3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Modeling a Tree in 3DS Max Part 1: Trunk and Branches

This tutorial is compulsory for everyone in the Creating Real World Landscapes class. You must send me your finished tree by the 8th April.

Your objective is to make a Tree more interesting tree than the one I make in this tutorial..

Find or take photographic references and work from those. Good luck.

Tree known as “The Bonsai”Bialowieza National Park, Poland

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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InterfaceThe following three are usually the first keys I press when starting with an empty scene:G – Hide/Show Grid. You might use the Grid to see where 0,0,0 is or use it to Snap to.J – Show Selection Bracket Toggle. Kill the brackets, those white lines around the bounds of your mesh.Alt + W - Maximise the active viewport. I encourage you to work in the perspective viewport from the begining so you can build navigation skills. The cardinal views, front, right, top etc are useful at times but less significant these days thanks to better 3d navigation methodologies.

The following four keys are the basic selection and edit modes:Q – Select. Enables the Select tool. Itʼs good to use instead of sitting on the Move or Scale tools because you can accidentally alter your mesh when trying to select it with those tools. Pressing ʻQʼ repeatedly will alter the Marquee Select function though so take care.W – Select and MoveE – Select and RotateR – Select and Scale

S - Snap. Right click the Snap icon to choose Snap functions. You will often want to turn off grid and turn on Vertex Mode.

NavigationRide the Middle Mouse Button and the Alt key to navigate the viewport:

Hold the Middle Mouse Button to drag/move through viewport.

Hold it while also holding the ALT key to rotate the viewport.

The middle Scroll wheel is also used to Zoom in and out on the viewport. Hold the ALT key to Zoom more gradually.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Center ObjectRight Click the Move icon to bring up the input window. Right Click on the Spinners to set them to 0.0, or just type in the values.

Now you know how to center an object.

This is important because it sets the Pivot Point of our tree. When we place it in the Game World this is the point that will snap to the ground and where it will rotate from. In this case it will be the base of our Tree.

Right Click Convert to Edit Poly3DS Max has 2 basic modes for editing your object, Edit Mesh and Edit Poly. Edit Mesh is a legacy mode and you should work in Poly mode as much as you can where you can.

So Right Click on your Box and go to Convert To > Convert to Editable Poly..

Edit Poly is the basic Modifier you usually work in. Modifiers are tools for editing and sculpting our mesh objects.

3DS Max has the ability to ʻStackʼ Modifiers on top of each other as a kind of history so you can make adjustments to things you did previously.

If you are working on a simple object like the Tree in this tutorial you donʼt really need to keep Edit Modes and Modifiers in your Stack, meaning you can Convert to Poly after applying any operations you perform. This keeps things simple.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Select FaceHit ʻ4ʼ and select Face mode of Edit Poly.

Click down on the vertical axis, ʻZʼ on the gizmo. Drag it up..

ScaleWhile the face is still selected hit ʻRʼ to choose the Scale tool and gently drag, either the X, Y plane or the whole thing in this case.

Youʼll notice the Gizmo turns yellow to indicate what plane is selected.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Select Ring of edges and ConnectFirst Select 1 edge and then click Alt + R or hit the Ring button.

Youʼll see that the ring of edges around the model are selected.

Click the square next to Connect to bring up the Connect Dialogue Box and choose around 8 segments.

now these new Loops of edges that you have just created are selected.

The Connect tool is very powerful when you want to divide and add more polygons / edges to your mesh. Weʼll use it often when making this cool Tree.

Delete FacesSelect both Faces at the ends of the mesh and hit Delete. Doing this will make things easier when we start to apply a material and UV map the mesh because we will essentially have a simple cylinder to work with.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Applying a Material

The Material Editor can be a bit daunting to the new user, however letʼs take a look at how to simply assign a Material to our mesh.

First hit ʻMʼ to bring up the Material Editor. Scroll down and click open the Maps section. Tick Diffuse Color and click the tab labelled ʻNoneʼ next to it.

This brings up another window where weʼll choose Bitmap. From here we browse for the Texture we want to use.

The Material Editor will switch to the properties of the Diffuse Texture. Weʼll click the Go To Parent button shown in the image on the right here, and return to the maps section.

Here youʼll see your texture in the slot next to Diffuse Color...

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Assign Material To SelectionWith your mesh selected, click the Assign Material To Selection button and then the Show Standard Map in Viewport button.

You should see a stretched material applied to our object.

Applying the UVW Map Modifier

Go to Modifiers on the right hand panel and scroll down to choose UVW Map.

Inside the UVW Map modifier choose Cylindrical.

Imagine an A4 sheet of paper with a picture of tree bark on it. Now wrap that sheet around your leg. You have now applied cylindrical UV mapping to your leg, well done. In essence that is what we are doing here.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Scale the UVW Mapping using GizmoTo the left of the UVW Mapping heading is a small ʻ+ʼ. Click it and you will see Gizmo drop down. Click this and then choose the Scale tool. Scale the Gizmo down on the vertical axis by click-dragging on the Scale toolʼs Z axis until the Bark Texture doesnʼt look stretched anymore.

When youʼre done, right click on your object and convert to Edit Poly.

This is our basic Trunk.

Letʼs Scale the base a little..

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Remove Edge LoopSelect the edge you see in the left image and then hit Alt + L to select the Loop. While Holding Ctrl, hit Delete or click the Remove button.

Now you have successfully deleted some edges without destroying any faces or effecting the UV Mapping. This is very handy to know.

Preserve UVʼsTo move edges without stretching the UV Mapping check Preserve UVs checkbox under Edit Geometry in the right panel.

Letʼs drag some edges down as in the image on the left.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Apply the Push ModifierThe Push Modifier is a kind of scale that makes the selection thicker or thinner. Think of it as inhaling or exhaling the mesh elements that youʼve selected.

It will be very useful for controlling the thickness of the the tube-like Branches of our tree.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Chamfer EdgesNow choose an edge loop where you want the first Branch to occur. Click the square next to Chamfer to bring up the dialogue window and adjust the Chamfer Amount so that the new Edge Loops roughly create a square on the Trunk. Thatʼs .3m for me.

Select a face on one side of the chamfered section and hit ʻEʼ to rotate it slightly so that the Branch we are about to extrude protrudes at a more natural angle.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Extrude Face to Create ShoulderHit Shift + E or bring up the Extrude dialogue box and bring the face out a short distance.

Rotate the face again and Extrude it out further this time.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Scale down the face again slightly, Rotate and Extrude once more and we have our first Branch..

Continue

Continue this process of Chamfering Edge Loops and Extruding and Rotating faces until you have something that resembles the form in the image to the right here.

Have fun choosing where you want your Branches to grow so that you get an arrangement that feels natural to you.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Select BranchWith the face selected you can hit Grow to increase the selection to include the whole Branch.

DetatchWe want to UV Map the brach seperately so weʼll Detatch it. Once the Branch is selected hit Detatch and hit OK.

Here we can just use the default settings to Detatch the Branch as object. It

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Select our Detatched Branch and hit Alt + Q to enter Isolation Mode.

This is not a necessary step but itʼs a good to know how to use this mode when you want to concentrate on one element.

Deleting the end face will make the Branch easier to UV Map.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Select Unwrap UVWSelect Unwrap UVW from the Modifier drop down. Be sure you are not in a subobject mode such as having a face selected.

The first thing to do in Unwrap UVW Mode is to hit Edit to bring up the UV Editing Window

Check Show Seams if it is not checked already so we can view the seam we about to make.

Click Edit Seams select the edges along the upper edge of the Branch.

This is where the texture will wrap around and meet so itʼs better to place it on the upper Branch as in the context of a game itʼs more likely the player camera will look at the tree from below than above. So in doing this we are trying to hide the seam.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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When youʼre done cutting a new seam in the Branch mesh, uncheck Edit Seam and select Face Mode, which is now changed itʼs keyboard shortcut to ʻ3ʼ.

Select all the faces of our Branch in the Edit Window and click Pelt.

You hould see a strange ʻwebʼ attachted to your faces in the Edit Window now. This is the Pelt frame that will pull your faces out from all directions in the UV plane.

Click Start pelt then Stop Pelt. Click Start Relax then Stop Relax. Click Commit.

You should now have a set of faces in the Edit Window that resembles the Branch as if it has been unwrapped.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Rotate the selected faces so they are vertical in the Edit Window. The Blue Box you see in there represents the size of your texture. You need to scale your Branches and the tree Trunk in relation to each other, so make a decision about what scale looks good and stick to it.

Collapse to Edit Poly and now you have your first Branch textured and UV Mapped.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Branches MappedDelete the faces from the ends of the other Branches and repeat the mapping process until they are all mapped.

We will address texture scale mismatches further along in the tutorial.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Attach Branches to TrunkWith the Trunk selected click Attach and then click on each Branch until they are all part of the Trunk mesh.

WeldSelect all the Vertices of the tree mesh and click Weld to join them.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Tweak Branch ShapeCreate new Edge Loops along the Branches and move them gently to tweak the shape of the Branch.

Avoid Flattening or Squashing the MeshThe Branch forms are quite narrow and itʼs important the mesh follows the form so that what you see in the image to the left doesnʼt happen.

Select and Rotate the Edge Loop to fix it.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Branches Tweaked.. Hit ʻ3ʼ to select Edge Border Mode and then click Cap to recreate those polygons we deleted before.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Create a new Edge Loop around the whole Tree MeshFirst Select one Edge at the base, it doesnʼt matter which one. Hit Alt + R to select a Ring. This ring should go all the way around one side of the Tree mesh and is the reason we capped the open ends in the previous step, otherwise the Ring selection would have stopped at the missing polygon.

Click Connect to create a new Edge Loop where our Ring selection was.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Rounding Out the Mesh with Push ModifierApply the Push Modifier on the new Edge Loop. Adjust it only slightly so that the thinnest elements of the selected Branches donʼt expand too much.

Collapse back to Edit Poly and deselect the thinnest areas of the Branches. Then apply the Push Modifier again. You may need to do this several times until the thickest part of the Trunk at the base

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Repeat for Branches..Repeat the process for the other side of the Tree Mesh and then repeat for the Branches, taking care of the thinnest areas.

Scale and tweak Problem AreasSpend some time adjusting areas that were effected badly by the Push Modifier using Move and Scale and perhaps even the Push Modifier again.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Delete and RepeatSome Edges might be easier to Delete and Recreate.

After Deleting select the Edge Ring with Alt + R and click Connect. Then readjust the Edge Loop to create a natural bend in the Branch.

Looking better!

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Texture Scale MismatchWe want to ensure the texture scale is consistent throughout and you donʼt have some Branches which seem blurry, but rather have the same scale as the main Trunk.

So go back into the Unwrap UVW Modifier, click Edit, in the Edit Window under Tools choose Pack UVʼs, uncheck Normalize Clusters and click Ok.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Select all the faces in the Edit Window, Rotate them so they are Vertical, ensuring that the grain of the Bark texture runs along the length of the Branches and Trunk and not the other way.

The scale of the faces should be roughly what you see in the images to the left here.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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From the drop down at the top right of the Edit Window choose Checker Patter (checker). This new texture you have applied helps judge the relative scale and distortion of the UV mapping.

Hit ʻ3ʼ to select faces, check Select Element at the bottom of the Edit Window and select and Scale each Branch piece in relation tot he Trunk so that they are all roughly the same scale re the checker pattern.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Getting there! Smoothing Groupshit ʻ4ʼ for subobject Face Mode then scroll down to Smoothing Groups. Hit Clear All and then choose ʻ1ʼ from the range of numbers there.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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FFD ModifierGo to the Modifier drop down and choose the FFD Modifier. First, under the FFD Modifier at the top of the right panel, click the ʻ+ʼ and then click Control Points from the drop down.

You can also uncheck Lattice if you prefer to just see the Control Points on screen.

Youʼll see that you can control large areas of the mesh in a fluid way with the FFD Modifier.

Now select one or more planes of the Control Points at a time and make subtle adjustments, Moving, Rotating and Scaling slightly to give a more natural irregularity to the tree form.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Be Careful!Using the FFD Modifier can squash the thinner elements of your Tree. So take care and keep an eye on those parts, they are difficult to repair.

You could also apply the FFD Modifier to a single Branch if you like.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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In addition to or instead of the FFD Modifier..You could simply select groups of Vertices and make adjustments to the mesh that way.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Looking more natural!Shift Drag CloneSelect the tree and while using the Move tool, hold Shift and Drag a new Copy of the tree out. It is good practice to name this something meaningful to you as you create it.

I also recommend saving a copy of your Tree so far in a separate file in case you want to return to this earlier version for whatever reason.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Scale DownScale down the new Tree Copy so that we can use it as a Branch!

Delete the Faces under itʼs base, and Scale the base element down a little.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Add BranchesNow have fun Moving, Rotating and Scaling the new Branch element around the Tree adding it here and there. Of course you will have to Move + Shift Copy the Branch many times as you do this.

The join is not perfect but itʼs OK.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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Attaching a New BranchTo connect a new Branch to the Trunk mesh first select the Trunk and then click Attach before you click the Branch mesh.

Now they are part of the same mesh there are several ways we could connect the Vertices. One way is to select the Borders and the click Bridge. After doing this you could select the new Edge Ring and then click Collapse. The Texture Mapping wonʼt be perfect but it will be better if you do this.

You could also enter Vertices subobject level by hitting ʻ1ʼ and then click Target Weld on the right panel. Next click on a Vert on the Branch and click on the corresponding Vert on the Tree. You will see a line and then the Verts will be welded together.

3DS Max Basics: Creating a Tree Tutorial. Creating Real World Landscapes: Chad Chatterton 2010 ITU

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All We Need Now are the Leaves..Hit ʻ7ʼ to see the Poly Count and Vert Count in the top left corner of the work space.

My Tree is approx 3,700 Verts / Polys at this stage, which is a little high. I Selected and then Deleted some of the smallest branches and brought the count down by 1,000.

In the next stage weʼll reintroduce some of those finer branches as a Texture when adding the Leaves.