perfect geometric (circle), i either use the make geopoly tool, or i create an custom view perpendicular to the selection (the faces that i want to create a cylinder on top of) using the SoulBourne scripts set, then create a cylinder on top and start cutting using snap to vertex.

Dont forget that max can work in different coordinate systems. Sometimes the World coords just dont cut it. You can always play around with the local gizmo of the object, set it us the way you want (for example you can snap one object's local system to one of another object or to some vertex) then you can rotate and move the object with this gizmo if you set the system to local. You can further use that gizmo on the subobjects if u set the system to Parent.

Moreover, you can use the helpers -> grid and create your own working planes/grids if for instance having a new plane (inclined) for a few objects would speed up the workflow...The AutoGrid function can also speed up things when you want to create a new primitive on top of an existing one.

Edited November 26, 2011 by PuFu

[max power 21]

One hotkey I found recently is A for angle snap toggle. Also you can sort of do mouse gestures. If you select something from the context menu by holding the right mouse button, you can repeat that command by only moving your mouse over to the category heading the second time, and subsequent times until you do a different command.

For cutting holes sometimes I create a cylinder and invert it and then cut a hole in the other surface using the cylinder edges as a guide. Then you would just remove the cap and weld it up.

Edited November 27, 2011 by Max Power

[Bee8190 10]

Cheers ABS for nice tutorials.I will definitely keep an eye for future updates.Also apprechiate how you explain these tutorials in detail, really important to complete beginners.So thx again and keep it up ;)

[mugaben 10]

Running into the first issue.

I reached the part where I have to turn the bottom bluescreen layer 90 degrees and dual weld it in place. It seems as if I can only weld two of the points together, the other two wont accept it. The mouse doesnt show that there is a point where I can weld.?

Edited November 29, 2011 by MugAben

[abs 2]

Cheers ABS for nice tutorials.I will definitely keep an eye for future updates.Also apprechiate how you explain these tutorials in detail, really important to complete beginners.So thx again and keep it up ;)

No worries, mate. :) Can't wait to see what all of you come up with.

Running into the first issue.

I reached the part where I have to turn the bottom bluescreen layer 90 degrees and dual weld it in place. It seems as if I can only weld two of the points together, the other two wont accept it. The mouse doesnt show that there is a point where I can weld.?

Hi MugAben,

Try the following:

1. With the blueprint box selected, press '4' to get into face selection mode.

2. Select the face you are talking about, so that it is highlighted.

3. On the right hand menu find the 'Detach' button, and click it.

4. Press '6' to get out of face selection mode.

5. Select the 'Attach' button so that it changes colour.

6. Click the face you were talking about, so that it is once again part of the blueprint box.

7. Try again.

Let me know how it goes. :)

Abs

[mugaben 10]

I managed to do a workaround. Im working in 3ds 2010, there is a feature where I can turn the material bitmap so I just went with that. But im sure your solution works, ill try that if I run into similar problems again.

-Another thing, I must miss the part where you make the sides in the bluescreen box, facing your view go invisible?

-Third thing.. When you select your first line, (Video 2, 6:43) you drag out the line, and kind of creating a new plane. If I do that, I only stretch/add on the allready existing plane without a new line in between. You must have something turned on or are holding some key down or something?

Edited November 29, 2011 by MugAben

[PuFu 4600]

this is by far one of the easiest tutorial i have seen for 3ds max, and there are still questions:

A. I guess you are talking about double sided option in the standard max shader.

1. use flip face instead of rotate

2. he is using Target Weld to weld the vertices of the top view to the verts of the other view planes.

anyhow, the way abs is setting up the references planes is more complicated than it actually needs to be

Edited November 30, 2011 by PuFu

[mugaben 10]

Ok, from another tutorial I turned Renderable off in the blueprint box, and enabled "backface cull". Got the box working perfectly.

Thanks.

Now I just need the part where you drag the planeline out where its adding another plane and I can continue. (Mine just expands the current plane)

Sorry If I ask to many questions, havent been able to find the solution to this one on youtube :s

[abs 2]

Ok, from another tutorial I turned Renderable off in the blueprint box, and enabled "backface cull". Got the box working perfectly.

Thanks.

Now I just need the part where you drag the planeline out where its adding another plane and I can continue. (Mine just expands the current plane)

Sorry If I ask to many questions, havent been able to find the solution to this one on youtube :s

Don't worry...questions are welcome. If you're referring to Vid2, 6:43, then it's as PuFu said, I just used Target Weld to attach a face to the other faces. If you watch the video in high resolution, you should be able to follow along with my mouse clicks.

If you mean some other part, please let me know.

Abs

[mugaben 10]

just used Target Weld to attach a face to the other faces. If you watch the video in high resolution, you should be able to follow along with my mouse clicks.

If you mean some other part, please let me know.

Abs

No way, I must be blind then. Check again..

Right there.

Quote: "Press 2. to select edges. And just kind of drag it out".

If I do exactly that, I just expand the existing one?

[abs 2]

Ah, see...that's video three, not two.

Press shift, and then drag using the arrow thing.

Abs

Edit: I really should have mentioned that in the vid. I've fixed it by adding an annotation. Thanks for bringing that to my attention!

Edited November 30, 2011 by Abs

[PuFu 4600]

That is video 3, not 2.

Hold SHIFT while moving edge to "extrude" the edge. that works only for edges that are defined by 2 verts...

edit:

damn ninja'd

[abs 2]

edit:

damn ninja'd

That's what I love about these forums. Everyone's willing to help. :)

Abs

[soul_assassin 1750]

If you use my toolbox for max there is an even easier way to setup blueprints with a tutorial:

I2TwIDUndWY

[mugaben 10]

Ah, see...that's video three, not two.

Press shift, and then drag using the arrow thing.

Abs

Edit: I really should have mentioned that in the vid. I've fixed it by adding an annotation. Thanks for bringing that to my attention!

Thanks!

Ah my mistake. Ill try when I get home from work. I think Ive allready tried shift dragging and didnt seem to work, but Im not 100% sure. :)

[jagheterjan 10]

Don't detach and rotate stuff, you'd get a much faster and cleaner result if you followed Pufu's advice. Flipping does invert the Normal (The function that determines what side of the polygon is the 'front' side and what is the 'back' side for simplicity's sake) for the selected faces, allowing you to literally flip it in place so the image shows on the inside of the box.

In addition to that, you can easily move the vertices of the bottom blueprint in place without welding - in the toolbar, right-click on Snaps Toogle (The icon with the little 3 in the upper left corner and the U-shaped icon next to it), activate Vertex in the left column and close that window. If you now try to move one of the vertices to the position of the vertices you'd otherwise weld them to, the vertices should snap into the precise coordinates of the target vertices once you've moved them close enough. Same effect as welding basically, but - since you've already detached things - using Vertex Snap will keep your polygons as separate elements so you can move and resize the other polygons without fear of accidentially messing up the already aligned blueprint polygons.

EDIT: Ninja'd by almost everyone here. That's what you get for leaving a half-done post for some outdoor recording and not check if someone already answered when you return and finish the post.

Edited November 30, 2011 by jagheterjan

[PuFu 4600]

If you use my toolbox for max there is an even easier way to setup blueprints with a tutorial:

[YOUTUBE]I2TwIDUndWY[YOUTUBE]

never used that myself with your arma tools (the lazy button that is-good to know it is there). Would have been even more lazy proof if the planes would take the aspect ratio from the bitmap (like the dedicated ref planes work in modo for instance).

[mugaben 10]

Works! :D

[abs 2]

Good start! Can't wait to see the finished product. :)

Abs

[mugaben 10]

Its finished now. :D Somehow, nothing goes as well and easy as it does in your tutorial. Ive mirrored it, but the part where I need them to weld together just wont happen. And the target weld wont work either, because I have to select one of the two parts two be able to dual weld - and then I cant select a weld point on the unselected part. If I select both of them theres no weld tool.. Forgive me, but I think I might have taken on to much here, and need to get more experienced in 3ds before attempting this stunt :)

[abs 2]

Are the two pieces attached? You can only select weld if it is part of one piece.

Also, if you read the tips provided by other members in the thread you'll see that they are suggesting alternate methods to my mirroring tool, including a method that already welds.

I'm not going to stop you if you want to quit, but this thread is a great place to ask questions and learn.

Abs

[mugaben 10]

Well, with every new solution comes another problem it seems. Using Symmetry will just squish my model. It doesnt add to the outside of the model, but instead adds to the middle of the current model.

.... Later I learned that this was because I had selected all the verticies. Looks like its working as one solid now. \o/

Edited November 30, 2011 by MugAben

[PuFu 4600]

Well, with every new solution comes another problem it seems. Using Symmetry will just squish my model. It doesnt add to the outside of the model, but instead adds to the middle of the current model.

.... Later I learned that this was because I had selected all the verticies. Looks like its working as one solid now. \o/

BRB with more questions later :D

select symmetry modifier, click the + to its left, select the gizmo and then move it where you want the symetry plane to be. You can also select the axis you need to be working with. You might need to Flip the axis depending on how the object local axis have been set on creation.

I do agree, you should really mess with 3d modelling software by yourself a bit more (in this particular case getting acquainted with the very basics of 3ds max) rather than asking here every 2 polys you make...

[jagheterjan 10]

Not related to any of the above posts:

Only apply a new modifier when there's no longer a selection active in the stack. When there are active selections in the stack, new modifiers will only apply to this selection and not the mesh as a whole. More often than not, adding a new modifier to an active selection will cause all sorts of weirdness later on as modifiers get added or the stack collapsed, most often resulting into a borked mesh and considerable amounts of time wasted.

A pic's worth a thousand words:

Notice the dots next to the MeshSmooth and Editable Poly modifiers? These indicate that there's currently a vertex selection active in the Editable Poly modifier which carries on into the MeshSmooth modifier. To fix this, delete the MeshSmooth modifier to be sure nothing gets funky while you're fixing the Editable Poly modifier (Possibly changing the number and order of vertices in the mesh), then click on the yellow symbol in the Selection tab so there's no yellow visible at all in the Selection tab, then reapply the MeshSmooth modifier. Done!