Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Please take some time to explore the additional primitives. I
would also encourage you to look under the Doors, Windows,
and Stairs sections as well (see Figure 1-4). Having the ability
to create doors, windows, and stairs on the fly is absolutely
invaluable and gives you more time to work on other more
important things.
2D Objects (Splines and Text)
Even though you are working within a 3D software package,
there are many times when you need to
start by creating a two-dimensional
object. First, a spline in Max is simply a
line or collection of lines. Splines can be
curved or straight. One of the more
common uses for splines is simply to
create quick three-dimensional text. In
order to create anything, we need to
return to the almighty command panel
on the right. Make sure you are in the
Create panel of the command panel.
Everything is created here, including
your 2D splines. To access your 2D
objects, select the Shapes icon in the
Create panel.
In this new section you will see a
list of 2D shapes you can create (circle, arc, star, etc.). Let's
maximize our Perspective viewport as this is where we will
create our 2D objects. Next, select Circle and return to the
Perspective viewport. Click and drag up to create your circle
size. When you are finished, simply release the mouse. A
two-dimensional circle is born! I'm pumped, aren't you? Most
of your objects will be created with a single click and drag.
Next, let's manually create our own spline instead of using
a default shape. Go back to the Shapes section of the Create
panel and select Line. Go back to your Perspective viewport
and click once. That places your first vertex. When you move
your cursor around now, you'll notice a line is attached to it.
Figure 2-14: The
Shapes section of the
Create panel
