Category Archives: Plugins

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Modeling Complex Carvings And Shapes on Uneven Surfaces in 3ds Max

  By Denis Keman • March 24, 2016 , , , ,

In today’s post we will cover a bit of a complex topic and that is how to model complex shapes like carvings and such on uneven surfaces, or rounded ones. Generally from what i’ve seen many 3D artists do when they have to model some complex shape on an uneven surface, they go ahead and manually start building the model and move the vertecies one by one to get the carving to conform to the surface. Well that approach is not wrong, hell in some cases it’s the only option there is to take, BUT and this is a big but there is a way to work around issues like this and kinda cheat to save on time and nerves. This cheat that i am talking about is what this post is all about, but in order to be able to follow along you will need to download a script which you can get from the link below.

Download SlideKnit Script

OK so if you have already downloaded the script then you are all set. Now in case you don’t know how to install the script don’t worry as in the video below you will see me explain it step by step on how to install and how to make a custom menu inside 3ds Max and dock the plugin there. So after we go over how to install the script i’ll show you the model that i have in the scene that will help me showcase different types of scenarios for the SlideKnit script. You will see how you can wrap different types of geometry on different types of surfaces. Another important thing to note is that i will go and explain how you can unwrap rounded surfaces so they end up with planar UVW layout, which is actually quite important in our case. But enough with the intro, if what you saw here is something that might sound interesting to you go ahead and watch the video below.

So after watching the video i have to note one thing about myself personally, and that is that i was sick and coughing when i was making the video so if i didn’t edit out some place and maybe a cough slipped by i apologize. That aside i’m really hoping you guys had fun watching the video, and more importantly managed to learn something new. As you were able to see, SlideKnit is a small but yet very powerful script that can give you amazing results. Also i want to note it here one more time that I AM NOT THE MAKER of this script, so if you know who is leave a comment and i will leave a backlink to the creator as he really does deserve the kudos for making it.

And that would be it for this post, you know the drill by now, if you liked the video then like, comment and share it around so it can reach more people. So until next time …

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Creating Complex Rugs in 3DS Max

  By Denis Keman • November 30, 2015 , , ,

After the last post that had some great feedback from you guys, as well as a few more questions that were about how to model some more complex design rugs i decided to make these two videos you are about to see here. In the simple rug creation post we went over how to make the most common types of rugs, and those techniques are valid and correct but when we get to a point where the rug has a more intricate design then those techniques can end up a bit short. In those cases we can probably use the two techniques you can see in this post. So enough about the introduction lets just right into the explanation and the videos.

In the first video we will go over how to create a rug that is not 100% covered in strands. You can see multiple designs like this one in many different scenes and if you would want to recreate one in 3D then you would have to have some sort of control over the design. Well V-Ray offers that control with the VRayFur option. When you first try it out you might think that it’s just a fancy substitute for the Hair and Fur modifier that we covered in the previous post, but in reality it’s actually quite a powerful tool to have in your arsenal as it offers quite a bit of control over your design. In the video below we will continue on the same scene that we had in the previous post and build on that. You will see how to use the VRayFur, how to control the distribution of the strands, how to control the bend of the strands and most importantly how to utilize maps to do all that. So if you want to know about that then check out the video.

In the second video we are going to take a look at how to create a complex rug that isn’t actually made from strands, but instead it’s made out of different types of geometry. For this we are going to take a swing with the amazing scattering plugin Forest Pack Pro. Now the thing with Forest Pack Pro is that it’s an amazing piece of work as it can be used to create amazing things, and with this post we will barely scratch the surface of it’s possibilities, but we will have a base on which we can continue in future videos. So check out this video that is basically covering the process of creating a rug made out of different geometry that is scattered on a base object.

So with these two ways of creating rugs you should be able to tackle the more complex designs without too much of a hassle. And that would be it for this post, so if you managed to learn something new and you liked the videos then help spread the word, and like the video on YouTube. I’m still waiting to see if we can get the videos to have a 10% like approval which would be Amazing. In any case i hope you enjoy the videos, and i’ll see you all in the next post.

P.S.

In case you want to follow along with the tutorial here are the two images that i used.

SONY DSC

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Modeling Vines and Ivy in 3ds Max

  By Denis Keman • September 17, 2015 , ,

Ivy_GrowthWhen you get a project in which you need to model some exterior scene, there is a pretty good chance that you will need to either model a garden or maybe some flowers or even vines and ivy growth. This on its own can be a bit of a problematic issue if you have never had the need to do it, and frankly you don’t know where to start from. A perfect example for something like this is the image on the side where we can see some vine overgrowth on top of the column.

So if you want to learn how to model something like this you are in the right spot.

In order for you to be able to follow along with this video you will need to download a plugin called Ivy Generator from Guruware. (Click the link, in case it wasn’t obvious). Once there download the plugin and follow the instructions on how to install the plugin and as soon as it’s installed you should be primed and ready to follow along with the video.

A while back i remember that i shared some textures for leaves and foliage on the Facebook Page, so feel free and toss a like on there and scroll back and see if you can get to the textures. ( I know, shameless advertisement right).

In any case in the video you can learn the basics of the parameters that the plugin has, and also how to control the growth of the ivy in order to get it to take the shape that you have in your mind. You will see how you can make the vines grow on top of an existing mesh. Then we will see how to make the vines grow in a confined mesh. And after that we will see how to make it grow out of a given mesh and at the end we will see how to get the vines to grow on a brick wall geometry but keep the growth in the mortar and not on the bricks.

Again i hope this video was helpful for you guys and girls and that you managed to learn something new today. If that is the case then toss a like, comment and share it around so it can reach more people and maybe help them the same way it helped you. And don’t forget if there is anything that you guys would like to see, leave a comment on the site, or on the YouTube channel and i’ll see if i can make a video about it.

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