Modeling - Intro Guide - 2 (GMax)

A rough sketch

This is a rough sketch of the "Concertgebouw" in Amsterdam. As you can see you don't have to draw accurate :-)

Convert to editable mesh

Select the object Choose the Modify tab Right mouse click in the modify stack Select Editable Mesh

Editable Mesh modes

As you probably noticed in the tutorial from the Gmax gamepack, it's possible to edit an object in different modes. First select the mode. In the example on the right, Polygon is selected. Then select one or several of the sub objects and modify those. Notice the red figures which you can also use to select a mode.

• Vertex. Drag for example a selection around several vertices, or keep the control key pressed and select several vertices by clicking the vertices one by one. Chose the Collapse button on the bottom of the modify tab after selecting two vertices for example to create a peaked roof.
• Edge. Drag or collapse edges to create strange objects or to move 2 vertices (one edge) at once.
• Face. Honestly I don't use this mode often. A face is always a triangle. A poly is always constructed out of one or more faces. The polygon mode is in most of the times a better option.
• Polygon. A surface which has a minimum of 3 vertices and is constructed out of faces. Together with vertex mode this is the most used mode. Polygon mode is a perfect combination with the tool extrude.
• Element.

If you want to select to entire object (so not one of the modes above) click one time on the words Editable Mesh and the figure behind one of the modes will disappear.

Extrude

Select a polygon. Press F2 to highlight the polygon. Click the button Extrude which turns the color of the button into orange. Then type a value in meters, or click and draw the selected polygon (notice the mouse pointer). Click the button Extrude again to deselect the tool.

Collapse

• Select two vertices by keeping the control key pressed.
• Click the button Collapse on the bottom of the Modify tab.

Slice Plane

Select a polygon and click the button Slice Plane in the Modify tab. The button will turn into orange. Notice the yellow frame around the polygon. Turn and move (by the Rotate and Move tool) the yellow frame as you like, so the poly will be cut in half exactly at the place you want. Click on the button Slice to actually cut the polygon. Click the button Slice Plane again to deselect the tool.

Boolean

Imagine a door of a building which should be placed a bit inside the building so a nice entrance is created.

• First create the house and next make a box in the size of the entrance with a random depth at least the depth of the entrance.
• Move the box into the house at the place where the entrance should be. Then select the house again.
• Select the Create tab and chose Compound Objects in the dropdown box.
• Click the button Boolean turning it into orange.
• Click the button Pick Operand B.
• Click the box you just moved into the house. Watch the result.
• Underneath the button Pick Operand B you will see a section Operation. Select one by one the five options and have a look at the results. Select in our example the option Cut and then Refine. At first sight nothing happened in Perspective view but have a look at the other viewports and notice that a polygon has been created.
• Select the Modify tab and notice the word Boolean in the stack. Right mouse click on the stack and choose Editable mesh again.