working with aec design elements

AEC Extended ObjectsCreate panel > Geometry > AEC Extended

AEC Extended objects are designed for use in the architectural, engineering,and construction fields. Use Foliage to create plants, Railing to create railingsand fences, and Wall to create walls.

The Object Name and Wireframe Color rollout in each AEC Extended object'screation panel functions identically. The remaining rollouts are covered in eachobject's topic.

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Working with AEC Design Elements

3ds max includes such features as Foliage, Doors, Windows, Stairs, Railing,and Wall to make exploring three-dimensional design ideas much easier.

This section provides general information about these features. For detailedexplanations and procedures, see the topics listed below:

Doors

Windows

Stairs

Railing

Wall

Foliage

Doors and Windows3ds max supplies a number of parametric window and door objects that youcan place into wall openings to add realism to an architectural model. Theseobjects let you control details like trim and panel fill in your model.

Tip: Use Snaps for added precision when adding doors and windows.

When you create a new door or window, you must select four points in thescene that define the size and orientation of the rectangle that will be the dooror window. You may find it easier to select these points in a given sequence,depending on your scene and views of the scene.

If you already have a rectangular hole you want to fill, you can still create adoor or window to your specifications by using the following procedure.

To create a door or window:

Set up an angled User view so that you can see the bottom and one verticaledge of the opening and its full height.Set the appropriate object snaps, such as Vertex or Endpoint. This helps makethe model more precise.After clicking Window or Door, choose one of two Creation Methods:Width/Depth/Height or Width/Height/Depth.

Make parameter adjustments to define details.

The width and orientation of the door/window is always defined by the firstmouse click and subsequent mouse drag. Depending on the creation methodyou use, either the height or depth of the object is defined next.

If you have no object snaps set and are working in a Perspective or UserViewport, using the Width/Depth/Height Creation Method creates an uprightDoor or Window. The Width/Height/Depth Creation Method creates the objectas if it were lying on its side.

Allowing Non-vertical Jambs

The Allow Non-vertical Jambs toggle is useful for creating doors or windowsthat do not fit in a vertical plane, such as a skylight window in a sloping roof.By default, this toggle is off, making the third point in the creation sequenceeither directly above (Width/Height/Depth) or on the same horizontal plane(Width/Depth/Height) with the second point.

When you turn on Allow Non-vertical Jambs, the third point in thecreation sequence falls wherever you choose and the fourth point is added bythe program. Its offset from the plane is determined by the first three points.

Using the Width/Height/Depth Creation Method in Perspective and UserViewports with Allow Non-vertical Jambs off can be an efficient way to createdoors and windows with Object Snaps. However, it can also be confusing atfirst. Keep in mind that the third point you define, the Height, is interpreted asa point on the home grid until you indicate a point higher or lower than thegrid. If you are using an Object Snap setting, 3ds max might not know youmean a point off the grid unless you bring the cursor in proximity to anonplanar point to which it can snap.

Additional Parameters

There are additional parameters specific to each door and window type thatcontrol overall dimension parameters, as well as detailed parameters for sub-object components such as mullions, trim, and panels within leaves. See Doorsand Windows for more information on these parameters.

Animating Doors and Windows

Certain door and window creation parameters, including the Open parameter,can be animated. See Doors and Windows for more information.

Creating Stairs and Railings

3ds max contains four types of stair objects: spiral stairs, U-type stairs with anintermediate landing, L-type stairs with a landing at the bend in the stair, andstraight stairs with no intermediate landing. A complementary Railing objectcan be used to create any number of handrail designs that follow along a splinepath.

For more information, see Stairs.

The Railing Object

Use the Railing button on the Create panel in the to produce railing objects.Railing components include rails, AEC Extended categoryposts, and fencing.Fencing includes pickets (balusters) or solid-filled material (such as glass orwood strips).

You can create a railing in two ways: specify the orientation and height of therailing, or pick a spline path and apply the railing to that path. The spline pathwith a railing is called a rail path. Later, if you edit the rail path, the Railing

object automatically updates to follow the changes you make. Rail paths canoccupy three-dimensional space.

When you create the lower rails, posts, and fencing components of a Railingobject, you use a special version of the Spacing Tool to specify the spacing ofthose components. The program displays the Spacing Tool dialog for eachrailing component: Lower Rail, Post Spacing, or Picket Spacing. For moreinformation on the Spacing Tool, see Spacing Tool.

For details on Railing parameters and information on creating a Railing object,see Railing.

Creating Walls

Use the Wall button on the Create panel, in the AEC Extended category, toproduce straight-wall objects. A wall object is made up of sub-object segmentsthat you can edit with the Modify panel.

You can:Break or insert wall segments to create separate wall objects.Delete wall segments.Connect two wall objects.

When you create two wall segments that meet at a corner, 3ds max removesany duplicate geometry. This “cleaning up” of the corners might involvetrimming. 3ds max cleans up only the first two wall segments of a corner, notother wall segments that might share the corner. 3ds max does not clean upintersections.

You can edit the segments of a wall using sub-object selection mode on theModify panel. For example, you can define a wall’s height profile. 3ds maxmoves the active grid to the plane of the wall you’re editing. This allows you tosnap to the profile vertices in the plane of the wall.

If you move, scale, or rotate the wall object, the linked door and window moves,scales, or rotates along with the wall. If you move the linked door or windowalong the wall, using the door or window's Local coordinate system andactivating Restrict to XY Plane in the Axis Constraints toolbar, the opening willfollow. Also, if you change a door or window's overall width and height in theModify panel, the hole will reflect those changes.

Usage TipsThe following are a few tips for working with wall objects: Use the Top viewport when creating wall objects.

Single walls with many windows and doors can slow down snap calculationsand movement of the wall object. To speed up insertion and editing, usemultiple walls instead of a single wall.

You can speed up performance in a scene with many walls, windows, and doorsby collapsing them. First save an uncollapsed version for any future parametricchanges you might want to make. Then right-click the wall and pick SelectChildren from the right-click menu. Next use Collapse in the Utility rollout tocollapse them all.

For complete information, see Wall.

To create a wall:

On the Create panel, in the AEC Extended category, click Wall.

Use Customize > Units Setup to establish precision, and then set theparameters for the Width, Height, and Justification of the wall.

In any viewport, click, release the mouse, drag the wall segment to the lengthyou want and click again.

This creates a wall segment. You can end the wall or you can continue to createanother wall segment.

To complete the wall, right-click, or to add another wall segment, drag the nextwall segment to the length you want and click again.

If you create a room by ending a segment at the end of another segment of thesame wall object, the program displays the Weld Point dialog. This dialog letsyou convert the two end vertices into a single vertex, or keep the two endvertices separate.

If you want the wall segments to be welded at a corner (when you move onewall, the other wall stays at the corner), click Yes. Otherwise, click No.

Right-click to complete the wall, or continue to add another wall segment.

To attach separate walls:

Select a wall object.On the Modify panel, click Attach, and then pick another wall object.

The two wall objects become part of the same wall object, but are not physicallyconnected.

Attach stays active, and you can continue clicking wall segments to attach. Tostop attaching, click the Attach button or right-click in the active viewport.

To attach multiple wall objects simultaneously to the selected wall object, clickAttach Multiple on the Modify panel to open the Attach Multiple dialog. Thisworks the same as the Select By Name dialog, except that it shows only wallobjects; choose multiple walls to attach, and then click the Attach button.

To connect vertices in a wall:

This method lets you connect two separate wall sections with a new segment.Tip: It is easier to work with wall vertices in wireframe view mode.

Select a wall object that has more than one section. Typically you would useAttach to create such an object.In the modifier stack, go to the Vertex sub-object level.Click Connect and point the mouse over an end vertex until the cursor changesto a cross.Click once over the end vertex.Move the cursor to another end vertex, and then click to connect the twosegments.To insert a vertex in a wall:

It is easier to work with wall vertices in Wireframe view mode.Select a wall segment.In the modifier stack, go to the Vertex sub-object level.Click Insert.A highlighted line appears along the bottom of the wall, showing where you caninsert vertices.Click anywhere on the highlighted line to insert a vertex.The new vertex is attached to the mouse cursor.Move the mouse to position the vertex, and then click to place it.Now the mouse is attached to one of the new segments.Move the mouse along the segment and click to add vertices.Right-click to finish working on this segment. You can now insert vertices inother segments, or right-click again to exit Insert mode.

FoliageCreate panel > Geometry > AEC Extended > Foliage button

Create menu > AEC Objects > Foliage

Foliage produces various types of plant objects such tree species. 3ds maxgenerates mesh representations to create fast, efficient, and good-lookingplants.

You control height, density, pruning, seed, canopy display, and level of detail.The seed option controls creation of different representations of the samespecies. You can create millions of variations of the same species, so eachobject can be unique. With the viewport canopy mode option, you can controlthe amount of plant detail, reducing the number of vertices and faces 3ds maxuses to display the plant.

Some of the plants that can be created from the standard library

Tips

Use the Spacing tool to place plants along a path.Use vertex or face snapping (see Snaps Settings) to position plants on a surface.

Using the Spacing tool to distribute trees along paths

ProcedureTo add plants to a scene:

Click the Favorite Plants rollout > Plant Library button to display the ConfigurePalette dialog.

Double-click the row for each plant you want to add or remove from the Paletteand click OK.

On the Favorite Plants rollout, select a plant and drag it to a location in aviewport. Alternatively, select a plant in the rollout and then click in theviewport to place the plant.

On the Parameters rollout, click the New button to display different seedvariations of the plant.

Adjust the remaining parameters to show elements of the plants, such asleaves, fruit, branches, and if you want, to view the plant in canopy mode.

InterfaceObject Name and Wireframe Color rollout

This rollout lets you set the foliage object's name, color, and default material.For detailed information, see Object Name and Wireframe Color.

When Favorite Plants rollout > Automatic Materials is on, each plant isassigned its own default material. For more information, see Favorite Plantsrollout, following.

Keyboard Entry rollout

See Creating Primitives from the Keyboard.

Favorite Plants rollout

The palette displays the plants currently loaded from the Plant Library. Thereare three ways to add a plant to the scene:

Use keyboard entry.

Click the icon in the Favorite Plants list and then click a location in a viewport.Double-click the icon to place the plant at the world origin.

Drag the plant from the palette and drop it into a viewport.

Automatic Materials—Assigns default materials for the plant. To modify thesematerial assignments, use the Material Editor. Select the plant in the viewport,and click Main toolbar > Material Editor. Click the Get Material button todisplay the Material/Map Browser. Under Browse From, choose Selected. Then,from the list pane, double-click the material list item for the plant to display thematerials in the Basic Parameters rollout of the Material Editor.

If you turn off Automatic Materials, 3ds max assigns no materials to the object,unless the Name And Color rollout > Default Material check box is on and adefault material is assigned. This way you can specify a particular default

material for all foliage objects. For more information, see Object Name andWireframe Color.

When on, Automatic Materials overrides the Default Material settings.

Note: Even if Automatic Materials is off, 3ds max still assigns material IDs tothe foliage objects, so that the object is ready for a multi/sub-object material.

Plant Library—Displays the Configure Palette dialog. Using this window, youcan view information on the available plants including their names, whetherthey’re in the palette, their scientific names, types, descriptions, and theapproximate number of faces per object. You can also add and remove plantsfrom the palette, and clear the palette, which removes all plants from thepalette.

Tip: To quickly add or remove a plant from the palette, double-click its row inthe Configure Palette dialog. The Fav. (Favorite Plants) column entry switchesbetween "no" and "yes." Click OK to accept the changes and exit the window.

Parameters rollout

Height—Controls the approximate height of the plant. 3ds max applies arandom noise factor to the height of all of the plants. Therefore, the actualheight of a plant, as measured in the viewports, won't necessarily match thesetting given in the Height parameter.

Density—Controls the amount of leaves and flowers on the plant. A value of 1displays a plant with all its leaves and flowers, .5 displays a plant with half itsleaves and flowers, and 0 displays a plant with no leaves or flowers.

Two trees with varying foliage densities

Pruning—Applies only to plants with branches. Removes branches that liebelow an invisible plane parallel to the construction plane. A value of 0 prunesnothing, a value of .5 prunes the plant at a plane halfway up its height from theconstruction plane, and a value of 1 prunes everything possible from the plant.What 3ds max prunes from the plant depends on the type of plant. The trunk isnever pruned.

Three pairs of trees, showing different values of pruning

New—Displays a random variation of the current plant. 3ds max displays theseed value in the numeric field next to the button.

Tip: Click the New button repeatedly until you find the variation you want. Thisis often easier than trying to adjust the tree using modifiers.

Seed—A value between 0 and 16,777,215 representing the possible variationsof branch and leaf placement and shape and angle of the trunk of the currentplant.

Generate Mapping Coords—Applies default mapping coordinates to the plant.Default=on.

Show group

Controls the display of leaves, fruit, flowers, trunk, branches, and roots ofplants. Available options depend on the type of plant you select. For example, ifa plant doesn’t have fruit, 3ds max disables that option. Turning off optionsreduces the number of vertices and faces displayed.

Viewport Canopy Mode group

In 3ds max, the canopy of a plant is a shell covering the outermost parts of theplant, such as the leaves or the tips of the branches and trunk. The termderives from "forest canopy." Use reasonable parameters when you create manyplants and want to optimize display performance.

Because this setting applies only to the plant's representation in the viewports,it has no effect on how 3ds max renders the plant. For information on how 3dsmax renders the plant, see Level-of-Detail.

When Not Selected—Displays the plant in canopy mode when it’s not selected.Always—Always displays the plant in canopy mode.Never—Never displays the plant in canopy mode. 3ds max displays all thefeatures of the plant.

Level-of-Detail group

Controls how 3ds max renders the plant. For information on how 3ds maxdisplays the plant in the viewports, see Viewport Canopy Mode.

Low—Renders the plant canopy, providing the lowest level of detail.

Medium—Renders a reduced-face-count version of the plant. How 3ds maxreduces the face count varies from plant to plant, but it usually involvesremoving smaller elements of the plant or reducing the number of faces in thebranches and trunk.

High—Renders all the faces of the plant, providing the highest level of detail.

Tip: Set the parameters before creating multiple plants. This can avoid slowingdown the display, and might reduce editing you have to do on the plants.

RailingCreate panel > Geometry > AEC Extended > Railing buttonCreate menu > AEC Objects > Railing

Components of the railing object include rails, posts, and fencing. Fencingincludes either pickets (balusters) or solid-filled material, such as glass or woodstrip.

Railings used to create fences in a field.

You can create a railing object either by specifying the orientation and height ofthe railing, or by picking a spline path and applying the railing to that path.When 3ds max applies railing to a spline path, the latter is called a rail path.Later, if you edit the rail path, the railing object automatically updates to followthe changes you made. You can use three-dimensional splines as rail paths.

When you create the lower rails, posts, and fencing components of a railing,you use the Spacing tool to specify the spacing of those components. 3ds maxnames the Spacing tool dialog for each railing component: Lower Rail Spacing,Post Spacing, or Picket Spacing.

Tip: Use Railing to create complete railings for stairs. See Stairs for moreinformation.

Railings and MaterialsBy default, 3ds max assigns five different material IDs to railings. Theaectemplates.mat material library includes Rail-Template, a multi/sub-objectmaterial designed to be used with railings. Each component of therailing/material is listed below along with its corresponding Material ID.

Material ID Railing/Material Component1 Lower rails2 Posts of the railing3 Solid fill of the railing4 Top of the railing5 Pickets of the railing

Note: 3ds max does not automatically assign a material to the railing object. Touse the included material, open the library and then assign the material to yourobject.

ProceduresThe following procedures describe how to create railings combining each of thecomponents: upper rail, lower rails, posts, picket fencing, and solid filledfencing.You can create a railing object in any viewport, but for best results, use aPerspective, Camera, or Top viewport.

To create a railing:

1. Click and drag the railing to the desired length.

2. Release the mouse button, and then move the mouse vertically to set theheight. Click to finish. By default, 3ds max creates the top rail along withtwo posts, a lower rail at half the railing height, and two evenly spacedpickets.

3. If you need to, change any of the parameters to adjust the segments,length, profile, depth, width, and height of the rail.

To adjust lower rails:

1. To modify the lower rail, or add more, choose an option from the LowerRail(s) group > Profile list.

2. Specify the depth and width for the lower rails and then click theLower Rail(s) > Spacing button.

3. Specify the number of lower rails you want using the Count option. ClickClose to apply your changes. For more information on spacing options inthis dialog, see Spacing Tool.

To create posts:

1. If you want to modify the posts, or add more, choose an option from theProfile list under the Posts rollout.

2. Specify the depth and width of the posts and how much they shouldextend above the top rail. Then click the Posts rollout > Spacing button.

3. Specify the number of posts you want using the Count option. Click Closeto apply your changes. For more information on spacing options in thisdialog, see Spacing Tool.

To create picket fencing:

1. Choose Fencing rollout > Type list > Pickets. The Solid Fill options will beunavailable.

2. Choose an option from the Profile list, specify the depth and width ofthe pickets, and then click the Picket rollout > Spacing button.

3. Specify the number of pickets you want using the Count option. ClickClose to apply your changes. For more information on spacing options inthis dialog, Spacing Tool.

To create solid-fill fencing:

1. Choose Fencing rollout > Type list > Solid Fill. (The options under Picketare unavailable).

2. Under Solid Fill, adjust the options for Thickness and offsets.

To create railings along a spline path:

Before you can create railings along a spline path, you need to create a spline,or use an existing spline from your scene.

1. Click Create panel > Geometry > AEC Extended > Railing.

2. Click Pick Railing Path, then select a spline in your scene. Since thenumber of segments is 1 by default, the upper rail extends for onesegment between the start and end of the spline.

3. Change the amount of segments using the Modify panel > Segmentsetting.

4. The higher the segment value, the more closely the railing approximatesthe spline shape.

5. If you want the railing to contain corners where the spline does, turn onRespect Corners.

6. Complete the remainder of the railing options as described in thepreceding procedures. Thereafter, the spline is associated with the railing;any changes you make to the spline shape are reflected in the railing.

InterfaceName and Color rollout

This rollout lets you set the selected railing's name and color. For detailedinformation, see Object Name and Wireframe Color.

Railing rollout

Pick Railing Path—Click this, and then click a spline in the viewport to use asthe railing path. 3ds max uses the spline as the path along which to apply therailing object.

If you edit the spline you’ve used as a railing path, the railing adjusts to thechanges you make. 3ds max doesn’t immediately recognize 2D Shapes from a

linked AutoCAD drawing. To recognize Shapes from a linked AutoCAD drawing,edit the Shape with Edit Spline in the Modify panel.

Tip: When you create a railing using a closed spline for the rail path, open thePost Spacing dialog, turn off Start Offset and End Offset, and lock End Offset.This will ensure that 3ds max properly creates the railing with any fill, pickets,and posts you specify.

Note: Railing objects that use Pick Path do not stay on the path whensubstituted using the Substitute modifier. Substituted externally referencedrailings do not undo when railings are associated with a path.

Segments—Sets the number of segments of the railing object. Available onlywhen you’re using a railing path.For a close approximation to a railing path, increase the number of segments.Be aware that a high number of segments increases file size and slows downthe rendering speed. You might use fewer segments when the spline path has alow curvature (or none) and fewer segments provide an adequateapproximation.

Respect Corners—Puts corners in the railing to match the corners of therailing path.

Length—Sets the length of the Railing object. When you drag the mouse, thelength displays in the edit box.

Top Rail group

The defaults produce a top rail component, consisting of one segment by thelength you specify, a square profile, four units deep, three units wide, and theheight you specify.

1. Width

2. Depth

3. Height

4. Profile for the square top rail

5. Profile for the round top rail

Profile—Sets the cross-section shape of the top rail.

Depth—Sets the depth of the top rail.

Width—Sets the width of the top rail.

Height—Sets the height of the top rail. During creation, you can drag the toprail to the height you want using the mouse in the viewport. Or you can enterthe height amount from the keyboard or use the spinners.

Lower Rail(s) group

Controls the profile, depth, width, and spacing between the lower rails. Youspecify how many lower rails you want using the Lower Rail Spacing button.

A railing with the rails defined by their profile, depth, and width as planks.

Profile—Sets the cross-section shape of the lower rails.

Depth—Sets the depth of the lower rails.

Width—Sets the width of the lower rails.

Lower Rail Spacing—Sets the spacing of the lower rails. When you clickthis button, the Lower Rail Spacing dialog displays. Specify the number of lowerrails you want using the Count option. For more information on spacing optionsin this dialog, see Spacing Tool.

Generate Mapping Coords—Assigns mapping coordinates to the railing object.Note: If a visible viewport is set to a non-wireframe or non-bounding-boxdisplay, Generate Mapping Coordinates is on for all primitives to which youapply a material containing a map with Show Map In Viewport on. If allviewports are set to wireframe or bounding box, 3ds max turns on Generate

Mapping Coordinates for primitives containing mapped materials at rendertime.

Posts rollout

]

Controls the profile, depth, width, extension, and spacing between the posts.You specify how many posts you want using the Post Spacing button.

Profile—Sets the cross-section shape of the posts: none, Square, or Round.

Depth—sets the depth of the posts.

Width—sets the width of the posts.

Extension—sets the amount the posts extend above the bottom of the toprailing.

Post Spacing—sets the spacing of the posts. When you click this button,the Post Spacing dialog displays. Specify the number of posts you want usingthe Count option. For more information on spacing options in this dialog, seeSpacing Tool.Tip: Setting Profile to (none) makes an "invisible" post. You might want to dothis to create a railing with gaps between solid fill fencing. Or you could use itto make a railing with openings between groups of pickets. This is differentfrom setting the post count to 0 in the Post Spacing dialog.

Fencing rollout

Type—Sets the type of fencing between the posts: none, Pickets, or Solid Fill.

Picket group

Controls the profile, depth, width, and spacing between the pickets. Specifyhow many pickets you want using the Picket Spacing button. Available onlywhen you set Type to Pickets.

1. A railing with pickets using a square profile2. A railing with pickets using a round profile

Profile—Sets the cross-section shape of the pickets.

Depth—Sets the depth of the pickets.

Width—Sets the width of the pickets.

Extension—Sets the amount the pickets extend above the bottom of the toprailing.

Bottom Offset—Sets the amount the pickets are offset from the bottom of therailing object.

Picket Spacing—Sets the spacing of the pickets. When you click thisbutton, the Picket Spacing dialog displays. Specify the number of pickets youwant using the Count option. For more information on spacing options in thisdialog, see Spacing Tool.

Solid Fill group

Controls the thickness and offsets of the solid fill between the posts. Availableonly when you set Type to Solid.

Thickness—Sets the thickness of the solid fill.

Top Offset—Sets the offset of the solid fill from the bottom of the top rail.

Bottom Offset—Sets the offset of the solid fill from the bottom of the railingobject.

Left Offset—Sets the offset between the solid fill and the adjacent left post.

Right Offset—Sets the offset between the solid fill and the adjacent right post.

WallCreate panel > Geometry > AEC Extended > Object Type rollout > WallbuttonCreate menu > AEC Objects > Wall

The Wall object is made up of three sub-object types that you can edit in theModify panel. Similarly to the way you edit splines, you can edit the wall object,its vertices, its segments, and its profile.

When you create two wall segments that meet at a corner, 3ds max removesany duplicate geometry. This "cleaning up" of the corners might involvetrimming. 3ds max cleans up only the first two wall segments of a corner, notany other wall segments that might share the corner. 3ds max does not cleanup intersections.

Inserting Doors and Windows in a Wall3ds max can automatically make openings for doors and windows in a wall. Atthe same time, it links the door or window to the wall as it child. The most

effective way of doing both is to create the doors and windows directly on a wallsegment by snapping to the faces, vertices, or edges of the wall object.

If you move, scale, or rotate the wall object, the linked door or window moves,scales, or rotates along with the wall. If you move the linked door or windowalong the wall, using the door or window's local coordinate system andconstraining motion to the XY plane, the opening will follow. Also, if you changea door or window's overall width and height on the Modify panel, the hole willreflect those changes.

For further information, see the procedure To create and place a window ordoor in a wall.

Walls and MaterialsBy default, 3ds max assigns five different material IDs to walls. Theaectemplates.mat material library includes Wall-Template, a multi/sub-objectmaterial designed to be used with walls. Each component of the wall/materialis listed below along with its corresponding Material ID.

Material ID Wall/Material Component1 Vertical ends of the wall2 Outside of the wall3 Inside of the wall4 Top of the wall, including any edges cut out of the wall5 Bottom of the wall

Note: 3ds max does not automatically assign a material to the wall object. Touse the included material, open the library and then assign the material to yourobject.Note: The definitions of slots 2 and 3 are interchangeable; inside and outsidesimply depend on your point of view, and how you created the wall.

See alsoEditing Wall Objects

TipsTo make a passageway through a wall you can perform a Boolean operationwith the wall as Operand A, and another object, such as a box or an extruded

archway shape, as Operand B. The wall will still be accessible at the Booleansub-object level. Then, you can add a window or door in the passageway, andlink it as a child of the wall.

Single walls with many windows and doors can become slow to use because ofthe amount of Boolean calculations used. To speed up movement and editing,you might consider using multiple walls instead of a single wall.

You can speed up performance in a scene with many walls, windows and doorsby collapsing them. First save an uncollapsed version for any future parametricchanges you might want to make. Then double-click the wall to select it and itschildren. Next use Convert To from the right-click menu to convert them to aneditable mesh, and so on.

ProceduresTo create a wall:

You can create a wall in any viewport, but for vertical walls, use a Perspective,Camera or Top viewport.

1. Set parameters for the Width, Height, and Justification of the wall.

2. In a viewport, click and release, move the mouse to set the desired lengthfor the wall segment, and click again. This creates a wall segment. Youcan end the wall by right-clicking or you can continue to create anotherwall segment.

3. To add another wall segment, move the mouse to set the length of the nextwall segment and click again. If you create a room by ending a segment atthe end of another segment of the same wall object, 3ds max displays theWeld Point dialog. This dialog lets you convert the two end vertices into asingle vertex, or to keep the two end vertices distinct.

4. If you want the wall segments to be welded at that corner so that whenyou move one wall, the other wall stays correct at the corner, click Yes.Otherwise, click no.

5. Right-click to end the wall, or continue to add other wall segments.

To attach separate walls:

1. Select a wall object.

2. On the Modify panel, click Attach, and then pick another wall object. Thetwo wall objects become part of the same wall object, but are notphysically connected. Attach stays active, and you can continue clickingwall segments to attach. To stop attaching, click the Attach button orright-click in the active viewport. To attach multiple wall objectssimultaneously to the selected wall object, click Attach Multiple on theModify panel to open the Attach Multiple dialog. This works the same asthe Select By Name dialog, except that it shows only wall objects; choosemultiple walls to attach, and then click the Attach button.

To connect vertices in a wall:

This method lets you connect two separate wall sections with a new segment.

Tip: It is easier to work with wall vertices in wireframe view mode.

1. Select a wall object that has more than one section. Typically you woulduse attach to create such an object.

2. In the modifier stack, go to the Vertex sub-object level.3. Click Connect and point the mouse over an end vertex until the cursor

changes to a cross.4. Click once over the end vertex.5. Move the cursor to another end vertex, and then click to connect the two

segments.

To insert a vertex in a wall:

It is easier to work with wall vertices in wireframe view mode.

1. Select a wall segment.2. In the modifier stack, go to the Vertex sub-object level.3. Click Insert. A highlighted line appears along the bottom of the wall,

showing where you can insert vertices.4. Click anywhere on the highlighted line to insert a vertex. The new vertex

is attached to the mouse cursor.5. Move the mouse to position the vertex, and then click to place it. Now the

mouse is attached to one of the new segments.6. Move the mouse along the segment and click to add vertices.7. Right-click to finish working on this segment. You can now insert vertices

in other segments, or right-click again to exit Insert mode.

To detach and reorient a copy of a wall segment:


1. Select a wall.2. In the modifier stack, go to the Segment sub-object level.3. Select a wall segment.4. Turn on both Reorient and Copy, and then click Detach.5. Enter a name for the new wall object in the Detach dialog or click OK to

accept the default name. 3ds max copies the original wall’s Localcoordinate system when it makes the copy of the detached segment. Itplaces the new object so that its Local coordinate system is coincidentwith the World space origin.

To add a gable point to a wall profile or adjust for uneven terrain:


1. Select a wall.2. In the modifier stack, go to the Profile sub-object level.3. Select a wall profile by clicking a wall segment. A grid appears.4. To add a gable point procedurally, set the height and click Create Gable. If

you prefer to add the profile point manually, click Insert, click a point onthe highlighted top profile, drag the new point into place and then releasewhere you want to place the new gable point. You can move profile pointsyou create with Insert only within the plane of the wall segment, and youcannot move them below the original top edge. If you want to adjust theprofile for uneven terrain below a wall, click Insert, pick the highlightedbottom profile and add points as necessary. If you want to extend multiplesegments uniformly downward below floor level, do the following: At theSegment sub-object level, select the segments and, on the Edit Segmentrollout, enter a negative Bottom Offset value to move the segmentsdownward. Add the absolute value of the Bottom Offset setting back to theHeight value to bring the top of the wall height back up and make it flushwith the other wall segments.

To apply a texture to a wall:

Walls are created with five different material IDs for their various parts.

The aectemplates.mat material library includes Wall-Template, a Multi/Sub-Object material designed for use with walls. You can copy or copy and modifythis template, or create your own material as follows:

Create a Multi/Sub-Object material using five textures for the followingMaterial IDs:

v Slot #1 is the material for the vertical ends on the wall

v Slot #2 is the material for the outside of the wallv Slot #3 is the material for the inside of the wallv Slot #4 is the material for the top of the wall, as well as any inside edges

cut out of the wallv Slot #5 is the material for the bottom of the wall

Note: The definitions of slots 2 and 3 are interchangeable; inside and outsidesimply depend on your point of view, and how you created the wall.If the top and bottom surfaces of the wall aren't visible in the rendered scene,you can use a three-sided material instead. The inside and outside of the wallare relative to the direction in which the wall was created. To swap a texturebetween slots in the Material Editor, drag one of the textures over the other slotin the Basic Parameters rollout of the Multi/Sub-Object material, and thenchoose Swap.For greater control in tiling across the wall surface, apply a Map Scaler world-space modifier to the wall. Then adjust the scale of the map in the Map Scaler'sParameters rollout.

To create and place a window or door in a wall:

For best results, perform this procedure in a wireframe viewport.

1. Create a window or door (hereafter referred to as "window" for brevity)directly on an existing wall. You can define the window's exact dimensionsafter insertion. Use edge snap for the first snaps to place and align thewindow on the wall and to establish its exact depth. Snap to and thenclick the near top edge of the wall to start creation. Drag to another edgesnap point on the near top edge of the wall and release to align thewindow with the wall segment and to set its width. Snap to the rear topedge of the wall to set the proper depth and click. Move the cursordownward and click to define the window height. This final click doesn'trequire a snap, as it simply defines a rough height.

2. The window should now be cut out of the wall. On the Modify panel forwindows or doors, set the correct width and height. Change the depth ifit's different from the snap depth you set above.

3. Use vertex snap to move the window or door from a reference point to aknown point on the wall segment. Then Next, use relative offset valuesfrom this new position to accurately locate the window or door. As anexample, following the next two steps, you could move a window from itstop left corner to the top left corner of the wall segment so that you canthen move it 3 feet to the right and 2 feet down.

4. With the window or door selected, set the coordinate system to Local.

5. On the Coordinate Display, activate Offset mode and then enter the offsetdistances on the X axis for horizontal and the Y axis for vertical.

Note: For best results, do not position an inserted window or door at the bottomof a wall.

InterfaceKeyboard Entry rollout

X—Sets the coordinate position along the X axis for the start point of a wallsegment in the active construction plane.Y—Sets the coordinate position along the Y axis for the start point of a wallsegment in the active construction plane.Z—Sets the coordinate position along the Z axis for the start point of a wallsegment in the active construction plane.Add Point—Adds the point from the X, Y, and Z coordinate values you enter.Close—Ends creation of the wall object and creates a segment between the endpoint of the last segment and the start point of the first segment, to make aclosed wall.Finish—Ends creation of the wall object, leaving it open ended.Pick Spline—Lets you use a spline as the wall path. Click this, and then click aspline in the viewport to use as the wall path. 3ds max uses the spline as thepath along which to apply the wall object. 3ds max doesn’t immediatelyrecognize 2D Shapes from a linked AutoCAD drawing. To recognize Shapes froma linked AutoCAD drawing, edit the Shape with Edit Spline from the Modifypanel.Note: If you designate a curved spline as the path, 3ds max creates straight wallsegments that approximate the spline as closely as possible, with one wallsegment per spline segment.

Parameters rollout

The defaults produce a wall object 5 units wide, 96 units high, and justified atthe center of the wall.

Width—Sets the thickness of the wall. Range=0.01 unit to 100,000 units.Default=5.

Height—Sets the height of the wall. Range=0.01 unit to 100,000 units.Default=96.

Justification group

Left—Justifies the wall at the left edge of its baseline (the line between thewall's front and back sides, which is equal to the wall thickness). If you turnGrid Snap on, the left edge of the wall’s baseline snaps to the grid line.

Center—Justifies the wall at the center of its baseline. If you turn Grid Snapon, the center of the wall’s baseline snaps to the grid line. This is the default.

Right—Justifies the wall at the right edge of its baseline. If you turn Grid Snapon, the right edge of the wall’s baseline snaps to the grid line.

Generate Mapping Coords—Assigns mapping coordinates to the wall.Default=on.

Editing Wall ObjectsSelect a wall object. > Modify panel

The following reference describes the Wall options on the Modify panel. It'sgenerally easiest to edit wall objects in wireframe mode.

See alsoWall

InterfaceEdit Object rollout

This rollout appears when you select a wall object at the object level; otherrollouts, discussed below appear at the different sub-object levels.

Attach—Attaches another wall in a viewport to the selected wall by a singlepick. The object you attach must also be a wall. 3ds max applies the material ofthe selected wall to the wall being attached.

Attach Multiple—Attaches other walls in a viewport to the selected wall. Clickthis button to open the Attach Multiple dialog, which lists all the other wallobjects in the scene. Select the walls you want to attach from the list and clickthe Attach button. 3ds max applies the material of the selected wall to the wallsbeing attached.

Justification groupSee Justification.

Generate Mapping Coords.—Assigns mapping coordinates to the wall.Default=on.

Edit Vertex rolloutAppears at the Vertex sub-object level. Each wall segment has two vertices; onein each bottom corner. In wireframe views, wall vertices appear as + symbols.Connected segments in the same wall object each share a vertex. Moving a wallvertex has the effect of scaling attached segments as well as rotating themabout their other vertices. You cannot rotate or scale wall vertices.

Connect—Lets you connect any two vertices, creating a new linear segmentbetween the vertices.Click this button, click a vertex, and then click a second vertex on a differentsegment. When you move the cursor over a valid second vertex, the mouse iconchanges to a Connect icon.

Break—Lets you disconnect segments at a shared vertex.Tip: Select a vertex shared between wall segments, and then click the Breakbutton. The segments become disconnected, and each has its own end vertex atthe position of the previously shared vertex.

Refine—Adds a vertex to the position along a wall segment that you click.When you move the cursor over a valid Refine point, the mouse icon changes toa Refine icon.

Insert—Inserts one or more vertices, creating additional segments. When youmove the cursor over the a valid Insert point, the mouse icon changes to anInsert icon. Right-click to stop inserting new vertices and segments.

Delete—Deletes the currently selected vertex or vertices, including anysegments in between.

Deleting vertices shared by two or more segments doesn't create a gap, butrather results in a single segment connecting vertices adjacent to those beingdeleted.

Edit Segment rolloutThis rollout appears when you select a wall object and then access Segmentsub-object level.

Each wall segment is defined by, and effectively connects, two wall vertices.Moving a segment is the same as moving its two vertices in tandem. It has theeffect of scaling adjacent wall segments as well as rotating them about theirother vertices. You can scale a wall segment horizontally only (any Scalefunction does this). You cannot rotate a segment.

Break—Specifies a break point in a wall segment.You needn't select a segment first. When you move the cursor over the object,the mouse icon changes to a Break icon. The position you select on the segmentbecomes two coincident vertices, and 3ds max breaks the segment in two.

Detach—Detaches wall segments you select and creates a new wall object outof them.

Same Shape—Detaches the wall segment keeping it part of the same wallobject. If you also turn on Copy, 3ds max places a detached copy of thesegment in the same location.

Reorient—Detaches the wall segment, copies the object’s Local coordinatesystem, and places the segment so that its object Local coordinate system iscoincident with the World space origin. If you also turn on Copy, 3ds maxdetaches a copy of the segment and leaves the original segments in place.

Copy—Copies the detached wall segment rather than moving it.

Divide—Subdivides each segment by the number of vertices specified in theDivisions spinner. Select one or more segments, set the Divisions spinner, andthen click Divide.

Divisions—Sets the number by which to divide the segment.

Insert—Provides the same function as the Insert button in Vertex sub-objectselection. Inserts one or more vertices, creating additional segments. When youmove the cursor over the a valid Insert point, the mouse icon changes to anInsert icon. Right click to stop inserting new vertices and segments.

Delete—Deletes any selected wall segments in the current wall object.

Refine—Provides the same function as the Refine button at the Vertex sub-object level. Adds a vertex to the position along a wall segment you select. Whenyou move the cursor over a valid Refine point, the mouse icon changes to aRefine icon.

Parameters group

Width—Changes the width of a selected segment or segments.

Height—Changes the height of a selected segment or segments.

Bottom Offset—Sets the distance of the bottom of the selected segment orsegments from the floor.

Edit Profile rolloutThis rollout appears when you select a wall object and then access Profile sub-object level.The term "profile" refers to the outline of a wall segment's top and bottom edges.When in Profile sub-object mode, the selected wall object's inner horizontaledges appear dark orange. Click any of these edges to select the correspondingsegment, highlight it in red, and place a temporary active grid in the plane ofthe segment. At that point, you can insert and delete vertices along thehorizontal edges, move an inserted vertex along the grid to change the profile,create gables, and change the grid properties.

Insert—Inserts a vertex so that you can adjust the profile of the selected wallsegment.Use this option to adjust the profile of walls under gables or to align walls to aslope. When you move the cursor over the selected segment, the mouse iconchanges to an Insert icon. Click to insert a new profile point, then drag andrelease to position and place it. You can add new profile points to both the topand the bottom of the wall, but you cannot position profile points below theoriginal top edge or above the original bottom edge.

Delete—Deletes the selected vertices on the profile of the selected wall segment.

Create Gable—Creates a gable by moving the center point of the top profile ofthe selected wall segment to a height you specify. Select the segment, set theheight, and then click Create Gable.

Height—Specifies the height of a gable.

Grid Properties group

The grid constricts profile point insertion and movement to the plane of the walland allows you to snap to grid points on the plane of the wall.

Width—Sets the width of the active grid.

Length—Sets the length of the active grid.

Spacing—Sets the size of the smallest square in the active grid.

StairsCreate panel > Geometry > Stairs

You can create four different types of stairs in 3ds max:

Spiral Stair

Straight Stair

L-Type Stair

U-Type Stair

Railings and MaterialsBy default, 3ds max assigns seven different material IDs to stairs. Theaectemplates.mat material library includes Stair-Template, a multi/sub-objectmaterial designed to be used with stairs. Each component of the stair/materialis listed below along with its corresponding Material ID.

Material ID Railing/Material Component1 Treads of the stairs2 Front riser of the stairs3 Bottom, back, and sides of the risers of the stairs4 Center pole of the stairs5 Handrails of the stairs6 Carriage of the stairs7 Stringers of the stairs

Note: 3ds max does not automatically assign a material to the stairs object. Touse the included material, open the library and then assign the material to yourobject.

ProcedureTo create railings on stairs:

1. Create the stairs. See individual stair-type topics for more information.2. In the Generate Geometry group, turn on Rail Path > Left and Right. 3ds

max places left and right rail paths above the stairs.

3. In the Railings rollout, set Height to 0 or less.4. Click Create panel > AEC Extended > Railing to create the first railing.5. Click Railing rollout > Pick Railing Path and select one of the rail paths on

the stairs.

6. Adjust the railing parameters. 3ds max remembers the parameters youset. When you create the next railing, it will have the same parameters asyou set for the first railing.

7. Right-click to end the creation of the first railing.8. Click Railing again to create the second railing.9. Click Pick Railing Path and select the other rail path on the stairs.

InterfaceObject Type rollout

Stair Selection Buttons—Click one of these to specify the type of stairs youwant to create.

Name and Color rollout

This rollout lets you set the stairs object's name and color. For detailedinformation, see Object Name and Wireframe Color.

L-Type StairCreate panel > Geometry > Stairs > L-Type Stair button

Create menu > AEC Objects > L-Type Stair

The L-Type Stair object lets you create a staircase with two flights at rightangles to each other.

Types of L-type stair: open, closed, and boxed

L-type stairs have two flights at right angles, and a landing.

ProcedureTo create L-Type stairs:

1. In any viewport, drag to set the length for the first flight. Release themouse button, then move the cursor and click to set the length, width,and direction for the second flight.

2. Move the cursor up or down to define the rise of the stairs, then click toend.

3. Adjust the stairs by using the options in the Parameters rollout.

InterfaceParameters rollout > Type group

Open—Creates an open riser stair, as shown on the left in the illustrationabove.Closed—Creates a closed riser stair, as shown in the center in the illustrationabove.Box—Creates a stair with closed risers and closed stringers on both sides, asshown on the right in the illustration above.

Generate Geometry group

Stringers—Creates stringers along the ends of the treads of the stairs. Tomodify the stringers’ depth, width, offset and spring from the floor, seeStringers rollout.

Carriage—Creates an inclined, notched beam under the treads which supportsthe steps or adds support between the stringers of the stairs. You might alsoknow this as a carriage piece, a horse, or a rough string. See Carriage rollout tomodify the parameters.

Handrail—Creates left and right handrails. See Railings rollout to modify thehandrails’ height, offset, number of segments, and radius.

Rail Path—Creates left and right paths you can use to install railings on thestairs. See Stairs for the instructions on how to do this.

Layout group

Length 1—Controls the length of the first flight of stairs.

Length 2—Controls the length of the second flight of stairs.

Width—Controls the width of the stairs, including the steps and the landing.

Angle—Controls the angle of the second flight from the landing. Range=-90 to90 degrees.

Offset—Controls the distance of the second flight from the landing. The lengthof the landing adjusts accordingly.

Rise group

3ds max keeps one Rise option locked while you adjust the other two. To lockan option, you click a push pin. To unlock an option you click a raised pushpin. 3ds max locks the spinner value of the parameter with the depressed pushpin and allows the spinner values of the parameter with the raised push pins tochange.

Overall—Controls the height of the flight of stairs.

Riser Ht—Controls the height of the risers.

Riser Ct—Controls the number of risers. There will always be one more riserthan steps. This implied riser is between the top step of the stair and the upperfloor.

Linear stair with five risers

1. Through 4. Risers

5. The implied riser

6. The upper floor you snap to

7. The lower floor you snap to

8. The steps

Steps group

Thickness—Controls the thickness of the steps.

Step thickness variance between two stairs

Depth—Controls the depth of the steps.

Step depth variance between two stairs

Generate Mapping Coords—Applies default mapping coordinates to the stairs.

Note: If a visible viewport is set to a non-wireframe or non-bounding-boxdisplay, Generate Mapping Coordinates is on for all primitives to which youapply a material containing a map with Show Map In Viewport on. If allviewports are set to wireframe or bounding box, 3ds max turns on GenerateMapping Coordinates for primitives containing mapped materials at rendertime.

Stringers rollout

These controls are available only when you turn on Stringers on the Parametersrollout > Generate Geometry group.

Depth—Controls how far down the stringers reach toward the floor.

Width—Controls the width of the stringers.

Offset—Controls the vertical distance of the stringers from the floor.

Spring from Floor—Controls whether the stringer starts at the floor, flush withthe start of the first riser, or if the stringer extends below the floor. You controlthe amount the stringer extends below the floor with the Offset option.

Left: The stringer extending below the floor. (Spring From Floor off.)Right: The stringer springing from the floor. (Spring From Floor on.)

Carriage rollout

These controls are available only when you turn on Carriage on the Parametersrollout > Generate Geometry group.

Depth—Controls how far down the carriage reaches toward the floor.

Width—Controls the width of the carriage.

Carriage Spacing—Sets the spacing of the carriage. When you pick this button,the Carriage Spacing dialog displays. Specify the number of carriages you wantusing the Count option. For more information on spacing options in this dialog,see Spacing Tool.

Spring from Floor—Controls whether the carriage starts at the floor, flush withthe start of the first riser, or if the carriage extends below the floor. You controlthe amount the carriage extends below the floor with the Offset option.

Left: The carriage springing from the floor. (Spring From Floor on.)Right: The carriage extending below the floor. (Spring from Floor off.)

Railings rollout

These controls are available only when you turn on one or more of the Handrailor Rail Path options on the Parameters rollout > Generate Geometry group.Also, Segments and Radius aren't available if neither of the Handrail options ison.

Height—Controls the height of the railings from the steps.

Offset—Controls the offset of the railings from the ends of the steps.

Segments—Controls the number of segments in the railings. Higher valuesdisplay smoother railings.

Radius—Controls the thickness of the railings.

Spiral StairCreate panel > Geometry > Stairs > Spiral Stair button

Create menu > AEC Objects > Spiral Stair

The Spiral Stair object lets you specify the radius and number of revolutions,add stringers and a center pole, and more.

Types of spiral stair: open, closed, and boxedSpiral stairs wind around a center

ProcedureTo create spiral stairs:

1. In any viewport, click for the start point of the stairs, and drag to thespecify the radius you want.

2. Release the mouse button, move the cursor up or down to specify theoverall rise, and click to end.

3. Adjust the stairs with options in the Parameters rollout.


Open—Creates an open riser stair, as shown on the left of the illustrationabove.

Closed—Creates a closed riser stair, as shown in the center of the illustrationabove.

Box—Creates a stair with closed risers and closed stringers on both sides, asshown on the right of the illustration above.




Center Pole—Creates a pole at the center of the spiral. See Center Pole rolloutto modify the parameters of the pole.

Handrail—Creates inside and outside handrails. See Railings rollout to modifythe handrails’ height, offset, number of segments, and radius.

Rail Path—Creates inside and outside paths which you can use to installrailings on the stairs. See Stairs for the instructions on how to do this.

Layout group

CCW—Orients the spiral stairs to be a right-hand flight of stairs.

CW—Orients the spiral stairs to be a left-hand flight of stairs.

Left: CCW (counterclockwise) right-hand spiral stairs. The arrow indicates“Up.”Right: CW (clockwise) left-hand spiral stairs. The arrow indicates “Up.”

Radius—Controls the size of the radius of the spiral.

Revs—Controls the number of revolutions in the spiral.

Width—Controls the width of the spiral stairs.

Rise group

3ds max keeps one Rise option locked while you adjust the other two. To lockan option, click a pushpin button. To unlock an option, click a raised pushpin.3ds max locks the spinner value of the parameter with the depressed pushpinand allows the spinner values of the parameter with the raised pushpins tochange.





1 through 4. Risers




8. The steps.

Steps group





Segs—Controls the number of segments 3ds max uses to construct the steps.



Stringers rollout

These controls are available only when you turn on Stringers on the Parametersrollout > Generate Geometry group.





Left: The stringer extending below the floor. (Spring From Floor turnedoff.)Right: the stringer springing from the floor. (Spring From Floor turned on.)Carriage rollout

These controls are available only when you turn on Carriage on the Parametersrollout > Generate Geometry group.





Left: The carriage springing from the floor. (Spring From Floor turned on.)Right: The carriage extending below the floor. (Spring From Floor turnedoff.)

Center Pole rolloutThese controls are available only when you turn on Center Pole on theParameters rollout > Generate Geometry group.

Radius—Controls the radius size of the center pole.

Segments—Controls the number of segments in the center pole. Higher valuesdisplay a smoother pole.

Height—The spinner controls the height of the center pole. Turning on Heightlets you adjust the height of the pole independently of the stairs. Turning offHeight makes the spinner unavailable and locks the top of the pole to the top ofthe implied last riser. Typically, this riser would attach to the fascia of alanding.

Left: The center pole locked to the top of the implied last riser. (Heightturned off.)Right: The center pole adjusted to the height you specify. (Height turnedon.)

Railings rolloutThese controls are available only when you turn on one or more of the Handrailor Rail Path options on the Parameters rollout > Generate Geometry group.Also, Segments and Radius aren't available if neither of the Handrail options ison.


Straight StairCreate panel > Geometry > Stairs > Straight Stair button

Create menu > AEC Objects > Straight Stair

The Straight Stair object lets you create a simple staircase, with optionalstringers, carriage, and handrail.

Types of straight stair: open, closed, and boxedStraight stairs have a single flight.

ProceduresTo create straight stairs:

1. In any viewport, drag to set the length. Release the mouse button, thenmove the cursor and click to set the width you want.

2. Move the cursor up or down to define the rise of the stairs, and click toend.

3. Adjust the stairs with the options in the Parameters rollout.


Open—Creates an open riser stair as shown on the left of the illustration above.

Closed—Creates a closed riser stair as shown in the center of the illustrationabove.

Box—Creates a stair with closed risers and closed stringers on both sides asshown on the right of the illustration above.






Layout group

Length—Controls the length of the stairs.

Width—Controls the width of the stairs.

Rise group






1 through 4. Risers




8. The steps.

Steps group







Stringers rolloutThese controls are available only when you turn on Stringers on the Parametersrollout > Generate Geometry group.






Carriage rolloutThese controls are available only when you turn on Carriage on the Parametersrollout > Generate Geometry group.





Left: The carriage springing from the floor. (Spring From Floor on.)Right: The carriage extending below the floor. (Spring From Floor off.)

Railings rollout

These controls are available only when you turn on one or more of the Handrailor Rail Path options on the Parameters rollout > Generate Geometry group.Also, Segments and Radius aren't available if neither of the Handrail options ison.





U-Type StairCreate panel > Geometry > Stairs > U-Type Stair button

Create menu > AEC Objects > U-Type Stair

The U-Type Stair object lets you create a two-flight staircase, with the twoflights parallel to each other and a landing between them.

Types of U-type stair: open, closed, and boxedU-type stairs have two flights in opposite directions, and a landing.

ProcedureTo create U-Type stairs:

1. In any viewport, drag to set the length for the first flight. Release themouse button, then move the cursor and click to set the width of thelanding, or the distance separating the two flights.

2. Click and move the cursor up or down to define the rise of the stairs, thenclick to end.

3. Adjust the stairs by using the options in the Parameters rollout.


Open—Creates an open riser stair as shown on the left in the illustrationabove.

Closed—Creates a closed riser stair as shown in the center in the illustrationabove.

Box—Creates a stair with closed risers and closed stringers on both sides asshown on the right in the illustration above.






Layout group

Left/Right—Controls the position of the two flights (Length 1 and Length 2)relative to each other. If you select left, then the second flight is on the left from

the landing. If you select right, then the second flight is the right from thelanding.

Length 1—Controls the length of the first flight of stairs.

Length 2—Controls the length of the second flight of stairs.

Width—Controls the width of the stairs, including the steps and the landing.

Offset—Controls the distance separating the two flights and thus the length ofthe landing.

Rise group






1. through 4. Risers




8. The steps.

Steps group







Stringers rolloutThese controls are available only when you turn on Stringers on the Parametersrollout > Generate Geometry group.






Carriage rolloutThese controls are available only when you turn on Carriage on the Parametersrollout > Generate Geometry group.





Left: The carriage springing from the floor. (Spring From Floor on.)Right: The carriage extending below the floor. (Spring From Floor off.)

Railings rolloutThese controls are available only when you turn on one or more of the Handrailor Rail Path options on the Parameters rollout > Generate Geometry group.Also, Segments and Radius aren't available if neither of the Handrail options ison.





DoorsCreate panel > Geometry > Doors

Create menu > AEC Objects

The door models provided let you control details of a door's appearance. Youcan also set the door to be open, partially open, or closed and you can animatethe opening.

Different door types in a model of a house

There are three kinds of doors. The Pivot door is the familiar door that is hingedon one side only. The Bifold door is hinged in the middle as well as the side, likemany closet doors. You can also make these kinds of doors a set of doubledoors. The Sliding door has a fixed half and a sliding half.

The topic for each kind of door describes its unique controls and behavior. Mostdoor parameters are common to all kinds of doors, and are described here.

Doors and MaterialsBy default, 3ds max assigns five different material IDs to doors. Theaectemplates.mat material library includes Door-Template, a multi/sub-objectmaterial designed to be used with doors. Each component of the door/materialis listed below along with its corresponding Material ID.

Material ID Door/Material Component1 Front2 Back3 Inner Bevel (used for glazing when Panels set to Glass or

Beveled).4 Frame5 Inner Door

Note: 3ds max does not automatically assign a material to the door object. Touse the included material, open the library and then assign the material to yourobject.

Making an Opening for a DoorTo make an opening in a wall, you can perform a Boolean operation with thewall as Operand A, and another object, such as a box, as Operand B. Then, youcan create and add a door in the opening, and link it, if you choose, as a childof the wall.

Note: Using snaps, you can insert a door in a wall object, automatically linkingthe two and creating a cutout for the door. See the procedure To create andplace a window or door in a wall:.

ProceduresTo create a door:

1. On the Object Type rollout, click the button for the type of door you wantto create.

2. Choose options as needed, such as changing the default creation method.Turn off Create Frame to eliminate the door frame. Turn on Allow Non-vertical Jambs if you want an inclined door.

3. Drag the mouse in the viewport to create the first two points, defining thewidth and angle of the base of the door.

4. Release the mouse and move to adjust the depth of the door (defaultcreation method), and then click to set. By default, the depth isperpendicular to the line between the first two points and parallel to theactive grid.

5. Move the mouse to adjust the height, and then click to finish. The heightis perpendicular to the plane defined by the first three points andperpendicular to the active grid. You can adjust the Height, Width, andDepth values on the Parameters rollout.

On the Creation Method rollout, you can change the creation order to width-height-depth instead of width-depth-height.

To create a door material:

1. Create a door or select an existing door.2. Open the Material Editor, and select a slot for the material.3. Click the Type button below the Material Editor toolbar. The Material/Map

Browser dialog opens.4. In the Material list, double-click the Multi/Sub-Object item, and then on

the Replace Material dialog that appears, choose either option and clickOK.

5. On the Multi/Sub-Object Basic Parameters rollout, click Set Number andchange Number Of Materials to 5. Click OK.

6. Optionally, change the sub-material names to those specified in the abovetable.

7. Edit the material as you would any Multi/Sub-Object material.

To animate a door:

You can animate a door opening and closing by keyframing the Open setting.

1. Create a door or select an existing door. If using an existing door, alsoaccess the Modify panel.

2. Set the Parameters rollout > Open parameter to the amount you want thedoor to be open at the start of the animation. If you want it to be closed,set it to 0.

3. Click the Auto Key button and advance to the first keyframe.4. Change the Open setting.5. Continue moving to any additional keyframes and changing the Open

setting as necessary.6. Play the animation.

InterfaceThe topic for each kind of door describes its unique controls and behavior. Mostdoor parameters are common to all kinds of doors, and are described here.

Object Type rollout

There are three kinds of doors in 3ds max:

Pivot—The familiar door type that is hinged on one side only. See Pivot Door.

Sliding—Has a fixed half and a sliding half. See Sliding Door.

BiFold—Hinged in the middle as well as the side, like many closet doors. Youcan also use this type of door to make a set of double doors. See BiFold Door.

Name and Color rolloutSee Object Name and Wireframe Color.

Creation Method rollout

You define each type of door with four points: Drag the first two, followed bytwo move-click sequences. The Creation Method setting determines the order inwhich these actions define the door's dimensions.

Width/Depth/Height—The first two points define the width and angle of thebase of the door. You set these points by dragging in a viewport, as the firststep in creating a door. The first point, where you click and hold beforedragging, defines a point on the jamb at the hinge for single-pivot and bifolddoors (both jambs have hinges on double doors, and sliding doors have nohinge). The second point, where you release the button after dragging, specifiesthe width of the door, as well as the direction from one jamb to the other. Thislets you align the door with a wall or opening when you place it. The thirdpoint, where you click after moving the mouse, specifies the depth of the door,and the fourth click, where you click after moving the mouse again, specifiesthe height.

Width/Height/Depth—Works like the Width/Depth/Height option, except thatthe last two points create first the height and then the depth.

Note: With this method, the depth is perpendicular to the plane set by the firstthree points. Thus, if you draw the door in the Top or Perspective viewport, thedoor lies flat on the active grid.

Allow Non-vertical Jambs—Lets you create tilted doors. Set snaps to definepoints off the construction plane. Default=off.

Parameters rollout

Height—Sets the overall height of the door unit.

Width—Sets the overall width of the door unit.

Depth—Sets the depth of the door unit.

Open—With Pivot doors, specifies in degrees the extent to which the door isopen. With Sliding and BiFold doors, Open specifies the percent that the door isopen.

Frame group

This rollout has controls for the door-jamb frame. Though part of the doorobject, the frame behaves as if it were part of the wall. It doesn't move when youopen or close the door.

Create Frame—This is turned on as a default to display the frame. Turn thisoff to disable display of the frame.

Width—Sets the width of the frame parallel to the wall. Available only whenCreate Frame is on.

Depth—Sets the depth of the frame as it projects from the wall. Available onlywhen Create Frame is on.

Door Offset—Sets the location of the door relative to the frame. At 0.0, the dooris flush with one edge of the trim. Note that this can be a positive or negativevalue. Available only when Create Frame is on.

Generate Mapping Coords—Assigns mapping coordinates to the door.

Leaf Parameters rollout

Provides controls that affect the door itself (as opposed to the door unit, whichincludes the frame). You can adjust the dimensions of the door, add panels,and adjust the dimensions and placement of those panels. The total number ofpanels for each door element is the number of horizontal divisions times thenumber of vertical divisions. Pivot doors have a single door element unless theyare double doors. BiFold doors have two door elements, or four if they aredouble doors. Sliding doors have two door elements.

Thickness—Sets the thickness of the door.

Stiles/Top Rail—Sets the width of the panel framing on the top and sides. Thissetting is apparent only if the door is paneled.

Bottom Rail—Sets the width of the panel framing at the base of the door. Thissetting is apparent only if the door is paneled.

Horiz. Divisions—Sets the number of panel divisions along the horizontal axis.

Vert. Divisions—Sets the number of panel divisions along the vertical axis.

Muntin—Sets the width of the separations between the panels.

Panels group

Determines how panels are created in the door.

None—The door has no paneling.

Glass—Creates glass panels with no beveling.

Thickness—Sets the thickness of the glass panels.

Beveled—Choose this to have beveled panels.

The remaining spinners affect the beveling of the panels.

Bevel Angle—Specifies the angle of the bevel between the outer surface of thedoor and the surface of the panel.

Thickness 1—Sets the outer thickness of the panel.

Thickness 2—Sets the thickness where the bevel begins.

Middle Thick.—Sets the thickness of the inner part of the panel.

Width 1—Sets the width where the bevel begins.

Width 2—Sets the width of the inner part of the panel.

Pivot DoorCreate panel > Geometry > Doors > Pivot button

Create menu > AEC Objects > Pivot Door

The Pivot door is hinged on one side only. You can also make the door a doubledoor, with two door elements, each hinged on its outer edge.

Single and double pivot doors

This topic describes only controls and behavior unique to the Pivot door. Mostdoor parameters are common to all kinds of doors; see Doors.

InterfaceParameters rollout

The Parameters rollout contains three check boxes specific to Pivot doors.

Double Doors—Makes a double door.

Flip Swing—Changes the direction the door swings.

Flip Hinge—Places the door hinges on the opposite side of the door. This optionis unavailable for double doors.

BiFold DoorCreate panel > Geometry > Doors > BiFold button

Create menu > AEC Objects > BiFold Door

The BiFold door is hinged in the middle as well as on the side. It has two doorelements. You can also make the door a double door, with four door elements.

Single and double bifold doors

This topic describes only controls and behavior unique to the BiFold door. Mostdoor parameters are common to all kinds of doors; see Doors.


The Parameters rollout contains three check boxes specific to BiFold doors.

Double Doors—Makes the door a double door, with four door elements,meeting in the center.

Flip Swing—Makes the door swing in the opposite direction from the default.

Flip Hinge—Makes the door hinged on the opposite side from the default. FlipHinge is unavailable when Double Doors is on.

Sliding DoorCreate panel > Geometry > Doors > Sliding button

Create menu > AEC Objects > Sliding Door

The Sliding door slides as if on a track or railing. It has two door elements: oneremains stationary while the other moves.

Sliding doors with different numbers of panels

This topic describes only controls and behavior unique to the Sliding door. Mostdoor parameters are common to all kinds of doors; see Doors.


Flip Front Back—Changes which element is in front, compared to the default.

Flip Side— Changes the current sliding element to the stationary element, andvice versa.

WindowsCreate panel > Geometry > Windows

Create menu > AEC Objects

The window object lets you control details of a window's appearance. You canalso set the window to be open, partially open, or closed, and you can animatethe opening over time.

Different types of windows in a model of a house

3ds max offers six kinds of windows:

• The Casement window has one or two door-like sashes that swing inwardor outward.

• The Pivoted window pivots at the center of its sash, either vertically orhorizontally.

• The Projected window has three sashes, two of which open like awnings inopposite directions.

• The Sliding window has two sashes, one of which slides either vertically orhorizontally.

• The Fixed window doesn't open.

• The Awning window has a sash that is hinged at the top.

Windows and MaterialsBy default, 3ds max assigns five different material IDs to windows. Theaectemplates.mat material library includes Window-Template, a multi/sub-object material designed to be used with windows. Each component of thewindow/material is listed below along with its corresponding Material ID.

Material ID Window/Material Component1 Front Rails2 Back Rails3 Panels (glazing), with 50% opacity4 Front Frame5 Back Frame

Note: 3ds max does not automatically assign a material to the window object.To use the included material, open the library and then assign the material toyour object.

Making an Opening for a WindowTo make an opening in a wall, you can perform a Boolean operation with thewall as Operand A, and another object, such as a box, as Operand B. Then, youcan create and add a window in the opening, and link it, if you choose, as achild of the wall.

Note: Using snaps, you can insert a window in a wall object, automaticallylinking the two and creating a cutout for the window. See the procedure Tocreate and place a window or door in a wall:.

ProceduresTo create a window:

1. On the Object Type rollout, click the button for the type of window youwant to create.

2. Choose options as needed, such as changing the default creation method.Turn on Allow Non-vertical Jambs if you want an inclined window.

3. Drag the mouse in the viewport to create the first two points, defining thewidth and angle of the base of the window.

4. Release the mouse and move to adjust the depth of the window (defaultcreation method), and then click to set. By default, the depth isperpendicular to the line between the first two points and parallel to theactive grid.

5. Move the mouse to adjust the height, and then click to finish. The heightis perpendicular to the plane defined by the first three points andperpendicular to the active grid. You can adjust the height, width, anddepth values on the Parameters rollout.

In the Creation Method rollout, you can change the creation order to width-height-depth instead of width-depth-height.

To create a window material:

1. Create a window or select an existing window.2. Open the Material Editor, and select a slot for the material.3. Click the Type button below the Material Editor toolbar. The Material/Map

Browser dialog opens.4. In the Material list, double-click the Multi/Sub-Object item, and then on

the Replace Material dialog that appears, choose either option and clickOK.

5. On the Multi/Sub-Object Basic Parameters rollout, click Set Number andchange Number Of Materials to 5. Click OK.

6. Optionally, change the sub-material names to those specified in the abovetable.

7. Edit the material as you would any Multi/Sub-Object material.

To animate a window:

You can animate a window opening and closing by keyframing the Opensetting.

1. Create a window or select an existing window.2. If using an existing window, also access the Modify panel.3. Set the Parameters rollout > Open parameter to the amount you want the

window to be open at the start of the animation. If you want it to beclosed, set it to 0.

4. Click the Auto Key button to turn it on, and advance to the first keyframe.5. Change the Open setting.

6. Continue moving to any additional keyframes and changing the Opensetting as necessary.

7. Play the animation.

InterfaceMost window parameters are common to all kinds of windows, and aredescribed here. The topic for each window type describes its unique controlsand behavior.

Object Type rollout

Six types of window are available in 3ds max:

Awning—Has a sash that is hinged at the top. See Awning.

Casement—Has one or two door-like sashes that swing inward or outward. SeeCasement.

Fixed—Doesn't open. See Fixed.

Pivoted—Pivots at the center of its sash, either vertically or horizontally. SeePivoted.

Projected—Has three sashes, two of which open like awnings in oppositedirections. See Projected.

Sliding—Has two sashes, one of which slides vertically or horizontally. SeeSliding.

Name and Color rollout

See Object Name and Wireframe Color.

Creation Method rollout

You define each type of window with four points: Drag the first two, followed bytwo move-click sequences. The Creation Method setting determines the order inwhich these actions define the window's dimensions.

Width/Depth/Height—The first two points define the width and angle of thebase of the window. You set these points by dragging in a viewport, as the firststep in creating a window. This lets you align the window with a wall or openingwhen you place it. The third point, where you click after moving the mouse,specifies the depth of the window, and the fourth click, where you click aftermoving the mouse again, specifies the height.

Width/Height/Depth—Works like the Width/Depth/Height option, except thatthe last two points create first the height and then the depth.Note: With this method, the depth is perpendicular to the plane set by the firstthree points. Thus, if you draw the window in the Top or Perspective viewport,the door lies flat on the active grid.

Allow Non-vertical Jambs—Select to create tilted windows. Set snaps to definepoints off the construction plane. Default=off.

Parameters rollout

Height/Width/Depth—Specifies the overall dimensions of the window.

Frame group

Horiz. Width—Sets the width of the horizontal part of the window frame (at thetop and bottom). This setting also affects the glazed portion of the window'swidth.

Vert. Width—Sets the width of the vertical part of the window frame (at thesides). This setting also affects the glazed portion of the window's height.

Thickness—Sets the thickness of the frame. This also controls the thickness ofcasements or railings on the window's sashes.

Glazing group

Thickness—Specifies the thickness of the glass.

Generate Mapping Coordinates—Creates the object with the appropriatemapping coordinates already applied.

Awning WindowCreate panel > Geometry > Windows > Awning button

Create menu > AEC Objects > Awning WindowThe Awning window has one or more sashes that are hinged at the top.

Awning window


The topic for each kind of window describes its unique controls and behavior.Some window parameters are common to all kinds of windows; see Windows.

Rails and Panels group

Width—Sets the width (depth) of the rails in the sashes.

Panel Count—Sets the number of sashes in the window. If you use more thanone sash, each is hinged at its top edge. Range=1 to 10.

Open Window group

Open—Specifies the percent the window is open. This control is animatable.

Pivoted WindowCreate panel > Geometry > Windows > Pivoted button

Create menu > AEC Objects > Pivoted Window

A pivoted window has one sash only, hinged midway through the side of thesash. It can swing open either vertically or horizontally.

Pivoted windows


The topic for each kind of Window describes its unique controls and behavior.Most Window parameters are common to all kinds of Windows; see Windows.

Rails group

Width—Sets the width of the rails in the sash.

Pivots group

Vertical Rotation—Switches the pivot axis from horizontal to vertical.

Open Window group

Open—Specifies the percent that the window is open. This control isanimatable.

Projected WindowCreate panel > Geometry > Windows > Projected button

Create menu > AEC Objects > Projected Window

Projected windows have three sashes: The top sash doesn't move, while thebottom two sashes swing open like awning windows, but in opposite directions.

Projected window





Middle Height—Sets the height of the middle sash, relative to the window'sframe.

Bottom Height—Sets the height of the bottom sash, relative to the window'sframe.

Open Window group

Open—Specifies the percent that the two movable sashes are open. This controlis animatable.

Sliding WindowCreate panel > Geometry > Windows > Sliding button

Create menu > AEC Objects > Sliding Window

Sliding windows have two sashes: one fixed, one movable. The sliding part canmove either vertically or horizontally.

Sliding windows


The topic for each kind of Window describes its unique controls and behavior.Most Window parameters are common to all kinds of Windows; see Windows.


Rail Width—Sets the width of the rails in the sash.

# Panels Horiz—Sets the number of horizontal divisions in each sash.

# Panels Vert—Sets the number of vertical divisions in each sash.

Chamfered Profile—Chamfers the rails between the glazed panels, as in aconventional wooden window. When Chamfered Profile is off, the rails have arectangular profile.

Open Window group

Hung—When on, the window slides vertically. When off, the window slideshorizontally.

Open— Specifies the percent that the window is open. This control isanimatable.

Casement WindowCreate panel > Geometry > Windows > Casement button

Create menu > AEC Objects > Casement Window

The Casement window has one or two sashes that are hinged on the side, like adoor.

Casement window



Casements group

Panel Width—Changes the size of the glazed panel within each sash.

One/Two—Specifies the number of window panels: one or two. Using twopanels creates a window like a double door; each panel is hinged on its outsideside edge.

Open Window group

Open—Specifies the percent that the window is open. This control isanimatable.

Flip Swing—Turn this on to have the sashes open in the opposite direction.

Fixed WindowCreate panel > Geometry > Windows > Fixed button

Create menu > AEC Objects > Fixed Window

Fixed windows do not open, thus have no Open Window control. In addition tothe standard window object parameters, the Fixed window provides the RailsAnd Panels group of settings for subdividing the window.

Fixed windows





# Panels Horiz—Sets the number of horizontal divisions in the window.

# Panels Vert—Sets the number of vertical divisions in the window.

Chamfered Profile—Chamfers the rails between the glazed panels, as in aconventional wooden window. When Chamfered Profile is off, the rails have arectangular profile.

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