Finally I have completed the tutorial to be used with the newest version 9 of 3ds Max.

Not much interest was shown for it when I asked, but if at least one person finds it useful I will be glad.


Hosted here in html format:
http://www2.arnes.si/~mocko/LFS_3dsMax9_Rendering_Tutorial


Happy rendering!

cool

Wow really good! The teapot eh..

WOW thanks a lot !
I am really frustraded about 3ds Max b/c I am to stupid to get it working
Now lets see.

Thanks again !

Updated it a bit.

Would be helpful to hear someone actually going thru it, if he had any problems that were not mentioned.

Thanks, giving it a go now. Currently no problems just slow to learn. I am going step by step and will let you see the finished XRT.

I've gotten to this stage now where I add all the little details for the interior and windows, but I can't remember what I just did to repeat for this. I am a bit confused as it is .dds files where as it was a jpg before and when I do it I can't see the window. I think I will try on the lights first as I think I missed a step.

Ok I remembered and am making slow progress.

New pic...

A dds file is basically just a picture like a jpg. Apply them just like you did the skin jpg.

Yeah I figured out that I didn't refresh that list so I didnt see the dds on the mapping thing, ok now.

My new problem is getting rid of the white borders around the windows and lights ...

I have been right clicking and finding out which dds is for which by looking at the filename like the guide describes. I have some called 03 default that im not sure what to map there...

03 - Default is the default name 3ds Max gives to materials. So maybe you applied the material to that part by mistake? Either way, there are two pictures with all of the objects and the corresponding dds in the tutorial.

To get rid of the white around the windows you need to colour in the little white box on one of the interior files for the car, you need to colour it black or a really dark grey. (I cant remember which it is though).

Awesome, very helpful!

Quote from kurent :

03 - Default is the default name 3ds Max gives to materials. So maybe you applied the material to that part by mistake? Either way, there are two pictures with all of the objects and the corresponding dds in the tutorial.

Ok this two pictures thing is what im missing I think.

Here is where i've got to, it's taken a while with dinner and stuff inbetween.

I've got invisible things, like the mirrors are invisible, and bits inside the rear window are invisible.

I mapped s_clocks too but it comes up black, as you can see from the interior shot. I can't seem to find the dashboard properly.

Am I missing the default XRT skin or something?

Also, the tyres look very white too, like, I have the textures in but no graphic or colour...

I would use the tutorial here http://en.lfsmanual.net/wiki/3D_Render_Tutorial along with this tutorial, it's got the info for creating the Mirrors, glass, paint and fixing some of the textures, like your steering wheel grip. Using both of these tutorials you'll get scenes like Ian.H's, all you have to do then is play around and learn.

BTW does any body know whats up with Morrow Designs site?

I need a cmx importer for 3ds max 9, does the old one work from that wiki guide, it says for versions 5 and 6. I've not done anything like this before, not even for photoshop. Just downloaded some fonts and patterns lol.

This is a plugin for 3ds max 9 right, so it says on this thread http://forum.rscnet.org/showthread.php?t=147186 that the DLI file needs to go in my plugins folder. Do I need to extract the other stuff or is that just for the SDK / coder guys?

This will then allow me to import the missing CMX into 3ds max 9 which will have the colours and dials and things on it?

Edit: I extracted the DLI file but the plugin doesnt appear to work in 3ds max 9. How do I import the interior cmx and the lights CMX and the bit of the body that is white im guessing that is missing a CMX too...

I think the CMX plugin only works upto 3ds max 8, but even if you did import the CMX you would have to assign all the meterials just like in the tutorial in the LFS manual on Wiki.

I am reading this part of the tutorial; "In this tutorial we will use only the bare 3ds Max 9 and .obj files for cars which we will import. I have converted the .cmx files used by LFS with another modelling program called Blender and CMX2OBJ v0.0 conversion script made by Tom De Muer."

I am going to try and get this so I can make the things to put in the dials and stuff, I think this is what the tutorial is asking me to do with; "It's time to sort out the other materials, if you haven't done so already.", at the bottom of the page.

I've managed to get the brake calipers all sorted.

Ah hang on can I add the dds from my LFS folder... /me goes searching......

Your tutorial is great it has got me started on 3ds max, I am sure with some more time I can do a lot more!

Here is what I finished with, unfinished but still got some .dds files that I had downloaded for in LFS that I used with some different brake discs. I kinda just decided to split up the layers into new layers so I could add different maps to it.

I turned the wheel a bit to make it look like its posing lol.

Things that I still need to do (which is probably obvious) are:

1) Make the tyres black. I can't figure out how to do this. and add a LFS tyre wall with logo.
2) I would like to put an image on X Y and Z plane so it looks like a background, or a floor or something other than floating in space.
3) I would like to get some real reflections going on. Lighting sounds complicated but I would like some ripples type reflections.
4) A shadow under the car.
5) Some custom grills on the places where the skin is very small, do I just do this bit with photoshop?

Anyways, thanks again for the tutorial and help, hope you think I did ok so far!

Like I said in the tutorial, the tutorial itself is just a template, a basic form of the car that needs to be upgraded. Search google for some tutorials on how to do that. You might want to learn the basics of 3ds Max now that you are interested.

Yes, richy, all of those would be different tutorials on: materials, lighting, basic modeling, and UV (texture) mapping.

You can search google for any of those exact words with 3ds max, and you should be able to find numerous tutorials.

Lighting of course will be the hardest thing to locate the basics of, because all in all... lighting is the hardest thing to get right when it comes to rendering.

Heres a little update.

I am still stuck on a few things. This "gap" in the rear window that lets the wheel show through, I need to fill that somehow.

And the brake discs are square, I need to make them round to fit with my new wheels.

And the reflections make it look a little too bright.

Lighting is still pretty weird to me, like, it just makes everything black. Going hunting for more tutorials on other stuff...

Your missing the parcel shelf Richy, the only way you'd be missing it is if you've selected those polys and hidden or deleted them, or changed the meterial of it to glass.

Quote from LineR32 :

Your missing the parcel shelf Richy, the only way you'd be missing it is if you've selected those polys and hidden or deleted them, or changed the meterial of it to glass.

Figured out what I am doing wrong.

Basically the materials that I selected for different car peices needed to be ticked as 2-sided. XR_interior1 and interior2 were the main culprits. Followed by mirrors and seats and some other things. Once 2 sided is there it makes the object more complete.

See the latest render I did, this time it took longer to create it since I have some shadows and lighting working. I am enjoying doing this stuff I hope I can learn how to do all the good stuff eventually.

Quote from richy :

Basically the materials that I selected for different car peices needed to be ticked as 2-sided.

Or you do as the tutorial says and tick 2-sided in the render tab.

Quote from kurent :

Or you do as the tutorial says and tick 2-sided in the render tab.

Ooooh thanks. I saved the file with all the boxes ticked now so I did it the hard way but this is a good tip that I didnt read properly in the tutorial.