A Neat Cave Scene!!

Part I of II

In this tutorial we're going to make a nice looking cave scene.  This tutorial is rather long one, but simple.  We'll use basic modeling techniques with basic shapes like cylinders, boxes, toruses etc. to create a more realistic scene.   I assume that you have at the least some experience in using 3D Studio Max

1.    First load Max or reset it.  I recommend that you turn the Angle and 3D Snap on.

2.    We'll start of by creating the platform by creating one box.  L = 40, W = 200 & H = 10.

3.    Next we'll array it.  A better way of doing this is by holding shift and moving it.  Press and hold shift then move the box 60 units along the y axis in the top view port.  A new window will open.  Set the "Number of copies" to 4 for a total of 5 boxes.  Click Ok.

4.    Now create a Cylinder with R = 5, H =80 near the side of the first box on both sides and array it for the rest of the boxes.  Have the center of the cylinder about 10 units away from the edge of the box.  It should look now like the image bellow.  Very simple.

5.    Let's create some rope that connects the cylinders.  Create another cylinder with R = 1.5, H = 60, Height Segments = 24 so that it connects the 2 cylinders near the top.  You might want to lower the Sides value to 12 or even lower.

6.    Apply a FFD 3x3x3 modifier to the cylinder.  In Modify panel under Modifier Stack click on Sub-Object button.  In the Left view window select the middle points of the modifier.  You may want to turn off your 3D Snap for this one.   When the Points turn Yellow move it down on the y axis only till it looks like rope is handing down.  When you're done click off the Sub-Object button.  Look at the picture below for an example.

7.    Copy it to the other side and array it for the rest of the cylinders.  Now here's the trick.  We're gonna array the small part of the platform so when you array the rope make an extra copy that will only come in contact with one pole (brown cylinder.)  Look a few steps below at one of the pictures that will have a rope attached to one pole with the other side just hanging in the air.

8.  Next we're going to add a lamp on the pole and the best way to go is to use a spine line.  You can just place a cylinder at the top of any pole, but we'll make it look more smooth.  Create a line the shape of upside-down U.  It should look more of less like the one in the picture below.

9.    Once you get the desired shape add a Lathe modifier with parameters: Degrees = 180.  Place it on one pole on one side and another on the other side.  Make sure that there is only one lamp on each side and that they are not next to each other.

10.   Now it looks like the boxes of the bridge are not connected and just floating there.  That can be done by just placing a small cylinder between the gaps of the bridge, but we'll make it look like it's connected by chains.  Create yet another cylinder with parameters that are:  R = 1, H = 16, H Segments = 24, Sides = 16.  Apply a Bend Modifier with 180 degrees angle.

11.   Position it under the rope as on the picture below and copy it to the other side.  You may want to lower it to the middle of the box's height so it looks like the chain is build in to the board.

12.   Now to join the 2 chains create a Torus with paramagnets as follows: R1 = 5, R2 = 1.  Stretch it out using Non-uniform Scale in the y axis only so that it's rim fits with in the space between the bent cylinders and not merge with the box.   As in picture above.

13.   Rotate it 90 degrees in the front view so that it rests on the 2 rings.   Array the 3 new objects for both sides with one extra as in the picture bellow.   Same as for the rope.

14.   Now we're going to make the entire platform to have something to hold on to.  Using boxes design a shape some what like the one in the picture bellow.  I made the vertical boxes very long so that when we make the cave it'll look like it is secured in the rock.  I also made little hock to hold the platform and a ring.  The ring we already made and the hook I used a Torus with paramagnets as follows: R1 = 6.5, R2 = 1, Slice On, Slice From = 0, Slice To = 250.   Then I rotated and moved them in place.  This is what we got so far.

15.  Finally we're going to apply textures to our objects.  Open the Material Editor .  The first material we're going to do is for the green boxes.  First set the Shininess and Shin Strength to 0 for all your materials.  Wood doesn't reflect light very well so we don't need it.  Then under Maps is a list of properties beside a number box beside a box that says None.  Click on the box next to defuse and select a Bitmap.  Click on the button that has nothing written on it.  Now chouse a picture you want to apply to your object.  We'll chouse a file called ashsen_2.gif that comes with 3D Studio Max CD.  However you can chouse any materiel that satisfies you.  Select all 5 green boxes and apply the texture.

16.   For the poles we'll do the same as above, but with a different bitmap.   I chouse bark4.jpg as the bitmap.  For the other brown boxes we'll do the same but with a different bitmap.  I chouse oldwood.jpg.

17.   Now you can apply a UVW Map to your object and rotate them so that every object doesn't look exactly the same.  To do this go to Modifier panel and click on UVW Map there select the type of map you want, say a box type for the boxes.  Then click on the button that says Sub-Object and you'll notice that the orange guide box will turns yellow.   Then just rotate it 180 degrees to make it slightly different then every other step.  For the poles rotate it with different degrees as long as it is from the top view.  How ever for now you can just leave it the way it is now till you get more experience if you're not so experienced.

18.   For the rope we'll use the same bitmap as for the poles.  However we'll make it look slightly different.   Change the Defuse color to about dark yellow say Red = 135, Green = 120 and Blue = 50.  Now change the value of defuse (under Map roll out) from 100 to 80 and apply it to all the rope objects.

19.   We'll make the lamp glow later on but now lets make the texture for it.  Set the defuse colour to white.   Make sure that Shininess and Shin Strength are set to 0.  Set the Self-Illumination to 100 and apply it to both lamps.  Select them both and right mouse click on one of them.  Scroll down to Properties.  In the window that pops up set the Object Channel to 1.  That will identify the object when we want to apply a glow.   As for the rings just select them all and set their colour to medium gray.   Your image should look more like the one bellow.

Now that we completed a section of your platform we can go to the next page to completed out scene.

Click on the Next button bellow to continue.