a Autodesk 3ds Max 2021 Rendering BookAbout me Serdar Hakan DUZGOREN | Autodesk Expert Elite | was born in 1980 in Istanbul, | graduated from Umraniye Industrial Vocational High Schoo! Building Department in 1996. | first entered the computer world using Autodesk AutoCAD. For 3 years until 2000, | supported many companies in the fields of consultancy, project and implementation on AutoCAD. Between 2000 and 2004, | worked in both Autodesk AutoCAD and 2D design and printing areas in the digital printing systems sector (CorelDraw, Freehand, Quarkexpress, Adobe Photoshop.) Since 2004, Autodesk 3Ds Max, rendering engines and 3D design training and I have been providing consultancy and training in many local and foreign companies as a consultant and continue my business life. Since September of 2014, Turkey Autodesk and Autodesk Commnity | have been working on-site counseling training. Autodesk also held in Turkey for the first time on 10 December 2014 the University | took part as a speaker at the 2014 event. | conducted 7 webinars on 3Ds Max training and render-rendering systems in 2014-2015 at Autodesk Comminity. in year 2015 which granted only 240 people in the world with the title of Autodesk Expert Elite 2 people in Turkey, "I have someone from AUTODESK’ EXPERT ELITE rN AUTODESK UNIVERSITY 2014 E-mail: info@serdarhakan.net You can reach from the e-mail address. Also; To attend my training seminars, you can visit www.serdarhakan.net, blog. serdarhakan.net, www.autodesk.com.tr/ community. Social medi Twitter : @SerdarHakan Facebook: —_https://www.facebook.com/serdarhakannn ‘Autodesk Authorized Instructor Information: ‘Autodesk Education Identity ID Numer 5102634 ‘Autodesk Education Instructor ID Numer :46753Thank you 4 To my dear brothers and bosses, Hasan Serdar TOMURCU and Huseyin Ferdag TOMURCU, who taught me everything, to improve myself, tobe successful in my professional life and to “© Mylife partner, my dear wife, Selda SAHIN DUZGOREN, the biggest thank you for never withholding your support. + To my best father and old friend Ali GUNDOGDU, who criticized me mercilessly, who gave me the title of uncle when | had no chance to become the best software developer and uncle Thanks again to everyone Serdar Hakan DUZGOREN AUTODESK’ EXPERT ELITEPreface Hello everyone, in this book, we talked about the rendering systems and rendering features of Autodesk 3ds Max 2021 in detail. Thanks to this book, how to render with Autodesk 3ds Max 2021, what are the existing render engines and you will have detailed information about the network rendering process, now let's briefly look at the topics; Rendering ‘Cameras To Render a Still Image or an Animation Rendered Frame Window Render Output File Dialog To View an Image File Rendering Commands Renderers To Render Separate Elements Baking to Texture Rendering to Texture (Legacy) To Create a Snapshot of a Viewport To Render a Preview Animation Compare Media Files (RAM Player) To Create a Panorama Network Rendering To Use the Batch Render Too! Command-Line Rendering ur book consists of 18 main titles in total and many more topics are covered in detail. Serdar Hakan DUZGOREN Autodesk Expert Elite | Autodesk Offical Member | Autodesk Int. Moderator | Autodesk Consultant AUTODESK’ EXPERT ELITETable of Contents Rendering..... 1 Cameras... 1 Environments and Rendering Effects...... 1 Object-Level Rendering Controls. 2 Cameras. 2 Characteristics of Cameras 3 Focal Length. 4 Field of View (FOV) 4 Relationship Between FOV and Perspective oa Differences Between Camera Objects and Real-World Cameras. 5 Exposure Control in Real-World Cameras...... 5 Aperture... 6 Shutter Speed Control. 7 Aperture and Shutter Speed... 8 ‘Summary. 9 To Render a Scene Using a Camera cry To Change a Viewport to a Camera View R Using Transforms to Aim a Camera 2 To Constrain Pan and Orbit to be Vertical or Horizontal 2 To See Safe Frames in a Camera View.... To Use the Modify Panel in Conjunction with a Camera Viewport.. Using Clipping Planes to Exclude Geometty..... To Use the Horizon to Match Perspective... To Match a Real-World Camera Frame Proportion... 15 Animating Cameras. 16 To Move a Camera Along a Path 16 To Follow a Moving Object. 16 To Animate a Camera Pan 16 To Animate a Camera Orbit v7 To Animate a Camera Zoom. To Create Animated Cutaway Views. Choosing a Camera for Vertical Views... \Viewport Display of Camera Objects wv Camera Object Icons... wv To Control the Display of Camera Objects 18 To Change the Display Size of Camera Icons 18Legacy Cameras. Free Camera. Initial Direction of a Free Camera... To Create a Free Camera... 20 Target Camera 2 Working with the Target Object 2 To Create a Target Camera. 2 Working with Legacy Cameras. 2 Legacy Camera Parameters. 25 Stock Lenses group....... Envi nment Ranges group...... Clipping Planes group... 28 Multi-Pass Effect group ... 29 Target Distance setting.. 30 Multi-Pass Rendering Effects 30 Multi-Pass Depth of Field Parameters for Cameras. 30 Focal Depth group 32 ‘Sampling group. 32 Pass Blending group 33 Scanline Renderer Params group.. 33 Multi-Pass Motion Blur Parameters for Cameras ‘Sampling group... 35 Pass Blending group... 35 Scanline Renderer Params group.. 36 Create Standard Camera From View... 36 To Create a Standard Camera from a View. 37 Camera Correction Modifier 37 To Apply Two-Point Perspective to a Legacy Camera 38 Perspective Match Utility 39 Vanishing Lines group 39 Anchor Point group .... Camera Adjustments group. To Set Up a Viewport Background for Perspective Matching... To Match a Free Camera to the Background Physical Camera. 46 Basic Rollout (Physical Camera) ..nnesnnnnnsn so snes we AT Viewport Display group ssnnnnestnnneennnn ssnnnne we AT Physical Camera Rollout 48Film / Sensor group ... Lens group Shutter group... Exposure Rollout (Physical Camera) Exposure Gain group White Balance group 52 Bokeh (Depth of Field) Rollout (Physical Camera). 53 Aperture Shape group. 53 Center Bias (Ring Effect) group. 54 Optical Vignetting (Cat Eye) group. 54 Anisotropy (Anamorphic Lens) group... 55 Perspective Control Rollout (Physical Camera). 55 Lens Shift group... 56 Tilt Correction group 56 Lens Distortion Rollout (Physical Camera) 57 iscellaneous Rollout (Physical Camera). 58 Create Physical Camera from View 58 Clipping Planes group. 59 Environment Ranges group. 60 Match Camera to VieW......nnnnsunn nnn snnnntnnnnntnnnnnnn 60 Exposure Controls. 60 TIPS ocnnnnnennninnnnnnnnnnnininnnnsnnnnsnnn 61 Exposure and Attenuation for Standard Lights......... 61 Exposure Control RollOUt....... Automatic Exposure Control... Linear Exposure Control. Logarithmic Exposure Control 66 Physical Camera Exposure Control 69 Exposure group 69 Image Control group. 69 Physical Scale group. 70 Pseudo Color Exposure Control 70 Display Type group... Display Range group Physical Scale display... Lighting Data Exporter Utility 000 ove evennenn sevens TS Image Size group. 75 Walkthrough Assistant 76Walkthrough Assistant... To Create a Walkthrough Camera... To Set the Camera Path...... To Adjust the Camera Height and Tilt To Adjust the Field of View and Target Distance 7 To Animate the Camera Tilting and Turning 7 To Render a Preview of the Walkthrough. 8 To Create a Targeted Camera for the Walkthrough 7 Main Controls Rollout (Walkthrough Assistant) 7B Camera Creation group..... 79 Cameras group.. 79 Path Control group... Render Preview Rollout (Walkthrough Assistant). View Controls Rollout (Walkthrough Assistant) Look-At Camera Rollout (Walkthrough Assistant) 81 Advanced Controls Rollout (Walkthrough Assistant) 82 Camera Controls group 82 Path Controls group 82 To Render a Still Image or an Animation. 82 Production versus ActiveShade Rendering 83 Missing Map Coordinates...... 84 Render Setup Dialog... 84 Preset Rendering Options....... 87 Common Panel (Render Setup Dialog)... 89 Common Parameters Rollout (Render Setup Dialog)... 89 Time Output group. 90 Area to Render group. 1 Output Size group. 91 Options group. 93 Advanced Lighting group. 94 Bitmap Performance and Memory Options group. 95 Render Output group .. oe nnn snnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnns 9 To Set the Size of the Image..... To Save the Rendered Image to a File ... To Change the Pixel Aspect Ratio... To Speed Up Rendering Time for a Test or Draft Rendering... Configure Preset Dialog... Email Notifications Rollout. 98Categories group..... 98 Email Options group. 98 Scripts Rollout (Render Setup Dialog) 99 Pre-Render group... Post-Render group Assign Renderer Rollout. 100 Choose Renderer Dialog 101 Rendering Progress Dialog 102 Rendered Frame Window 103 The Rendered Frame Window Title Bar. The Rendered Frame Window .. Rendering Controls... Toolbar... To Zoom and Pan in the Rendered Frame Window... Procedures Area to Render. 109 To Render Only Selected Objects. 112 To Render a Region 112 To Render a Blowup. 12 Pixel Data in the Rendered Frame Window... Image group... Pixel group... Extra Pixel Data (G-Buffer Data) group... Render Output File Dialog... Gamma group... [sequence or preview] 118 To Name the Rendered Output File 119 To Set Up Options for the Rendered Output File 120 To View an Image File 120 View File Dialog 121 Gamma group 123 [sequence or preview]... 123 Rendering Commands ...nuncssmm Render Setup... Render FIYOUt..esnisninnnnnnnn 125 Render Production....n:mnnnennnnnnnnnnnneni semen se 126 Render Iterative... 126 To Use ActiveShade Rendering 127About ActiveShade .... ActiveShade Commands ActiveShade Floater...... ActiveShade Viewport.. Scanline ActiveShade Scanline ActiveShade and Object Selection What Scanline ActiveShade Does and Doesn't Do. ActiveShade Initialize and Update The Initialize Pass. The Update Shading Pass ActiveShade Commands (Quad Menu)... Interface css Render quadrant (upper right)... Tools quadrant (lower right)... Options quadrant (lower left) View quadrant (upper left) Render Last To Use the Print Size Wizard. About the Print Size Wizard Print Size Wizard Dialog. Paper Siz€ GFOUP nn Rendering group...... RENETELS oo nnsnnne Render Message Window..... Right-Click Menu for the Render Message Window .....» LOG File (Renderer Messages) ‘Amold for 3ds Max (MAXtoA) Uninstalling Amold ...o Licensing Arnold for 3d8 Max .....csnsnnnnnnnnnnneee Using existing Amold licenses alongside MAXtoA.... Upgrading legacy scenes Scanline Renderer. To Use Motion Blur with the Scanline Renderer. Environment Alpha Toggle and Filtering 128 130 130 131 131 132 132 132 132 133 133 133 133 134 135 135 135 136 136 137 137 138 140 140 142 1a2 142 142 143 143 143 143 143 144 14a 144 145Plate Match Filtering....... Default Scantine Renderer Rollout. Options group. Antialiasing group Global SuperSampling group. Object Motion Blur group. Image Motion Blur group Auto Reflect/Refract Maps group Color Range Limiting group Memory Management group... Advanced Lighting Panel (Scanline Renderer).. Light Tracer... General Settings group...... ‘Adaptive Undersampling group To Set Up a Scene for the Light Tracer Previewing the Effect of Light Tracing. Tips for Using the Light Tracer Raytracer Global Parameters Rollout Ray Depth Control group. Global Ray Antialiaser group... Global Raytrace Engine Options group... Using Multi-Pass Rendering Effects Autodesk Rendering on the Cloud... Cloud Credits group «0.0. Renderer panel... ART Renderer ART Renderer Panel (Render Setup). Rendering Parameters Rollout (ART Renderer). Interface Render Quality group. Lighting and Material Fidelity group. Filtering Rollout (ART Renderer)... Interface cuss Noise Filtering group. AntieAliasing group ... Advanced Rollout (ART Renderer) . Interface Scene group 146 146 147 148 148 149 150 152 152 152 152 153 154 158 160 161 161 162 162 164 164 166 167 168 169 170 an an an an 172 172 178 173 178 178 174 174Noise Pattern group 174 Quicksilver Hardware Renderer 174 Hardware Considerations (Quicksilver Renderer) 176 Hardware Considerations... 176 ‘Shadows in Quicksilver Renderings 176 ‘Supported Materials (Quicksilver Renderer) 176 ‘Supported Maps and Shaders (Quicksilver Renderer) 176 Additional Capabilities and Restrictions (Quicksilver Renderer) 176 Using the Quicksilver Renderer: Tips and Tricks 17 Performance Considerations 177 Quicksilver Hardware Renderer Parameters Rollout 77 Visual Style & Appearance Rollout (Quicksilver Renderer) 178 Visual Style group. 178 Lighting and Shadows group 179 Reflections Rollout (Quicksilver Renderer) 180 Depth of Field Rollout (Quicksilver Renderer). 181 Hardware Cache Rollout (Quicksilver Renderer) 181 UE File Renderer 182 To Create a VUE File 182 UE File Format... 183 Frame Command 183 Transform Command... 183 Omni Light Command. 184 Spotlight Command... 184 Orthogonal Viewport Commands... 184 User Viewport Command 184 Camera View Command 185 To Render Separate Elements 185 To Choose Elements to Render Separately 186 To Assign Element File Names Automatically 186 To Assign Element File Names By Hand. 186 To Generate a Combustion™ workspace (CWS) File that Contains the Rendered Elements 187 Elements to Render. 187 Alpha Element. 188 Atmosphere Element. 188 Background Element 188 Blend Element 189Blend Element Parameters Rollout... 189 Diffuse Elemert.... 190 Diffuse Texture Element Rollout. 190 Hair And Fur Element... 190 Illuminance HDR Data Element. 190 Illuminance HDR Data Element Parameters Rollout. 191 Ink Element 192 Lighting Element 192 Lighting Texture Element Rollout 192 Luminance HDR Data Element 192 Luminance HDR Data Element Parameters Rollout . 193 Material ID Element... 194 Matte Element... 194 Matte Texture Element Rollout...... 194 Paint Element. 195 Object ID Element, 195 Object ID Element Rollout 195 Reflection Element 195 Refraction Element. 196 Self-lumination Element. 196 Shadow Element... 196 Specular Element... 196 Velocity Element... 196 To Render a Velocity Element for an Animation Sequence...... 196 Velocity Element Parameters Rollout. 197 Z Depth Element 197 Z Depth Element Parameters Rollout. 197 Compositing Rendered Elements 198 "Screen" Compositing for Specular and Reflection Elements 199 Render Elements Panel and Rollout 199 [Render Elements list]..... 200 Selected Element Parameters group. 201 Output to Combustion group... 1202 Render Elements Dialog.. 1208 Render Element Output File Dialog. 1208 Gamma group 206 [sequence and previeW]...nnnrennnnnnnnn se senna 207 Baking to Texture. 208About Baking to Texture Available Maps.. Compatible Objects. Cameras + Default menu: Create menu > Cameras + Altmenu: Objects menu > Cameras After you have created a camera, you can set viewports to display the camera's point of view. With a Camera viewport you can adjust the camera as if you were looking through its lens, Camera viewports can be useful for editing geometry as well as setting up a scene for rendering. Multiple cameras can give different views of the same scene. Ifyou want to animate the point of view, you can create a camera and animate its position. For example, you might want to fly over a landscape or walk through a building, You can animate other camera parameters as well. For example, you can animate the camera's field of view to give the effect of zooming in on a scene. ‘An example of a camera in a scene,The result after rendering through the camera, There are two kinds of cameras in 3ds Max: + Physical Cameras integrate framing the scene with exposure control and other effects that model real-world cameras. + Legacy Cameras have a simpler interface with fewer controls. Both physical cameras and legacy cameras can be either targeted or free. Characteristics of Cameras Real-world cameras use lenses to focus the light reflected by a scene onto a focal plane that has. a light-sensitive surface.—a 7 Real-world camera measurements. A: Focal length; B: Field of view (FOV) Focal Length The distance between the lens and the light-sensitive surface, whether film or video electronics, is called the focal length of the lens. Focal length affects how much of the subject appears in the picture. Lower focal lengths include more of the scene in the picture. Higher focal lengths include less of the scene but show greater detail of more distant objects. Focal length is always measured in millimeters. A 50mm lens is a common standard for photography. A lens with a focal length less than 50mm is called a short or wide-angle lens. A lens with a focal length longer than 50mm is called a long or telephoto lens. Field of View (FOV) The field of view (FOV) controls how much of the scene is visible. The FOV is measured in degrees of the horizon. Itis directly related to the focal length of the lens. For example, a 50mm. lens shows 46 degrees of the horizon, The longer the lens, the narrower the FOV, The shorter the lens, the wider the FOV. Relationship Between FOV and Perspective ‘Short focal lengths (wide FOV) emphasize the distortions of perspective, making objects seem in- depth, looming toward the viewer. Long focal lengths (narrow FOV) reduce perspective distortion, making objects appear flattened and parallel to the viewer.Upper left: Long focal length, narrow FOV Lower right: Short focal length, wide FOV ‘The perspective associated with 50mm lenses appears normal, partly because it is close to what. the eye sees, and partly because such lenses are so widely used for snapshots, news photos, cinema, and so on Differences Between Camera Objects and Real-World Cameras Many other controls on real-world cameras (such as those for focusing a lens, and advancing film) aren't needed for computer rendering and have no counterpart in the camera objects 3ds Max does have counterparts for the camera movements used in movie making, such as truck, dolly, and pan Exposure Control in Real-World Cameras 3s Max uses concepts from the photographic world to help you design proper lighting conditions. Shutter speed and aperture are particularly important concepts to understand. They are used to control the amount of light in a scene. They also control focus effects. If you are not familiar with how camera shutter speed and aperture can affect scene lighting and focus, read on, Otherwise, skip this section.Aperture In photography, the aperture controls the amount of light passing through a camera lens. ‘Most often, an iris diaphragm is used to control the opening. The various settings are called f stops. The smaller the Fstop, the larger the opening, Standard t-stop values are f1.8, 12.8, 14, 15.6, f8, f11 and f16. Figure A= 1.8 Figure B Figure C= f14 Aperture can also be used to control depth of field. Depth of field is a technique used to focus on a fixed point in a scene, called a focal plane. The area around the focal plane remains in focus, while the rest of the image is blurred. More blurring occurs when the aperture is wider (set to a smaller Fstop). The next illustration shows the effect of depth of field in a scene. The focal plane is set short, so ‘hat the chair is in focus, leaving the background blurred,Shutter Speed Control ‘A camera shutter is set to various speeds, each of which determine the length of time a film is exposed. ‘Shutter mechanisms are commonly blinds-like components that open progressively, Most often, they open up vertically, althought they can also open up horizontally. Some devices, especially motion-picture cameras, have rotating shutters. If the blades move slowly, a bigger slit opens and more light comes in. This is useful for dark. environments or ones where there isn't a lot of motion, (Fast-moving objects, like a car racing by, blur when shutter speed is set too low.) Ifthe blades move fast, the slit is smaller and less light travels through the lens. This is useful for fast-moving action or bright environments with sun, snow, and sand.Aperture and Shutter Speed Usually, you need to adjust both the shutter speed and aperture value to ensure that an optimum amount of light enters the camera The following graphic illustrates the amount of light going through a lens set to an aperture ‘opening of f11. In Figure A, shutter speed is fast and only a small amount of light travels through. In Figure 8, shutter speed is slow and more light travels through, A In an exterior setting on a sunny day, for example, you would combine a faster shutter speed with a small aperture to compensate for the bright environment. 1250s, £111 If the day is cloudy, however, you might want to reduce the speed so that more light travels through the lens. Otherwise, your shot will be underexposed and appear too dark.1/1008, £111 If your environment includes fast-moving objects, you may choose to use a faster shutter speed to prevent blurring. To compensate for the faster shutter speed, you would also need to open the aperture to let in more light. 1500s, f/2.8 The challenge is to strike an effective balance between shutter speed and aperture. A setting that ‘works well in one situation might not necessarily work well in another. Summary ‘As you develop your scenes in 3ds Max, you will need to experiment with various exposure settings to obtain the right lighting conditions. Some of these settings depend on speed and aperture; in particular, the Physical Camera models physical exposure controls.(The exposure type of 1 / seconds is not the default choice for Physical Camera, but itis the most common type for old-style still-image film cameras.) The next three illustrations show the effects different exposure settings can have on an identical scene. Properly exposed scene: shutter speed 1/500s at 8.Underexposed scene: shutter speeed 1/1000s at f16. a u \~ "art ih My c ¥ Overexposed scene: shutter speed 1/100s at 15.6. To Render a Scene Using a Camera 1. Create the camera and aim it at the geometry you want to be the subject of your scene. To aim a target camera, drag the target in the direction you want the camera to look, To aim a free camera, rotate and move the camera icon 2. With one camera selected, or if only one exists in the scene, set a Camera viewport for that camera by activating the viewport, then press c. If multiple cameras exist and none or more than one are selected, 3ds Max prompts you to choose which camera to use. You can also change to a Camera viewport by clicking or right-clicking the Point-Of View viewport label, and then from the POV viewport label menu choosing Cameras > the name of the camera of choice. 3. Adjust the camera's position, rotation, and parameters using the Camera viewport’ navigation controls. Simply activate the viewport, then use the Truck, Orbit, and Dolly Camera buttons. Alternately you can select the camera components in another viewport and use the move or rotate icons. re If you do this while (Auto Key) is on, you animate the camera 4, Render the camera viewport.To Change a Viewport to a Camera View 1. In any viewport, click or right-click the Point-Of-View viewport label menu. 2. From the menu that opens, choose Cameras. ‘The Cameras submenu shows the name of each camera in the scene. 3, Click the name of the camera you want, The viewport now shows the camera's point of view. The default keyboard shortcut for camera viewports is c. Making a camera viewport active does not automatically select the camera. To adjust a ‘camera by using its viewport and the Modify panel at the same time, select the camera and then make the Camera viewport active. As in other viewports, in Camera viewports you can opt to see a display of safe frame areas to help you compose the final rendered output. Tip: Alternatively, you can automatically create a Physical camera that matches the view in the active viewport and set the viewport to use that camera by pressing C=r11¢. Note: When you change to a Camera view, the navigation buttons at the lower-right corner of the 3ds Max window change to Camera viewport controls. (The Zoom Extents All flyout and the Min/Max toggles remain visible, These controls aren't specific to camera views. Clicking Zoom Extents All affects other kinds of viewports, but does not affect Camera viewports.) Using Transforms to Aim a Camera You can use transforms to aim a camera and change its orientation in the scene. Move adjusts the position of the camera object or the position of a target camera's target. Because the target is displayed as a small square, and because itis often in the same area as objects that are the subject of the camera, it can be hard to select by clicking, Select the camera object, right-click, then choose Select Target from the Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant of the quad menu. You can also choose Cameras from the Selection Filters list on the toolbar, and then click the target. Rotate adjusts the orientation of the camera object. This transform is most useful with free cameras. You can't rotate a Target camera about its local X and Y axes, because it is constrained to aim at its target. Use Move to move the camera or its target. Also, if you rotate a Target camera to a nearly vertical position, either up or down, 3ds Max must flip the Camera view to prevent the up-vector from becoming undefined. If you need a camera to look vertically upward or downward, use a Free camera, In a Camera viewport, you can also use the navigation buttons to adjust the camera interactively. ‘Some navigation buttons, such as Dolly and Orbit actually move the camera or its target. To Constrain Pan and Orbit to be Vertical or Horizontal+ Hold down sisi #t as you drag in the viewport. The initial direction of the drag sets the constraint. If you drag vertically at first, the pan or orbit is constrained to be vertical; if you drag horizontally at first, the constraint is, horizontal. To See Safe Frames in a Camera View + Click or right-click the Point-Of-View viewport label. From the POV viewport label menu, choose Show Safe Frame. The safe frames are displayed in three concentric boxes. The outermost safe frame matches the render output resolution. Boxes in the viewport indicate safe frames. To Use the Modify Panel in Conjunction with a Camera Viewport 1. In any viewport, select the camera. 2. Right-click the Camera viewport to activate the viewport without deselecting the camera. ‘The Camera viewport becomes active, but the camera is still selected in the other viewports. 3. Adjust the camera using its Parameters rollout on the Modify panel, or the viewport navigation buttons. The Camera viewport updates as the parameters are changed. Using Clipping Planes to Exclude GeometryClipping planes let you exclude some of a scene's geometry and view or render only certain portions of the scene, Each camera object has a near and a far clipping plane, Objects closer than the near clipping plane or farther than the far clipping plane are invisible to the camera Clipping planes are useful for rendering selected portions of a scene that has a lot of complex geometry, They can also help you create cutaway views. Left: Clipping plane excludes the foreground chair and the front of the table. Right: Clipping plane excludes the background chair and the rear of the table. Clipping plane settings are part of the camera's parameters. The location of each clipping plane is, measured along the camera's line of sight (its local Z axis) in the current units for the scene. You can set the near clipping plane close to the camera so that it doesn't exclude any geometry, and still use the far plane to exclude objects. Similarly, you can set the far clipping plane far enough from the camera that it doesn’t exclude any geometry, and still use the near plane to exclude objects. The near value is constrained to be less than the far value. Ifthe clipping plane intersects an object, it cuts through that object, creating a cutaway view. (How much of the cutaway object is visible depends on whether the object's material is two-sided or not.) You can also use clipping planes in non-camera viewports. Simply click or right-click the Point-Of- View (POV) viewport label, and from the POV viewport label menu, choose Viewport Clipping. To Use the Horizon to Match Perspective The horizon of a scene is the edge of vision at the height of the camera, parallel with the world coordinate plane. You can view the horizon in camera viewports.Horizon line displayed in a camera viewport ‘A camera is level when it and its target are the same height from the world coordinate plane. In other words, the camera's local Z axis is parallel to the world plane. When the camera is level, the horizon line is centered in the viewport. As the camera tilts up, the horizon line lowers; as it tilts down, the horizon line raises. The horizon line control is on the camera's Parameters rollout, The horizon line can help you match the perspective of your scene to the perspective of a still image. In general, matching perspective involves the following steps: 1. Display the horizon line. Use it to help you adjust the camera and target so they are level. 2. Display the image in the camera viewport. Use Views > Viewport Background and choose Files in the Background Source group. Ifthe image's horizon and the camera horizon don't match, you have to offset the image, perhaps by using a paint program. 3. Use BA (Orbit) to move the camera until the perspective of the scene roughly matches that of the still mage. 4. Adust the camera's il perspective to fine-tune the perspective match. 5. Use 4 (Move) with the camera or target to position the scene against the background. Ifyou raise or lower the camera, raise or lower the target by an equal amount, in order to keep them level and maintain the horizon. Tip: For a Physical Camera, you can adjust perspective by using controls on the Perspective Control rollout. For a legacy Free Camera, you can match the camera perspective to a photograph by using the Perspective Match ulity To Match a Real-World Camera Frame Proportion 1, Choose Rendering > Render Setup. The Render Setup dialog opens. 2. Inthe Output Size group, click the arrow to display the list of real world output sizes.3. Select the type you want (both film and video output sizes are available), 4. Click or right-click the Camera viewport label, and tum on Show Safe Frames The Safe Frame proportions will match those of the selected output size. Animating Cameras You animate a camera by using transforms or changing its creation parameters in different keyframes while the Set Key or Auto Key button is on. 3ds Max interpolates camera transforms and parameter values between keyframes, as it does for object geometry. In general, i's best to use a free camera when the camera is to move within the scene; use a target camera when camera position is fixed. To Move a Camera Along a Path Having a camera follow a path is a common way to create architectural walkthroughs, roller coaster rides, and so on, ‘+ Ifthe camera must bank or tit close to the vertical (as on a roller coaster), use a free camera. Assign the Path constraint directly to the camera object, The camera follows the path, and you can adjust its point of view by adding pans or rotate transforms. This is ‘comparable to filming with a hand-held camera, + Fora target camera, link both the camera and its target to a dummy object, then assign the path constraint to the dummy object. This is comparable to mounting the camera on a tripod on a dolly. It is easier to manage than having, for example, separate paths for the camera and its target. To Follow a Moving Object You can use a LookAt constraint to have the camera automatically follow a moving object. + The LookAt constraint makes the object replace the camera’s target. Ifthe camera is a target camera, its previous target is ignored if the camera is a free camera, it effectively becomes a target camera. While the LookAt constraint assignment is in effect, the free camera cannot rotate around its local X and Y axes, and can't be aimed vertically because of the up-vector constraint. ‘+ Analternative is to link a target camera's target to the object, To Animate a Camera Pan You can animate the pan of any camera very easily by following these steps: 1, Select the camera 2. Activate the Camera viewport. 3. Turn on MERI and advance the time slider to any frame.4. Tur on MB (Par), inthe viewport navigation tools, the drag the mouse to pan the camera To Animate a Camera Orbit You can animate the orbiting of any camera very easily by following these steps: 1. Select the camera 2. Activate the Camera viewport. 3. Tum on MEE and advance the time slider to any frame. 4. Use li (Orbit), in the viewport navigation tools, then drag the mouse to orbit the camera The target camera revolves around its target; the Free camera revolves around its target, distance. To Animate a Camera Zoom Zooming moves toward or away from the camera's subject matter by changing the focal length of the lens. It differs from dollying, which physically moves the camera but leaves the focal length unchanged. You can zoom by animating the value of the camera’s FOV parameter. To Create Animated Cutaway Views You can animate the creation of a cutaway view by animating the location of the near or far clipping planes, or both. Choosing a Camera for Vertical Views Ifyou need an animated camera to look vertically upward or downward, use a free camera if you use a target camera you might run into a problem of unexpected movement. 3ds Max constrains a target camera's up-vector (its local positive Y axis) to be as close as possible to the world positive Z axis. This is no problem when you are working with a static camera. However, if you animate the camera and put it in a nearly vertical position, either up or down, 3ds Max flips the Camera view to prevent the up-vector from becoming undefined. This creates sudden changes of view. Viewport Display of Camera Objects Camera objects are visible in viewports unless you choose not to display them. However, the geometry that appears in the viewport is only an icon meant to show you where the camera is located and how itis oriented The Display panel's Hide By Category rollout has a toggle that lets you tur the display of camera objects on and off. A convenient way to control the display of camera objects is to create them on a separate layer. You can hide them quickly by turing off the layer. Camera Object IconsTarget cameras create a double icon, representing the camera (a blue box intersecting a blue triangle) and the camera target (a blue box). Free cameras create a single icon, representing the camera and its field of view A free camera has no target. A target camera has a target sub-object. You cannot shade camera objects. However, you can render their icons using Animation menu > Make Preview and turning on Cameras in the Display In Preview group, ‘The display of camera object icons is not scaled when you change the scale of the viewport. When you zoom in on a camera, for example, the icon size does not change. To change the size of camera object icons, you can use the Preference dialog > Viewports panel and change the value of Non-Scaling Object Size Scale transforms have the following effects on legacy camera objects: + Uniform Scale has no effect on a free camera, but does change the target camera's Target Distance setting + Non-Uniform Scale and Squash change the size and shape of the camera's FOV cone. You see the effect in the viewport, but the camera's parameters do not update, Scale transforms have no effect on Physical Camera objects. To Control the Display of Camera Objects Do one of the following: + Goto the Display panel and on the Hide By Category rollout, turn Cameras on or off. + Choose Tools menu > Display Floater, and on the Object Level tab, turn Cameras on or off When Hide > Cameras is off, cameras appear in viewports; when Hide > Cameras is on, they don't appear. When camera icons are displayed, the Zoom Extents commands include them in views. When camera icons are not displayed, the Zoom Extents commands ignore them To Change the Display Size of Camera Icons + Choose Customize > Preferences > Viewports, and set Non-Scaling Object Size (default=1.0 in current units). Note: This also changes the size of light icons, helper objects, and other non-scaling objects in the scene.Legacy Cameras Legacy cameras are the camera types provided by 3ds Max in releases prior to 3ds Max 2017. There are two kinds of legacy camera’ +A Target camera views the area around a target object. When you create a target ‘camera, you see a two-part icon representing the camera and its target (which displays as a small box). The camera and the camera target can be animated independently, so target cameras are easier to use when the camera does not move along a path. ‘+ AFree camera views the area in the direction the camera is aimed. When you create a free camera, you see a single icon representing the camera and its field of view. The ‘camera icon appears the same as a target camera icon, but there is no separate target icon to animate. Free cameras are easier to use when the camera's position is animated along a path. ‘The Camera Correction modifier lets you correct a camera view to 2-point perspective, in which vertical lines remain vertical. Tip: The Perspective Match utility allows you to start with a background photograph and create a camera object that has the same point of view. This is useful for site-specific scenes. Free Camera Free cameras view the area in the direction where the camera is aimed. Unlike target cameras, which have two independent icons for the target and the camera, free cameras are represented by a single icon, making them easier to animate. + Create panel > Cameras > Object Type rollout > Free + Default menu: Create menu > Cameras > Free Camera + Alt menu: Objects menu > Cameras > Free Camera You can use a Free camera when the camera's position is animated along a trajectory, as ina walkthrough of a building or when the camera is attached to a moving vehicle, The free camera can bank as it travels along the path. Ifa camera needs to be directly overhead in a scene, use a free camera to prevent the camera from spinning about its axis.