Importing architectural drawings to 3ds Max (images, AutoCAd DWGs, PDFs) to 3ds Max and setting them up as references for modeling - videotutorials

#1

Hi

I want to share a new technical 3ds Max tutorial. It’s another episode of our Holiday Cabin tutorial series. I hope you will find it useful.

Setting up image references for 3d modeling in 3ds Max (PNG, JPG and others)

In this tutorial, Andrew will show you how to import design drawings saved as images (PNG, JPG, and other formats) into 3ds Max and set them as references for modeling architecture.

On top of that, the tutorial is full of tips tricks that will make your modeling faster.

Learn how to align design levels to 3ds Max coordinate system, organize drawings on layers, align various levels plans to each other, and make sure you don’t need to turn the references on and off constantly when you change views.

Table of contents:
00:00 - Introduction
00:38 - Creating material for references
00:56 - Adding UVW mapping to reference plane
01:09 - Setting the proper display quality of textures in Viewports
01:55 - Setting quality of textures in older versions of 3ds Max
02:19 - Setting correct proportions for the reference texture
02:26 - Setting the size of the reference image
03:54 - Creating separate planes for every view
04:10 - Setting references heights to match 3ds Max coordinate system
04:31 - Aligning sections and plans
05:13 - Setting object properties of reference planes
05:30 - Organizing references with Layer Manager
05:38 - Summary

I hope you will find it useful.

#2

Setting AutoCAD drawings as references for modeling architecture in 3ds Max

In this tutorial, Andrew will show you how to import design drawings saved as AutoCAD’s DWGs into 3ds Max and set them as references for modeling architecture - On top of that, the tutorial is full of tips tricks that will make your modeling faster!

Learn how to align design levels to 3ds Max coordinate system, organize drawings on layers, double-check 3ds MAx import precision, and make sure you don’t need to turn the references on and off constantly when you change views!

Table of content:
00:00 - Introduction
00:23 - Reminder about hotkey settings
00:39 - Quick design overview
01:09 - Checking AutoCAD file units setup
01:31 - ‘Derive AutoCAD primitives by’ option
01:53 - Quick import and checking results
02:30 - Fine-tuning import options
02:52 - Welding vertices during import
03:23 - Choosing AutoCAD layers to import
03:33 - Dealing with hidden layers
04:38 - Drawing imported too far from the center of coordinates
04:57 - Double checking the drawing scale
05:17 - Why take the longest dimension?
05:57 - Placing all vertices on one plane
06:14 - Arranging the references in the scene
06:32 - Dealing with lags when your GPU card is too slow
07:02 - Aligning design heights with 3ds Max coordinate system
07:31 - Placing drawings on layers
07:42 - Hiding drawings that block the view with Viewport Clipping
08:12 - Adding helpful settings
08.26 - Summary

#3

The third tutorial - about importing PDFs is coming soon.

#4

Hey guys!

Did you know that you can use PDFs as blueprints for modelling in 3ds Max?

In this tutorial, Andrew will show you how to import architectural blueprints (reference image) saved as PDFs straight to 3ds Max. No resaving in Photoshop is needed since 3ds Max supports PDF documents with its Vector Map - even multipage ones.

On top of that you will learn the whole workflow for setting blueprints for archviz modeling with many tips and tricks that will make your work faster and easier:

  • Learn how to align design levels with 3ds Max coordinate system
  • How to automatically hide the blueprints so that they don’t block your view
  • How to organize them in your scene
  • How to make sure that they display in the best quality in the viewports
  • How to scale them with the best precision so your model will have correct dimensions
  • And many more tips!

Import PDF as blueprints to 3ds Max

I hope you will find it useful.

#5

Hey guys!

I want to share with you a new version of the tutorial about importing image blueprints (PNG, JPG) to 3ds Max and creating the setup for modeling.

We moved 3ds Max videos to the new CG BBQ channel but I also took the opportunity to make some corrections to the video.

In this tutorial, Michał will show you how to import design drawings saved as images (PNG, JPG, and other formats) into 3ds Max and set them as blueprints for modeling. On top of that, the tutorial is full of tips tricks that will make your modeling faster!
Learn how to align design levels to 3ds Max coordinate system, organize drawings on layers, align various levels plans to each other, and make sure you don’t need to turn the references on and off constantly when you change views!

Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
00:11 - Creating material for references
00:29 - Adding UVW mapping to reference plane
00:42 - Setting the proper display quality of textures in Viewports
01:30 - Setting quality of textures in older versions of 3ds Max
01:54 - Setting correct proportions for the reference texture
02:04 - Setting the size of the reference image
03:33 - Creating separate planes for every view
03:48 - Setting references heights to match 3ds Max coordinate system
04:09 - Aligning sections and plans
04:54 - Setting object properties of reference planes
05:11 - Organizing references with Layer Manager
05:20 - Summary

I hope you will find it useful. More videos coming soon!

#6

Hey guys!

I made another remake of a video about importing blueprints for modeling, this time AutoCAD DWG files and uploaded to our new 3ds Max channel CG BBQ.

I hope you will find the new version and the brand new vids we have there interesting.

Import AutoCAD blueprints to 3ds Max like a PRO

In this tutorial, Andrew will show you how to import design drawings saved as AutoCAD’s DWGs into 3ds Max and set them as references for modeling architecture - On top of that, the tutorial is full of tips tricks that will make your modeling faster!

Learn how to align design levels to 3ds Max coordinate system, organize drawings on layers, double-check 3ds Max import precision, and make sure you don’t need to turn the references on and off constantly when you change views!

Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
00:18 - Quick Design Overview
00:28 - Basic import options overview
00:48 - Checking AutoCAD file units setup
01:10 - ‘Derive AutoCAD primitives by’ option
01:32 - Quick import and checking results
01:53 - Fixing issues wit not imported annotations
02:08 - Fine-tuning import options
02:29 - Welding vertices during import
03:00 - Choosing AutoCAD layers to import
03:10 - Dealing with hidden layers
04:19 - Drawing imported too far from the center of coordinates
04:37 - Double checking the drawing scale
05:02 - Why take the longest dimension?
05:44 - Placing all vertices on one plane
06:01 - Arranging the references in the scene
06:22 - Dealing with lags when your GPU card is too slow
06:51 - Aligning design heights with 3ds Max coordinate system
07:21 - Placing drawings on layers
07:35 - Hiding drawings that block the view with Viewport Clipping
08:05 - Helpful settings
08:19 - Summary

#7

​
Hey all!

I’m posting the last tutorial from the series devoted to importing design blueprints to 3ds Max.

Import PDFs blueprints to 3ds Max like a PRO!

In this tutorial, I will show you how to import architectural blueprints saved as PDFs straight to 3ds Max. No resaving in Photoshop is needed since 3ds Max supports PDF documents with its Vector Map (even multipage ones.)

On top of that you will learn the whole workflow for setting blueprints for archviz modeling with many tips and tricks that will make your work faster and easier:

  • How to align design’s levels with 3ds Max coordinate system.
  • How to automatically hide the blueprints so that they don’t block your view
  • How to organize them in your scene
  • How to make sure that they display in best quality in the viewports.
  • How to scale them with the best precision so your model will have correct dimensions, and many more tips!

Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
00:15 - Quick design overview
00:24 - Resaving PDF in Photoshop
00:36 - Setting up the material for blueprints
00:58 - Setting the quality of maps display in viewports
01:15 - Textures display resolution window
01:40 - Fixing the issue with not updated resolution
01:53 - Optimizing filtering settings to save GPU resources
02:08 - Setting the page in multipage PDF
02:18 - Setting correct mapping for the Vector texture
02:41 - Setting the size of the reference image
04:09 - Creating separate planes for every view
04:24 - Setting references heights to match 3ds Mac coordinate system
04:41 - Aligning sections and plans
05:27 - Setting object properties of reference planes
04:44 - Organizing references with Layer Manager
05:53 - Turning on Vector Map in Arnold
06:21 - Summary

I hope you will find it useful

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