Architectural Tutorials

[jadedchron]

you can use booleans like any other soft. app. its just you may have to tweak or remove some unwanted vertices. if you're just making windows or something like that then it shouldn't be a problem. there's a huge sticky full of tutorials on this forum above. i didn't check but you most likely won't find "how to build a building" tutorial. what you will find are the concepts to create a building along with anything else you can think of.

[Solomon]

Hi Jon_Pran,


there is a better way to creating architectural models in Max without using Boolean subtractions (which are rather cumbersome in Max, if you ask me)

Here, let me create a video Tutorial and upload it to my website. BRB

[Solomon]

Hi Jon_Pran,


ok, the tutorial is done and you can find it at http://www.sowl.com - check under tutorials - (link is at the top)

you will need the Camtasia codec which I have provided for download on that page ... and your speakers need to be turned on.

The file is about 19 mb. I used the meshtools plugin/script for Max4 - it's compartible with Max 5.

here is a screen shot of that tutorial. Let me know if this was helpful.

[Solomon]

Hi Jon,

were you able to get to the tutorial?

[Troub]

I'm not Jon...but found it very helpfull...
nice site
thx for this :beer:
troub

[Solomon]

Thanks Troub (Danke Schon)

:cool:

[Fitharn]

I wasn't able to play the avi's :scream: Could you please tell me what plugins you used? I'm very interested in the tuts :)

[Solomon]

Hi Fitharn,

the codecs needed for viewing those clips are provided on that tutorials page - the first one is the Techsmith codec and the second I used is Divx.

Here is the link to the Techsmith Codec - TSCC CODEC Download (http://www.getafile.com/cgi-bin/merlot/get/techsmith/TSCC.exe)

[JonM]

Hey Jon we have the same name


anyways I found drawing a flat spline and exturding it is a good start :)

[Fitharn]

Sorry that was kinda stupid of me not to look there first... thanks again :)

[Solomon]

no problemFitharn :cool: . Let me know if you find any of them useful -

the ones in the list are for the most part common tutorials on the web - but I hadn't seen them in video format so I made several for those who prefer to learn by watching.

[Fitharn]

Yes the videotuts are excellent. It's so much easier to understand what's going on if you see it happen. Especially the part about MeshTools... the connect vertex/edge/poly function is so friggin' useful! :bounce:

I really appreciate you took the time to make these and if you ever make some more, please let us know ;)

[Solomon]

you are welcome! :wavey: I am working on one on how to make a quick building in Max and texturing.

[markdc]

Originally posted by Solomon
you are welcome! :wavey: I am working on one on how to make a quick building in Max and texturing.

Looking forward to that. Thanks.:thumbsup:

[jadedchron]

you must be pickin up alot of ladies w/that accent :) nice vid btw.

[ian_foster]

Haven't watched the tutorial vid (I'm on a lame dial up connection so....), but I saw your screenshot.

I might suggest another method, make a poly object and use cut to "draw" on your windows, etc and clean it up with a combination of meshtools, cspolytools and max's epoly.

using cut in epoly is great, mostly gets rid of the need for using shapemerge!

[Solomon]

Hi jadedchron, thanks - about the ladies, nah man - I am already happily married - hahahaa

I just hope it's clear enough in the tutorials - English is not really my first language.

[jadedchron]

well, it sounds perfect. you have an "inviting" voice. you definitely need to make more tutorials w/audio. :)

[jarch]

Hi Solomon! It's funny how something like this just doesn't occur to you. I've been stuck oon booleans for years and it really does screw up the old stack.

Normally I link an Autocad AEC 3d model to Viz but since we are moving more and more to pure Max. This will certainly help simplify things.

Thanks for taking the time to make the tutorial.

jarch :)

[Solomon]

Hi jarch, you are welcome, I am glad that this tutorial is proving to be helpful - and you are right - I too was fed up with Booleans in max - till I came upon meshtools.

I will be uploading another tutorial shortly to my website about creating a complete building using meshtools.

[jadedchron]

*claps* :applause: :D

[Solomon]

Ok Guys,

the tutorials are up, :thumbsup:

Part 1 and Part 2

the audio is a little scratchy due to the compression, I hope it's still clear enough to follow.

you can find them at http://www.sowl.com under the tutorials link. Again, you will need the TSCC Codec, which I have provided on that page.

I hope those help get you going making buildings in 3DS Max

[jadedchron]

very good sol. the newbies will love it :thumbsup:

[gnarlycranium]

Booleans are aggravating when it comes to messing with the modifier stack and all.... but I still use em. Not sure what the big deal is, really-- I don't like to use them on more complex objects, but on square walls with square windows in em, why not? I especially like using an Instanced subtraction object, that way I can move the boxes that cut out the windows around if I've got something in the wrong spot. Eh, maybe that's just me. :shrug:

[Solomon]

Hahaha, Gnarly Cranium - one man's food is another man's poison! - just kidding,


seriously - there is no big deal - it's just people may want to find out if there is another approach to doing what booleans do, and that's what this thread is about - it was started by someone new to max.


simply finding alternatives - like they say, there is more than one way to skin a cat! - hahahaa - although I can't imagine how pleasant that can be! :rolleyes:


and some ways are more unpleasant than others - I wonder if that cat would even prefer any of those ways to skin it!!!!

hahahaha - no offense to animal lovers :wavey:

[Fitharn]

Yay even more great video tuts... downloading as we 'speak'. Thanks again Solomon :beer:

[Solomon]

Welcome,

let me know if they are easy to follow and if they are sufficient for someone wanting to create buildings in Max. Questions are also welcome.

Chao

[gnarlycranium]

Ahh... well, I think I can say definitively, Booleans would NOT be a very good method of skinning a cat..... heh.. heehhahahah!! Get it?!! Booleans... skinning a cat!! Gahhah! http://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/mhihi.gif

[Solomon]

hahahahaaa - I have to agree - that's one of the weirdest idioms!!!

[BartW]

Hey Solomon, thanks for the tutorials! It's always nice to see how other people do certain stuff.

It's very much appreciated :D

[Solomon]

Thanks Bart - GPLEA :)

[aor]

thanks! i'm a noob, and this makes sense to me! gotta check out ur other tuts too!


:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Solomon]

aor, great! :)

[Bilbo_Baggins]

Just want to say thanks to Solomon. Later when Im good with Max I hope I can help people like this. :)

[JZee]

Originally posted by Bart - GPLEA
Hey Solomon, thanks for the tutorials! It's always nice to see how other people do certain stuff.

It's very much appreciated :D

Like wise Solomon! :applause:

btw whats your next plan for tutorials? Can you look into modelling an aeroplane or some other aircrafts or vehicle with mesh modelling? I get very confuse with this method.

[Fitharn]

Or a tutorial about rounded shapes would be great! Like this Carrier from Starcraft: http://www.battle.net/images/broodwar/pix/wall/prot3prev.jpg

I always wanted to model that but when I use splines it get's all bumpy and wrongly shaped.

Whatever tut you make, if you make one, you still rock :buttrock:

[Solomon]

wow guys!!! thanks for the appreciation - I had no idea other people would find the tutorials useful - I am encouraged!!!

I will post a message once I create another tutorial - hope I get another long weekend like this past one - we got snowed in here in Virginia!!

[jadedchron]

Yeah, i'm in virginia as well. Like Mr Elliot said last night on Conan o'brien you'd think Al qaeda dropped a snow bomb on us. :shrug: keep those tut's comin sol :beer:


oh yeah. you should do a part 2 of the spline/patch modeling (with audio this time) . i'm sure that'd benefit alot of people.

[BartW]

Hey Solomon, what kind of plugin are you using with that Meshtools tab ? Is it the 'Meshtools' script ?

Haven't tried it yet, but the window creating tutorial made me wonder how to do this so easily :D

I really feel like an idiot ! (Maybe because I am ;) )


Bart

[Solomon]

Hi Bart - GPLEA,

yes I used the meshtools script - it comes with those icons - I provided a link to the download site. After you download it, install it and follow the instructions that come with it on how to get it running. The instructions are part of that download


Enjoy.

[Oktavian]

I've watched and enjoy them, so thanks from me also.
It's always interesting to see how other people are working.

[BartW]

Sol, thanks very much for the help....you tha man! :thumbsup:

Btw, I'm all in favor of short and simple tutorials. There are too many complicated ones. Not that I can't comprehend those, but doing only basic stuff is the way to learn stuff.

Just like those 'This is how you draw an anime character tutorials', instead of 'this is how you look and hold your pencil' ;)

[Solomon]

thanks Oktavian ;)

welcome Bart - GPLEA.

[Solomon]

I hope to post another tutorial this weekend.

Have a great week guys.

[3dsMax51cs4]

Exelent job, please let us know when the new tutorials are ready.

[Solomon]

I sure will,

looks like another snowy weekend.

[gnarlycranium]

Okay... remember I said I use Booleans? Never fricken MIND, you guys are right, they totally suck. As I discovered as soon as I tried to collapse and edit a booleaned wall, changing the size of a window... the faces are all tangled up and bizarre!! Didn't notice it until I tried to move something. Bah. Down with Booleans!

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