Day: January 26, 2007

OK, so it isn’t really a contest. But there is a real, practical reason
for doing it! I need a new render node!
I’m trying to find the best machine I can for $1,000. This
is actually a lot harder than it used to be ‘back in the day’, as
machine options are all over the place.
My farm is a mess. There is nothing like any other. I’m retiring the
slowest node and replacing it’s hardware-if I can do it for $1,000.
So here are the boundaries/rules for the discussion:
1. Available on the web through any number of vendors for the entire
solution. A URL is needed for each part, groups of parts, or entire
system.
2. Low-end video out (render node).
3. Windows XP-compatible 32 bit hardware. Made for a 3ds Max 8 NR/DR
node. Multiple cores and processors are encouraged!
4. 120vac, 60Hz power.
5. NIC and a minimum HDD size. All files will be accessible via the
network where I have RAID drives serving everything up.
6. 2GB RAM.
7. Stand-alone solution. That is, not a blade requiring additional
housings, chassis, racks, etc. Other than this, form actor is not a..
well, factor!
8. Each solution should be presented in a single posting, illustrating
that all parts are compatible with each other. In other words, simply
saying that a certain chipset is best is not really useful for someone
trying to put an entire box together. What is useful is a complete list
of parts, with their URLs, so that someone like me could just go buy
the stuff.
9. To this end, if someone has posted a system that is close to what
you would have posted, simply edit their post and replace the
component(s) you want changed with the ones you suggest and update the
total, as per:
10. Include the price (in USD) of each line item, as well as the total,
in each post.
11. Multiple machines are not an option, as licensing costs go up, thus
offsetting any performance gains.
12. New is best, and preferred. If refurbished, it will need to be from
a reputable vendor with an exceptional service record offering an
equivalent warranty.
Another consideration for declaring a winner (well, the one I’ll
actually buy!) is the cost of shipping. Consider that each individual
part from separate vendors could equate to up to $100-$200 in shipping.
A $1,000 solution now becomes a $1,200 one.
Therefore, a solution involving the fewest amount of vendors (or free
shipping), or more practically the solution with the lowest overall
cost, is the one that will be used.
I anticipate more than one solution, and discussion around each. This
is because fast, older hardware may be cheaper to acquire than newer,
equivalent hardware. Be sure to back up your assertions with actual
benchmarking data whenever possible.
Prize? Hmm. Honorable mention not enough? Remember, I’m the guy paying
for the system you determine is best, so what else other than money?
Name the system after you?! :) Ideas?

Q: “I have just started to learn max for my dissertation in the past 2 months
and so far everythin has been ok. But i am currently creating a deck chair. I have created all the wooden parts but i have no idea how i can create the material section.

I was wondering is there a tool in max that will allow me to create it so it would slope like they do.”

A: I’d be daft not to ask what kind of a dissertation!

But as for the tool, are you talking about the material that is strung
between the wooden support elements? If you say “materials” to a 3ds
person, they think materials as in the screen you get when you hit the
hot key “m”.
Continue reading “Noise and beach chairs in 3ds Max”

I need help with creating a Lava material in 3ds Max version 6. I found
a tutorial on the internet but it is for the version 3 and needs a
plugin known as electric from Blur Beta. I cant use this on max 6 and
cant find it compatible for 6. I need to find a way to create Lava
Landscape effect in 3ds Max 6. Can anyone give me some ideas??????

I can’t for the life of me figure out why, but a book that has this and
many other effects for 3ds max 6 without plug-ins is actually more expensive
on Amazon than the version for 3ds max 8 (which I own).

Search for:
Deconstructing the Elements with 3ds max 6: Create natural fire, earth,
air and water without plug-ins by Pete Draper
These are excellent texts, with lots of color screen shots and
illustrations. The “Earth” chapter has tutorials for volcanic terrain,
lava, grass and dirt, grasses, frozen wastelands, mountains and
asteroids. Why that last one is under the “Earth” chapter is beyond me!
It comes with a DVD packed with all the materials used.
Website: www.deconstructingsupport.com and
http://www.petedraper.com/forum/default.asp?CAT_ID=20
Highly recommended.

When I animate something, why does the animation accelerate at the
beginning? How can I make the animation go the same speed all of the
time?

When you animate something in 3ds, and in most all others, you create
keyframes. How you transition into/out of these keyframes is what you
need to adjust. In 3ds, the default is to “ease out” and “ease in” to
these keyframes. That is, just as you’ve seen, the transitions are
gradually brought on, and gradually left.
The short answer (and there are at least 2 long answers I can think of):
1. Before you animate, change the keyframe easing for 3ds with the
button/icon just to the right of the “set key” button in the animation
toolbar. When you click you mouse on it, you’ll see a bunch of
choices, and after you play with them you’ll see how they each work.
2. The one you want it what I’d call a “linear” easing (I’d call the
default a quad). It is the straight line.
3. Animate like you normally would.
For noise, this is all you’ll need. But for more complex animations
where objects are moving in multiple dimensions, and you want to make
the easing different for each axis, well.. we’ll leave that for
another day!