Preparing the land
I started the process of modeling the relief of the earth's landscape in 3ds max with a simple plane, applying a modifier to it Displacement(Bias). In the bitmap slot of this modifier I inserted Height Map(Height map), which I created manually in Photoshop. You can see the image I used below.

Luminosity height map (click on image to enlarge)

To further customize the shape of the ground surface I used a modifier FFD from the 3ds max tools for quick general modification. For more detailed deformation I used a modifier Edit Poly(Editable Polygon) and then I used a brush to paint the details.

To bring it all together, at the end of all these small modifications in the modifier stack I added the modifier Relax(Relax).

Ground plane after all settings

Creating a gravel path

After the landform shape I was happy with was created, I saved a copy of the modifier stack before the collapse, just in case, as a backup of the 3ds max scene. Then I converted it all to Editable Poly(Editable polygon). This was done so that I could detach the polygons that make up the gravel path. It also gave me the freedom to increase the polygon count, paint finer terrain details, and customize other UVW maps separately. In addition, I got the opportunity, if necessary, to apply the Displacement modifier to small areas of the environment.

Creating steps

Now that the gravel path is complete, I began creating the steps. The steps were made from boxing with chamfers, to which a modifier was applied Noise(Noise) with different settings and then multiplied as Instance(copies). I also added some spheres to act as large piles of leaves. Once again, the FFD modifier was applied to these areas.

Steps area

General view of the gravel path

The gravel path is integrated with the landscape of the earth

Creation of stones

Creating small stones in 3d max was quite easy. I started with simple spheres and applied a Noise modifier to them. I then applied the FFD modifier (yes, again) to dramatically change the overall shape, making them look like rocks. I made 12 copies of different sizes and different Noise settings. When their appearance became as it should, I created for each stone Vray a proxy so that you can scatter them along the road. I also created a few variations of the diffuse maps, just to vary the look a little.

From sphere to stone

Using the Advanced Paint script

The Advanced Painter script for 3d max was used to draw / scatter various objects on the surface of the earth. I loaded the list with the objects I wanted to draw on the ground, selected the area of ​​the ground as the drawing surface - and started painting!

Feel free to change the settings to suit your needs as your drawing progresses. The Advanced Painter script is very powerful... It has become an integral part of my daily work.

Painting with stones

Advanced Paint script settings

Stones are scattered

Creating firewood

To create the firewood, the internal 3D Max physics simulation system was used - Reactor. I've never used a reactor before, but it turned out to be pretty easy. First I modeled the parts of the firewood. I created three shapes and then copied them several times.

Logs

Then I created a plane and added it to the scene Rigid Body Collection(Collection of rigid bodies), and added this plane and firewood to the list of its rigid bodies. The physical properties of objects were set in the solid properties menu.

Reactor settings for logs (left) and plane (right)

Setting up physics to simulate falling firewood

Most settings were left at default, with only a few changes Col. Tolerance(Collision error). Now launch the window Preview(Preview). You can now play through the physics simulation until you're happy with the results, or reset and customize some physics settings to your liking. Once the objects landed in Reactor the way I liked, I updated their position in 3d max. I then hand trimmed some of the logs as a finishing touch.

Before and after simulation with the Havoc engine

Logs have been placed

Creating grass

The grass was created based on the lesson Creating VRay Grass. Here I will not dwell on its creation, I only advise you to read this tutorial on creating grass.

Once the grass patches were sampled, I repeated the same procedure as with the gravel. I loaded them into the Advanced Painter script and painted the ground with them.

Grass after drawing

Creating leaves

Now that all the grass is in place, I created 4 different leaves. They were created from simple planes using modifiers Bend(Fold) and Noise(Noise) in various variations.

Various leaves

I then drew some smaller piles of leaves.

Current page: 1 (book has 9 pages in total) [available reading passage: 7 pages]

Andrey Shishanov
Landscape design and exterior in 3ds Max

Introduction

From time immemorial, people needed houses and were engaged in their construction. At first, natural formations such as caves or forest debris were used. Then the man began to build himself. The simplest huts and dugouts gradually turned into more and more comfortable and thoughtful buildings, sometimes several floors. Since a certain period, it has become impossible to build “by eye” - the time has come for preliminary design. Perhaps the plan of the future building was first drawn with charcoal on the wall or with a stick in the sand, then with a stylus on papyrus. Then it was time for paper and drawing boards. With the rapid growth of computer technology, new opportunities have emerged that have raised the work of designers and architects to a qualitatively new level. Specialized programs for architects were already in high demand and popular, but now, when high technologies have come to the masses, these programs are experiencing a rebirth and a real boom. Software products like ArchiCAD or Chief Architect are a very convenient tool for architects, but they are practically useless for the end user. The customer wants to see what his house or plot will look like, not in the lines of drawings or plans, but “as in the photograph.” Photos of what is not yet in life. And here the “cameras of the future” – three-dimensional presentation programs – come to the fore. There are quite a lot of them. I will not list them or engage in comparison. I will only note that 3ds Max is the best suited for solving these problems: having a CAD basis, that is, almost all the tools for accurately constructing an architectural model, the program is primarily focused on creating a beautiful presentation picture, including the ability to build entire villages and urban areas among forests and parks, often animated for a stronger advertising impact on potential buyers. This does not mean at all that when solving problems of architectural and landscape modeling, you can only get by with this program. Vice versa. To realize the full depth of the idea, several different programs will be required, and often a dozen plug-ins. Here the expression “to each his own” would be quite appropriate: for drawing use, for example, AutoCAD, for architectural design - ArchiCAD, for presentation and animation - 3ds Max, for creating vegetation - Onyx Tree, for video editing - Adobe Premiere Pro or Fusion, and so on Further. Architectural presentation is one of the most difficult tasks to implement, both in terms of the level of knowledge required and the demands on graphics packages and computer power. But today's realities of the computer graphics market and forecasts for its development allow us to confidently say that there is a great future for computer architectural presentation.

Who is the book for?

The purpose of this book is to help novice users who are familiar with the 3ds Max interface and have basic modeling skills, learn, using simple tools and techniques, to build architectural and landscape objects, create vegetation and plant entire tracts of it, correctly texture and illuminate, and ultimately make it all come to life in an animated presentation video. The publication does not describe the 3ds Max interface and modeling tools: it is assumed that the reader is already familiar with them. The material is presented in the form of very simple examples that allow you to understand the essence of the main processes, and is deliberately devoid of descriptions of labor-intensive solutions that must be mastered independently using specialized literature to improve skills. The main objective of the book is to tell the novice user about the basic principles of solving problems that arise during landscape modeling, and teach them how to apply them creatively in the future to create high-quality images of the exterior.

The book describes the methodology for using the plug-in visualizer V-Ray 1.5 SP2, working with large arrays of models and textures, optimizing computer resources for maximum efficiency, and also provides information on how to work with audio and visual special effects.

Beginning visualizers of landscape architecture and architects who want to show their creation in all its glory, I hope, will find useful information in this book that will reduce the time from the concept of a project to its implementation to a minimum.

The book comes with a DVD that will help you more fully comprehend the material discussed in it. The disc contains scenes of the exercises described in the book, a trial version of 3ds Max 2009 Design, a selection of various textures and models for the exterior, plug-ins, scripts, etc. Please note that to open all scene files you must have the V-Ray plug-in visualizer installed 1.5 SP2 (which, by the way, is also on DVD).

Note

Along the way, I will provide links to the disk where you can find this or that file, plugin or script. The DVD has a shell program with sections into which all the content is distributed. However, I will not provide links to these sections, but to “physical” folders that are displayed when opening a DVD with a file manager (for example, the commonplace Explorer or Total Commander). Navigation through shell partitions is described in the shell itself (section Disk Description).

Hardware Requirements

3ds Max is a program that, as a rule, has always been notable for its not too high demands on computer resources compared to the capabilities it offers. But for exterior visualization this rule no longer applies. It is impossible to build a scene consisting of millions and often billions of polygons with hundreds of trees and thousands of details on a weak computer. Therefore, the computer must be suitable for the tasks being solved.

What should you pay attention to first?

On RAM. Huge volumes of textures and proxy models require a maximum amount of high-quality RAM. 4 GB of memory can be considered the minimum required, 8 GB is very, very desirable. Actually, even more is preferable, but so far manufacturers cannot provide us with such luxury, so we have to rely only on this volume, optimally building the stage and using resources. There is no need to skimp on memory: it should be of high quality, preferably in a “whale” set, in which the manufacturer has selected two strips based on identical parameters.

The next important element is CPU. Quad-core processors from Intel and AMD are now available in a wide range and at an affordable price. The choice of a specific model and manufacturer depends on your financial capabilities and preferences. I will only note that rendering complex 3D scenes on such a processor will significantly reduce the waiting time for rendering to complete. Often practiced (and often provided by the manufacturer) overclocking the processor (increasing its performance) also makes it possible to reduce the waiting time for the end of rendering, sometimes to 25–30%, or even more. This is especially true when creating animated presentations. But in this case Necessarily it is necessary to apply additional high-quality cooling of both the processor (for example, coolers from the well-known company Zalman) and the case.

Video card also ranks high on the list of requirements. After all, you will have to process and display a gigantic number of polygons. Professional video cards are quite expensive for the average user, so most often the choice is made on top-end gaming analogues. Among those available today, we can safely recommend ATI Radeon HD 4850 and GF 9800 GTX or GTX 295 class video cards, preferably with 1 GB of video memory on board - this will allow you to interactively display a larger number of textures in the scene. Although, to be honest, a gaming video card is still intended for completely different tasks, and its power, which is actively used in games, is often idle in professional applications. Therefore, if possible, it is better to conduct an experiment: compare in real work in 3ds Max on a busy scene a top-end expensive model and an affordable solution from the mid-range. Perhaps the difference that appears will cover the money spent (if you are also not a fan of computer games in your spare time).

All other components: motherboard, power supply, cooling system, etc. must be designed for stable, continuous operation for a long time - sometimes weeks or even months.

Particular attention should be paid to power supply. Typically, an inexperienced user buys a ready-made case with a built-in power supply, forgetting that to save money, such cases are usually equipped with cheap and low-power units. And just one video card of the latest generation not only requires a separate power cable, but also consumes up to 250 W of electricity - the same amount as the entire computer consumed literally five or six years ago. Therefore, you should never skimp on the power supply. It is worth turning to solutions from such well-known brands as Chieftec, Zalman, Thermaltake, Cooler Master. For a powerful computer, a power supply of at least 750 W with a guaranteed current of at least 18–20 A on the 12-volt bus is highly desirable.

It is also necessary to pay very close attention to cooling system. A large number of heat-generating parts of a computer (processor, video card, motherboard elements), being located in a small cheap case with many poorly laid cables, can cause you a lot of trouble with unstable operation and often failure. Therefore, it is highly advisable to purchase a large case designed for servers. Such cases are produced by many companies, but Chieftec and Thermaltake are the most widespread in our country. Convenient arrangement of elements, thoughtful access to maintenance and good flow ventilation will allow your computer to last a long life, delighting you with stable operation in any climate zone.

And finally monitor. Since you will have to work with scenes that are huge in scale and amount of detail, it is better to opt for large format screens. Approximately 21" or more. This is especially true for non-linear video editing programs like Adobe Premiere. But it should be remembered that TFT monitors, due to their technical features, consume a significant part of the video card resources, unlike CRT monitors - sometimes up to 15-20%. Therefore, here you need to find a reasonable balance between the power of the video card and the diagonal size of the monitor. When choosing a monitor, you should carefully consider the pixel size (the smaller it is, the sharper and less grainy the image will be), as well as the type of matrix. For serious work with graphics, it is better choose an S-IPS matrix. Another monitor parameter is the response time of the matrix. However, it is critical for watching videos or for dynamic computer games. For working in 3ds Max, the response time is of secondary importance. Therefore, it is better to turn your attention to a slower but high-quality screen with the correct reproduction of colors and their shades.It is advisable to choose a monitor in a store, among several included samples, in order to choose the best one in terms of backlight uniformity and the absence of dead pixels: even for the most expensive models from famous manufacturers, these readings vary for each specific device. Of the most common models on our market, the highest quality (albeit expensive) solutions are represented by NEC, Apple and EIZO.

And the last, small in size, but not in importance element - mouse. The recently introduced high-precision laser mice are ideally suited for precision work in 3D graphics environments. With an increase in monitor diagonal, a mouse sensitivity of 1200 dpi will not be superfluous. It is very important that the mouse ideally fits your hand in terms of ergonomics, since you will have to work with many small parts, and an unnecessary careless (sometimes unnoticed) movement can lead to unpleasant incidents. Wireless mice are not a reasonable solution for our problems. Their accuracy and sensitivity are sufficient for working in text editors and for Internet surfing, but for high-precision work in a complex scene they will cause more trouble than pleasure. Also desirable rug for mouse. Although mouse pads were designed for mice with a ball inside, and with the advent of laser and optical ones they have practically fallen out of use, a single-color, uniform reflective surface, as opposed to a non-uniform table covering, will only add stability to your movements.

If the work involves large volumes and short deadlines, then it makes sense to think about purchasing a second computer. Its purpose is to render finished parts of the scene while you continue working on another computer. A lot of time is saved: there is no need to sit idly by, waiting for the end of calculations, which can be quite lengthy. The video card on this computer can be quite simple - solely for displaying ongoing processes. Well, it is advisable to equip it with a second, possibly inexpensive, monitor. Although all modern monitors support connecting two or more computers and you can simply press the appropriate button to change processes, having an independent, separate monitor for a second computer will make work more comfortable.

Architectural organizations or small creative teams can purchase an additional powerful shared server, where employees send finished scenes for visualization.

In order to rationally use working time and reduce project completion time, it is also necessary to organize the workplace well. This is an important factor for productive work.

Workspace organization

When working on a complex architectural project or landscape modeling, you will have to deal with a large amount of information - models, textures, proxy objects and the scene files themselves. Moreover, in the process of work, this volume multiplies at an incredible speed and there is a high probability of getting confused and losing precious working time in search of the desired texture or model that you “put somewhere.” To avoid this situation, it is recommended to designate a special project directory on a separate drive, for example D:.

Attention!

It is not advisable to store such information on the C: drive, which is intended for the operating system and the programs used. In addition, when reinstalling the operating system, sometimes you have to resort to a radical remedy - formatting the disk. In this case, you can format only the C: partition without the danger of losing the necessary data and libraries located in the D: partition.

Create one shared directory to store materials and textures. For example, it will be called Materials and Models. In this directory, additional folders are created, divided into categories (Fig. 0.1).

Rice. 0.1. Creating work folders

For example, the Materials folder collects all raster maps used in work before they are processed for specific tasks. 3ds Max loads all used textures directly into RAM. For example, a 2 MB texture will consume 2 MB of RAM. When constructing architectural scenes, most often they will be visible from a fairly large distance, and there is no need, say, to texture the roof of a building in the third plan to use a large texture. It is logical to “compress” it in Photoshop or SmartSaver to a small volume. And store this texture, prepared for use, in another folder - Processed textures.

Approximately the same principle should be applied to modeling. There is no need to model the building or architectural elements in detail in the overall scene of the entire project. It is better to do this in separate work sessions and in new scenes, and then, when ready, add them to the overall project with the Merge command, and place models with much less detail in the background. And for these “shrunk” models of architectural elements and vegetation, create separate folders. Thus, computer resources will be distributed over several sessions and will allow you to work as comfortably as possible.

Also distribute other components of the scene into your folders. Then nothing will get lost, and the work will not be burdened with unnecessary searches for the necessary elements. Everything will be at hand in its place.

If you use another computer or you have a corporate network, then it makes sense to create an identical directory of folders on other computers or servers. Then, when rendering the project, the scene will read files from folders of the same name without a warning window about missing textures appearing. At the same time, the project directory will be duplicated and the work done will be saved. If one of the computers fails for technical reasons, then backing up files on another computer will help avoid unpleasant consequences.

Chapter 1
Preparing to build a landscape

Any architecture, be it a building or a small architectural form, is erected on the ground, that is, on the landscape. Depending on the terrain, it can be a flat, hilly or mountainous landscape, with hills and ponds, rocky outcrops and sea coastlines. The task when constructing such a landscape is to choose the right modeling method in order to save resources as much as possible and differentially model the entire volume of the landscape with the necessary detail. There are quite a few ways to model a landscape, including using special software like ProSite or similar programs. But our task is to build, if possible, everything in 3ds Max, especially since it has quite a lot of tools and methods suitable for this purpose. Let's look at some of them, and then choose the most suitable one for our purposes.

First, let's consider a small hypothetical terrain plan, presented in the form of isolines with a height map (Fig. 1.1).

Rice. 1.1. Drawing of terrain in isolines

Let me make a reservation right away: we will not build an accurate geodetic plan of the area; this is not part of our scope of tasks. Our task is to make the area recognizable. After all, we make an architectural presentation of buildings, which, by and large, is a beautiful picture for a potential client. And small inaccuracies in the landscape are quite acceptable. Therefore, the level of detail should be moderate so that the generated mesh is not too demanding on computer resources. We will still need them in the future.

Let's create a landscape model in one of the ways - by extruding a mesh using the Displace Mesh modifier. To do this, we will need a raster height map - we will make it in Photoshop. The principle of operation of this map is simple: black color corresponds to the zero elevation mark, white corresponds to the maximum level of elevation, and a gradient from black to white corresponds to the transition between heights. But we need to refer to the real dimensions indicated on the drawing. So first, let's create a new scene in 3ds Max and set the scale of our project in it. Depending on the project, this can be millimeters, centimeters, or meters. In this case, we will set the scale in centimeters.

Execute the menu command Customize → Units Setup. In the Sistem Unit Setup window, select centimeters (Fig. 1.2). The scene will be saved and exported at this scale. In the Display Unit Scale area of ​​the Units Setup window, also set it to centimeters. All digital values ​​of objects in the scene will be displayed in centimeters.

Rice. 1.2. Setting units of measurement

The next stage is the construction of the actual grid itself, from which the landscape will be extruded. It is necessary to maintain proportionality of the created mesh with the drawing at our disposal. In this case, it is an image of 768 x 1024 pixels. This means that the mesh should be created in the same proportions.

Take the Plane object from Standard Primitives. Set 768 cm in length and 1024 cm in width of the object (Length and Width fields in the Parametres rollout). Set the number of segments by length (Length Segs field) to 30 units, and by width (Width Segs field) to 40 units (Fig. 1.3). There is no need to be very zealous here: you will add the required mesh density as needed in places where small parts accumulate. You will need to break the mesh into smaller segments for further “manual” finishing of the created object. Convert the resulting object into an editable polygon by right-clicking on the object and executing the context menu command Convert To → Convert To Editable Poly.

Rice. 1.3. Creating a landscape template

The next step is to create an extrusion map in Photoshop. You will have to run two programs on your computer at once - 3ds Max and Photoshop - in order to interactively observe the result and make the necessary adjustments.

Create a new document (Fig. 1.4) with a size of 768 x 1024 pixels; from the Color Mode options, select Grayscale: we need the created image in shades of black and white, we don’t need color at all, and this will make the card less demanding on computer resources.

Rice. 1.4. Creating a height map template

Now let's load the image of the drawing and put it on the second layer so that you can draw, focusing on the contours of the isolines.

The drawing file – Heightmap.jpg – is located on the disk in the ExamplesScenesChapter 1 directory.

Open the drawing file and use the Ctrl+A keyboard command to select the entire object (Fig. 1.5). This operation can also be performed using the menu command Select → All.

Rice. 1.5. Selecting a drawing image

Copy the selected image to the clipboard using the Edit → Copy command or the Ctrl+C keyboard shortcut. Close the document that is no longer needed without saving and go to the image of the height map blank. Using the Edit → Paste command, place the image from the clipboard onto a blank white sheet on which we will draw. Open the Layers palette and reduce the layer transparency to 25% (Fig. 1.6).

Rice. 1.6. Reducing layer transparency

Make the Background layer active. On this layer we will draw a height map, if necessary reducing the transparency of the top layer with height contours to correct the drawing. Let's get started.

As you remember, pure black is the zero height mark. White – maximum height. Select the Lasso tool (or any other tool convenient for you) and trace the outer contour of the height curve. Don’t try to do it very precisely: you’ll still have to apply blur and manual refinement with a brush later. Close the selection and fill the resulting area with light gray (RGB 190:190:190) (Fig. 1.7).

Rice. 1.7. Filling the first selected path

Note

We specifically draw with a negative to make it easier to control the contours of the drawing. Inverting (switching white and black) will not be difficult later.

Gradually highlight the contours of the heights from the edge to the center and fill them with increasingly darker shades of gray. Remember that contours of the same height should be filled with the same color saturation (Fig. 1.8).

Rice. 1.8. Filling contours

Note

You can fill contours immediately according to the drawing of the first layer, without creating a selection area. The drawn lines will serve as these contours. But you will have to fill it with more careful movements: if you make a mistake and fill two different height positions with the same color, you will have to do the operation again. In any case, two methods provide a choice.

So let's continue. As you can see, the contours with negative height (recesses with marks -0.5, -1, -2) remain untouched - we cannot make the color whiter than white. But I don’t want to complicate drawing by assigning the zero mark not a pure white color, but a gradient: then, when drawing a complex relief, you can get confused. It’s easier to do this using a ready-made mesh at the level of editing polygons directly in 3ds Max.

Now that the height map drawing is almost ready, let's delete the layer with contours: it is no longer needed, and apply a Gaussian blur filter (from the Blur filter group) to the main layer with a small value - about 20 pixels. All that remains is to swap the values ​​of black and white with the menu command Image → Adjustments → Invert (Image → Correction → Invert) (Fig. 1.9).

Rice. 1.9. Inverting an Image

If desired, you can refine the image details with other tools, brushes and blur. But it should be remembered that this is only a rough preparation of heights and it is better to bring the details to mind by directly editing the polygon mesh.

Save the created image in JPG format with maximum quality, close Photoshop and return to 3ds Max.

Apply the Standard material to the previously created terrain template with the V-Ray renderer selected. In the Maps rollout, add the created map to the Displace slot (Fig. 1.10).

Rice. 1.10. Assigning a card to the offset slot

Note

Materials in the Material Editor appear in separate cells as empty black circles. We specifically set this type of display, choosing not V-Ray for previewing materials, but the standard 3ds Max visualizer. This will significantly reduce the load on the video card. In addition, you can only approximately configure the V-Ray material based on its display in the material editor cell - it is better to do this using test renders directly in the scene.

Apply the Disp Approx modifier to the object using the default settings. If you now visualize the scene, you will see that the height map has transformed the plane and hills have appeared on it, but the mesh itself has not undergone any changes. This is precisely the basis of the Disp Approx modifier. But we need a real grid that can be edited and on which architectural elements can be placed. Apply a Displace modifier to the object instead of Disp Approx. It is designed precisely for this purpose (Fig. 1.11).

Rice. 1.11. Applying the Displace modifier

For the Strength parameter from the Parameters rollout of the Displace modifier, set the value corresponding to the highest elevation according to your drawing. By clicking the Bitmap button of the modifier, load the created height map.

Using this method of making a landscape, it is impossible to construct an accurate geodetic map using isolines; a lot has to be done by eye or by adjusting the position of individual heights based on nearby parametric objects-patterns (Fig. 1.12).

Rice. 1.12. Adjusting the mesh height using pattern objects

Now you can move on to a more detailed study of the landscape. We do not have a depression marked on the plan - a reservoir.

Open the material assigned to the object in the Material Editor and remove the previously assigned height map texture from the Displace slot. This can be done by moving the free slot labeled None to the offset slot. In the Diffuse slot (Main color of the material), add a map with an image of isolines. Now an image of a drawing has appeared on top of the object (Fig. 1.13).

Rice. 1.13. Projecting a contour map onto an object

Convert the object again to an editable mesh.

To ensure that your drawing appears in the viewport at maximum quality, you need to configure some graphics driver settings. Execute the menu command Customize → Preferences, go to the Viewports tab, click the Configure Drives button, in the Configure Direct3D window set the values ​​as shown in Fig. 1.14 and restart 3ds Max. The drawing will be displayed on the screen with maximum quality, which will be determined by the quality of the drawing itself.

Rice. 1.14. Setting up the graphics driver

Note

Looking ahead, I note that to obtain a high-quality extrusion map, the image size (resolution) must be large enough. A map of, for example, 512 x 512 pixels will produce a noisy end result, especially in areas of sharp transitions. And even a map with good resolution requires a small blur effect (Blur) to get a better effect (which is what we did when we drew the height map in Photoshop).

Let's move on to editing the mesh. As you can see, the recess area is created by a rather small number of polygons - it will not be possible to simulate the necessary detail on them. It is necessary to increase the grid step, but not on the entire object, but locally - only on the desired area. Select the polygons framing the “reservoir” area (Fig. 1.15).

Rice. 1.15. Selecting polygons in places of increased detail

Activate the Tessellate tool (Mosaic) from the polygon modeling toolbox and break the selected area into smaller fragments. A single use of the tool doubles the mesh density. You shouldn’t be too zealous here: computer resources are not unlimited.

Well, now let’s draw a little, using the Paint Deformation rollout (It’s located at the very bottom of the parameters rollouts). There are two buttons here: Push/Pull and Relax - that is, using a virtual brush, you can squeeze and smooth out the required areas of the mesh by entering positive or negative values ​​in the Push/Pull Value field. ). By using the tool once, you deform the mesh by the amount specified in this field; if you use it again, you will repeat the effect with the same factor.

Set the diameter of the brush in the Brush Size field, the degree of impact in the Brush Strenght field and by clicking the Push/Pull button with a negative value in the Push/Pull Value field. , begin to press the contour of the reservoir. By alternately using squeezing and relaxation, you can get quite a good result (Fig. 1.16). With some modeling skill, the tool provides limitless possibilities for easily manipulating the shape of an object.

Who wouldn't want to be a high-end designer? Perhaps many would agree to be in such a role. But is everything as simple as it seems at first glance? Is it really enough to get photoshop lessons, master them, and become a professional? No. Everything is much more complicated. Like any other profession, the role of a designer requires experience, perseverance, talent and efficiency. And some free Photoshop lessons won’t help the situation much. A more systematic approach is needed in this matter. For example, few people know about the differences between certain versions of Photoshop. So, for example, photoshop cs3 lessons differ from the material prepared for later versions of the software. It is worth highlighting the photoshop video lessons, which are still much more informative than the text versions. Perhaps the situation is quite clear when we talk about 3D video lessons. On the one hand, it is quite difficult to imagine a text course using such complex three-dimensional graphics. On the other hand, 3D lessons come in a wide variety, including text variations. Here you can also give an example of photoshop lessons in Russian, which are available in abundance. Well, the last aspect is corel lessons.

While looking at photoshop lessons, you come across some pretty interesting offers. So, for example, while surfing the Internet, you quite often come across offers for paid courses in one place or another. Is it worth buying into this? Our answer is no. For a beginner, it will be enough to pick up free Photoshop lessons, after mastering which you will be able to think about something more serious. It is worth noting the photoshop cs4 lessons, which have become the most popular in a short period of time. And it is the photoshop video lessons that make a number of points and subtleties immediately clear. Although this statement does not always work, since not all video lessons are actually good. Especially if we are talking about Photoshop lessons in Russian, which in any case are fewer on the Internet than in English. As for graphics, 3D lessons come to the rescue. Another important aspect in studying these same lessons is the format. After all, it is 3D video lessons that allow you to better understand this or that material. Let's not forget corel lessons, which are becoming more accessible every day. Thus, educational materials called lessons, which have become widespread, are gaining popularity.

To summarize, it is worth once again noting the educational materials that are gaining popularity. All this is called lessons. For example, at the moment there is simply a ton of different materials available on the Internet, including Photoshop lessons. Basically, these are either translated from English or Russian editions. So, for example, you can get photoshop cs5 lessons on literally any website dedicated to design in one way or another. As a rule, photoshop video tutorials are exemplary. It is worth noting that not all photoshop lessons in Russian are actually a reference product. This is due to the huge amount of available material. In principle, this also includes free Photoshop lessons. As for graphics, you can find a lot of interesting things here too. For example, 3D lessons, although they are not as popular as Photoshop lessons, are also quite widespread. Namely, 3D video tutorials in this area are of the highest quality. Don't forget about the educational material called corel lessons. And even in this area you will find a lot of interesting things.

Creating a landscape in 3d max

Recently I had to read several lessons on the topic of creating terrain in 3ds Max. I remember that at that time I was surprised by the inability of the built-in 3ds Max tools to quickly and clearly create an imitation of the earth’s surface; there were always some inconveniences. Therefore, I decided to review the main methods of relief modeling and find the most convenient one from the point of view of creation and further editing. And, of course, if you need to get an accurate model of the real earth’s surface, in any case you will have to take the horizontal elevations as a basis, as on a geographical map.

A set of horizontal splines for constructing relief

1. Terrain Composite Object

Terrain surface: left unsmoothed, right after Turbo Smooth

The first and most obvious method, which, unfortunately, does not give the best results. The surface is constructed based on a set of horizontal splines, and the distance between the vertices directly affects the shape of the surface. Most often, the mesh turns out to be too rough, and the switches built into the Terrain parameters give too modest an effect, so you have to add vertices to the original splines manually or using the Normalize Spline modifier.

2. Populate:Terrain plugin

The result of the Populate: Terrain plugin in 3ds Max

Similar to the previous method, it builds a relief based on a set of horizontal splines, but as a result we get an ideal quadrangular mesh, which is easy to edit in the following stages. The resulting object is a spline with an EditPoly modifier superimposed on top (appears in the stack as Populate:Terrain). The plugin is designed for Autodesk 3ds Max versions from 2010 to 2012 (32 and 64 bit) and is absolutely free for commercial use. You can download Populate:Terrain from the official developer website.

3. Displace modifier.

Surface from a plane using the Displace modifier and the Noise map

The surface is built on the basis of a Plane object, divided into the required number of segments, to which a Displace modifier is applied with a black and white texture based on a height map. The good thing about this method is that it has a regular quadrangular mesh, the density of which is easy to change, but the bad thing is that it requires you to draw the texture somewhere in Photoshop. To obtain an accurate relief, you will have to draw an accurate map, calculating the required shade of gray for each horizontal line.

4. Paint Deformation in Edit Poly

Surface obtained from Plane using Paint Deform

We convert the plane into a polygonal mesh and draw the desired relief with the mouse (Push/Pull button in the Paint Deformation rollout on the command panel). The method is ideal for quickly drawing almost arbitrary surfaces, since you can build mountains and depressions directly in the projection window. In the same section you can write down other similar methods of creating an arbitrary relief from a plane: using the Noise, Wave modifier...

5. Surface modifier from splines.

Example of Surface relief using splines

Stages of working in this way: we collect horizontal splines into one spline object, apply the CrossSection modifier, the Surface modifier - we get a smoothed surface. The complexity of this method lies in the need to achieve the same number of vertices on horizontal lines - an absolutely unrealistic requirement on complex surfaces.

You can choose some other exotic methods, model with nurbs, polygons and much more, but I think that the optimal result in terms of speed and quality is provided by the Populate:Terrain plugin. The final surface is easy to edit, remarkably smooth, and you can take ready-made contours from a topobase in AutoCAD as a basis, which guarantees the accuracy of construction.

Save the created image in JPG format with maximum quality, close Photoshop and return to 3ds Max.
Apply the Standard material to the previously created terrain template with the V-Ray renderer selected. In the Maps rollout, add the created map to the Displace slot (Fig. 1.10).

Rice. 1.10. Assigning a card to the offset slot

Note
Materials in the Material Editor appear in separate cells as empty black circles. We specifically set this type of display, choosing not V-Ray for previewing materials, but the standard 3ds Max visualizer. This will significantly reduce the load on the video card. In addition, you can only approximately configure the V-Ray material based on its display in the material editor cell - it is better to do this using test renders directly in the scene.

Apply the Disp Approx modifier to the object using the default settings. If you now visualize the scene, you will see that the height map has transformed the plane and hills have appeared on it, but the mesh itself has not undergone any changes. This is precisely the basis of the Disp Approx modifier. But we need a real grid that can be edited and on which architectural elements can be placed. Apply a Displace modifier to the object instead of Disp Approx. It is designed precisely for this purpose (Fig. 1.11).

Rice. 1.11. Applying the Displace modifier

For the Strength parameter from the Parameters rollout of the Displace modifier, set the value corresponding to the highest elevation according to your drawing. By clicking the Bitmap button of the modifier, load the created height map.
Using this method of making a landscape, it is impossible to construct an accurate geodetic map using isolines; a lot has to be done by eye or by adjusting the position of individual heights based on nearby parametric objects-patterns (Fig. 1.12).

Rice. 1.12. Adjusting the mesh height using pattern objects

Now you can move on to a more detailed study of the landscape. We do not have a depression marked on the plan - a reservoir.
Open the material assigned to the object in the Material Editor and remove the previously assigned height map texture from the Displace slot. This can be done by moving the free slot labeled None to the offset slot. In the Diffuse slot (Main color of the material), add a map with an image of isolines. Now an image of a drawing has appeared on top of the object (Fig. 1.13).

Rice. 1.13. Projecting a contour map onto an object

Convert the object again to an editable mesh.
To ensure that your drawing appears in the viewport at maximum quality, you need to configure some graphics driver settings. Execute the menu command Customize → Preferences, go to the Viewports tab, click the Configure Drives button, in the Configure Direct3D window set the values ​​as shown in Fig. 1.14 and restart 3ds Max. The drawing will be displayed on the screen with maximum quality, which will be determined by the quality of the drawing itself.

Rice. 1.14. Setting up the graphics driver

Note
Looking ahead, I note that to obtain a high-quality extrusion map, the image size (resolution) must be large enough. A map of, for example, 512 x 512 pixels will produce a noisy end result, especially in areas of sharp transitions. And even a map with good resolution requires a small blur effect (Blur) to get a better effect (which is what we did when we drew the height map in Photoshop).

Let's move on to editing the mesh. As you can see, the recess area is created by a rather small number of polygons - it will not be possible to simulate the necessary detail on them. It is necessary to increase the grid step, but not on the entire object, but locally - only on the desired area. Select the polygons framing the “reservoir” area (Fig. 1.15).

Rice. 1.15. Selecting polygons in places of increased detail

Activate the Tessellate tool (Mosaic) from the polygon modeling toolbox and break the selected area into smaller fragments. A single use of the tool doubles the mesh density. You shouldn’t be too zealous here: computer resources are not unlimited.
Well, now let’s draw a little, using the Paint Deformation rollout (It’s located at the very bottom of the parameters rollouts). There are two buttons here: Push/Pull and Relax - that is, using a virtual brush, you can squeeze and smooth out the required areas of the mesh by entering positive or negative values ​​in the Push/Pull Value field. ). By using the tool once, you deform the mesh by the amount specified in this field; if you use it again, you will repeat the effect with the same factor.
Set the diameter of the brush in the Brush Size field, the degree of impact in the Brush Strenght field and by clicking the Push/Pull button with a negative value in the Push/Pull Value field. , begin to press the contour of the reservoir. By alternately using squeezing and relaxation, you can get quite a good result (Fig. 1.16). With some modeling skill, the tool provides limitless possibilities for easily manipulating the shape of an object.

Rice. 1.16. Formation of a reservoir area

As you can see, the principle is simple. With sufficient mesh density, you can obtain fairly high detail of the landscape (Fig. 1.17). The advantage of this method is that you yourself differentially determine the number of polygons of the created model, compacting it only in the places necessary for this. The main thing is to approach the process creatively.

Rice. 1.17. Ready landscape model

Let's now try another way of making a terrain mesh. When there are several options for solving a problem, it is always easier to choose the most optimal one.
Launch 3ds Max and create the same plane object that we did when creating the landscape in the first way, with the same parameters. Add a raster height map to the Diffuse slot and apply the material to the object. Using the Line tool (from the Splines group in the Shapes section), outline the contours of the isolines - we will get a spline copy of the drawing.
Now let's build a landscape using the Cross Section tool. Select the isoline splines and move them along the axis Y according to the specified heights, adjusting their position according to parametric objects-patterns. As such objects, in particular, you can use, for example, the Box primitive with adjustable height (Fig. 1.18).

Rice. 1.18. Fitting isolines using pattern objects

The principle of operation of the Cross Section modifier is based on the fact that it automatically connects splines, combined into one shape using the Attach command, with additional segments. The result is a new shape that can be turned into a surface by applying the Surface modifier. In this case, you need to take into account important rules:
all forms must contain the same number of vertices;
their first vertices must be oriented in the same vector.
Let's try to do this.
Combine all splines into one shape using the Attach command from the Geometry rollout - be sure to do so in the same order in which the surface will be created, that is, from the lowest spline to the highest. Then go to the level of editable vertices by activating the Vertex line in the subobject tree, and in the Display area of ​​the Selection rollout, check the Show Vertex Numbers checkbox. As can be seen from Fig. 1.19, all splines have a different number of vertices and construction order (clockwise and counterclockwise).

Rice. 1.19. Numbering and number of vertices in the form

This situation needs to be corrected. Add the missing vertices and change the order of their construction using the Reverse command, selecting the desired shape and going to the Spline editing level. After manual editing, the number of vertices in each form is 12 and their first vertices are aligned relative to each other (Fig. 1.20). Knowing in advance about the need for these conditions, it is more convenient to create forms with a single number of vertices at once, copying and modifying one original spline.

Rice. 1.20. Shape after correcting the number and position of vertices

During the work, a new problem emerged. Nested shapes will not allow segments created by the Cross Section tool to be drawn without intersecting. Let's make sure of this (Fig. 1.21).

Rice. 1.21. Incorrect result of applying the Cross Section modifier

Of course, this problem can be solved by lengthy manual modifications and again manually creating section lines with the Create Line tool. But our main task is to reduce the time spent on construction to a minimum. Therefore, we will use the methods of the previously described method and form some parts of the relief directly on the created polygon grid. Let's remove the splines that form the depression and the small mountain. After this, the result is more similar to the required one (Fig. 1.22).

Rice. 1.22. Correct result of applying the Cross Section modifier

We left the upper part of the form uncovered - the highest point of the mountain. Let's fix the error and add one vertex to the model. Deactivate the Cross Section modifier, in the Create panel with the Line tool selected in the Keyboard Entry rollout, set the coordinates of the future vertex and click the Add Point button. Move the resulting vertex to the center of the hill shape (Fig. 1.23).

Rice. 1.23. Adding a vertex to a shape

Attach the created vertex to the shape with the Attach command and reactivate the Cross Section modifier. The shape is now ready for surface construction. Apply the Surface modifier and look at the result (Fig. 1.24).

Rice. 1.24. Applying the Surface modifier

Not too impressive. There are no small relief details, and the relief itself is far from perfect. This happened because too few splines were involved in creating the form - only 5, and the number of vertices on the splines was also small. But the shape acquired the smoothness characteristic of this type of modeling. But the mesh turned out to be quite dense over the entire surface. This can be seen by converting the resulting shape into editable polygons (Fig. 1.25).

Rice. 1.25. Object converted to editable polygon

For not too complex landscape surfaces, this method can give quite acceptable results.
Next, using the previously described polygonal modeling tools, you can bring the shape to the required detail (Fig. 1.26).

Rice. 1.26. Formation of parts on site

The main advantage of this method of construction is that the shape is created really along isolines and, in principle, quite accurately reproduces the main body of the landscape. Of course, there are specialized programs for this that build the surface along isolines. But when exporting such models to 3ds Max, very difficult to solve problems with inverted normals or a mesh that is too dense and unoptimized often appear. And as practice shows, such drawings come to the visualizer after the twentieth copy, glued together, and it is most often not possible to obtain accurate data to use such programs. Therefore, it is necessary to model the surface with some degree of error, by eye.
In general, with good skill, the easiest way is to create a landscape directly using the tools of the Paint Deformation rollout, adjusting the resulting result using isolines set according to heights. After all, in the end, our main task is to make the landscape not mathematically correct, but as recognizable as possible, pursuing the main goal - a beautiful presentation of the architectural concept.
Now let's try another way of constructing a landscape, this time being tied not to isolines, but to the heights of the road. As a rule, any architectural project begins with a road, just like any real construction site. And the plan shows the heights of the roadway. Oddly enough, by first constructing the roadway using the specified numerical values, you can quite accurately construct the surrounding landscape. Let's try to understand the essence of what is happening on a simple stage. For example, we have such a simple road going up (Fig. 1.27).

Rice. 1.27. Road plan with elevations

Construct a model of the road surface using the spline modeling method using this drawing. For convenience, you can use the same method of projecting a raster map that was used when constructing a landscape using isolines.

DVD
The raster map can be taken on the disk included with the book - the file Road plan with elevations.tif on the path Examples\Scenes\Chapter 1.

You will get a scene like this (Fig. 1.28).

Rice. 1.28. Road scene

Now, selecting groups of vertices corresponding to one or another elevation mark, raise them along the axis Z in the Top viewport to the desired height. To do this, it is better to use precise keyboard input of numeric values ​​by right-clicking on the Select and Move tool in the toolbar (Fig. 1.29).

Rice. 1.29. Moving selected vertices using keyboard input

In the same way, sequentially selecting other groups of vertices, enter the numerical values ​​​​corresponding to the height map. As a result, you should get a scene like this (Fig. 1.30).

Rice. 1.30. Spline shape after moving control vertices

All that remains is to create the landscape itself. Execute the command Tools → Grid and Snaps → Grid and Snap Settings (Tools → Grid and Snaps → Grid and Snap Settings) and set the snap to the vertices (Fig. 1.31).

Rice. 1.31. Setting snaps to vertices

Activate the three-dimensional snapping with the S key and the Line tool (Line) connect all parts of the roadway along the outer perimeter, snapping to the vertices of the road and trying not to miss a single vertex (Fig. 1.32).

Rice. 1.32. Constructing spline shapes using anchors

All these operations can be performed without leaving the Top projection window, which is quite convenient when working with a large number of digital values ​​and, if necessary, constantly checking drawings. There is no need to try to connect parts of the roadway with one continuous line. You can get by with small areas, which you can then close into a single form. Special attention should be paid to the closedness of the spline shape and the vertices missed during creation. Otherwise, there may be holes at the junction with the roadway or the inability to create a visible surface for an open form.
Apply the Cap Holes modifier with the Triangulate Cap checkbox selected. Then convert the shape into editable polygons and, selecting each polygon one at a time, break it into a mesh with the Tessellate tool. The result is not always ideal, but in our case it is quite suitable. You can manually add additional edges and improve the result. The result will be a shape as shown in Fig. 1.33.

Rice. 1.33. Constructing a surface shape using a selected spline

Apply the Extrude modifier to the road surface. The result will be a landscape as shown in Fig. 1.34.

Rice. 1.34. Ready-made landscape form

The required mesh density, as well as its smoothness and other nuances, can be created and edited using polygonal modeling tools already known to you. The rather complex landscape shown in Fig. 1.35, was created exactly in this way in strict accordance with the general plan.

Rice. 1.35. Landscape built according to road heights

Necessary details such as retaining walls, pedestrian bridges and swimming pools are best created as separate objects. We'll talk about the details in the next chapter.

Chapter 2
Construction of landscape details

Roads

The main details of the landscape include roads, among others. Any architectural creations are built on special sites and are entangled in a dense network of transport communications. Let's look at one of the ways to create roads, but in two of its varieties. This is the projection of a form onto a landscape object.

DVD
Next, we will consider the scenes that can be found on the disk included with the book - these are the files Landscape for the road.max, Landscape for the road-1.max and Ready landscape with the road.max from the Examples\Scenes\Chapter 2 directory.

Open the Landscape for Road.max scene. This is a small cross-country model (Fig. 2.1).

Rice. 2.1. Landscape for road projection

Make the Top viewport active and draw a spline shape of the future road surface. Go to the level of editable splines and double the line using the Outline command from the Geometry rollout (Fig. 2.2).

Rice. 2.2. Creating a spline shape of a road surface

Place the shape above the terrain surface and select the Compound Objects section from the list of object types. This is a set of tools that allow you to obtain a three-dimensional shape when several objects interact with each other, such as cutting (ProBooleans), spreading objects across a surface (Scatter), or projecting onto the surface of another object (Shape Merge). )). We use the last operation. Select the landscape object and activate the Shape Merge tool. Click the Pick Shape button and point to the spline shape of the road (Fig. 2.3).

Rice. 2.3. Projecting the shape of the roadway

As you can see, the shape of the road was accurately projected onto the landscape and integrated with it.
Let's take advantage of this. Convert the resulting landscape shape into editable polygons. And immediately go to the polygon level. The shape of the roadway has already been highlighted. The road never follows the small details of the relief; builders always try to make it as straight as possible, cutting into hills or building embankments. Let us also not deviate from traditions. Make the Top window active and, without removing the selection, click the View Align button from the polygon modeling toolbox. As you can see (Fig. 2.4), the road itself aligned itself in a straight line, in some places crashing into the landscape, and in some places creating embankments.

Rice. 2.4. Straightening the roadway

Of course, you cannot do without manual modification of the result, but the main work is done in just a few clicks of the mouse button. If necessary, the road surface is adjusted manually using the polygonal modeling method.
By the way, we still have the original road spline. Let's find a use for it too. Select it and go to the level of editable splines. Double the line with the Outline tool and apply the Extrude modifier. You will get a border. Combine it with the landscape and configure it (Fig. 2.5).

Rice. 2.5. Creating a border

If the landscape is not very rugged and there is no need to build embankments, and in general, if the road model needs to be created as a separate object, independent of the landscape model, then you can use the Glue tool. This tool is not included with 3ds Max, but is an optional plug-in.

DVD
You can download the Glue module from the disk included with the book. It is located in the Plug-Ins folder of the Programs directory.

Open the Road Landscape-1.max scene from the disc. The scene consists of a slightly hilly landscape and a small traffic intersection (Figure 2.6).

Rice. 2.6. Scene ready for projection

Select the spline shape representing the road and go to the Utilites tab of the command panel. Click the More button and select the Glue line in the list of the window that appears (Fig. 2.7). (Installation of the plug-in is described in detail in the documentation that came with it.) Click OK.

Rice. 2.7. Selecting the Glue Tool

In the Glue rollout, click the Pick button and select the terrain model. Its name should appear in the Base Object field. Activate the Glue Selected tool - the spline will be projected onto the landscape (Fig. 2.8).

Rice. 2.8. Projecting a spline onto an object

Apply the Extrude modifier to the spline shape to raise the shape slightly above the terrain. Using the technology described above, use the remaining spline shape to create a border. As a result, you should get a scene (Fig. 2.9), similar to the Ready landscape with a road scene. tach on disk. Now the landscape, road and curb are independent objects, which will make their possible modification, as well as texturing, easier in the future.

Rice. 2.9. Ready road model

Advice
Sometimes it is better not to apply the Extrude modifier to a spline road, but to convert it into polygons and extrude it at the polygon level. The surface of the mesh is smoother.

If you need to add other road construction elements to the model, such as retaining walls, you can use elements already in the scene rather than rebuilding them. Let's try to do this.
Create a copy of the border spline and delete the excess areas at the segment level. Apply the Outline tool to the remaining areas, just as you did when making the border. Convert the resulting object into polygons and use the Extrude tool to raise it to the desired height. Modify by hand to the desired appearance (Fig. 2.10).

Rice. 2.10. Creating retaining walls

Use already created and adjusted forms more often to copy and create new elements - this will save time when creating a project. Make the most of what you already have.
Mies van der Rohe once said: “God is in the details.” In relation to the basics of minimalism, this is the rejection of everything unnecessary. In the case of landscape modeling, it’s exactly the opposite. It is a sufficient number of details that will make the picture “alive” and attractive to the customer. But the abundance of details entails a purely technical problem due to limited computer resources. If you are too keen on detailing, you may encounter a situation where deadlines are running out, the project is on fire, and the computer’s capacity has already been exhausted. We have to return to the project with revision and optimization, and this is painstaking and time-consuming extra work. It’s better to immediately learn how to build a scene optimally in terms of the number of polygons and the resolution of the textures used, and leave the saved resources for higher-quality visualization.
How can this be done?
Let's take for example such a common detail as a baluster. Construct a fairly simple shape, vaguely reminiscent of a baluster, using the most common method - the spline rotation method using the Lathe modifier (Rotation) with default parameters. Press the 7 key on the keyboard - information about the number of polygons and vertices of the created model will be displayed. In our case, this is 2944 polygons (Fig. 2.11).

Rice. 2.11. Number of polygons of the created shape

And this is only for one simple form. And when there are hundreds of these forms? It’s good if a small part of them is located in the background and is available for detailed examination. What if it’s at medium or long range?
Let's make an independent copy of the object using the Clone operation and set only 4 segments in the parameters of the Lathe modifier (Fig. 2.12).