Modeling withExtended Primitives

James Martin High SchoolAnimation

Instructor: G. Patton

From: CHAPTER 3 – 3DS MAX AND ITS APPLICATIONS

1. What are extended primitives?

Extended primitives are predefined geometric objects used in creating models that have slightly more refined parameters than standard primitives. The extended primitives are:

EXTENDED PRIMITIVES

Capsule Hedra Quad Patch

C-Ext Hose Ring Wave

Chamfer Box L-Ext Spindle

Chamfer Cylinder Oil Tank Torus Knot

Gengon Prism Tri Patch

2. What are patch grids?

Patch grids are flat, rectangular 2D objects made up of multiple triangular or rectangular faces.

3. What are the two types of patch grids?

Quad patch and Tri patch

4. How do the two types of patch grids differ from each other?

The number of segmented faces in a quad patch can be increased from the minimum 36 faces, but a tri patch is limited to 72 triangular faces.

5. What is the purpose of the P: and Q: spinners in the Family Parameters: area of the Parameters rollout when drawing a hedra?

Values entered in the P: and Q: spinners modify the vertices and faces of the hedra. The values are related and cannot exceed 1.0 when added together.

6. How many different shapes of facets can a hedra have?

A Hedra can have three different shapes of facets

7. What additional parameter does a chamfer box have over a box?

Chamfers have a fillet radius.

8. What does the value in the Height Segs: spinner determine when drawing a chamfer cylinder?

• It determines the number of divisions on the height of the cylinder..

9. What is a capsule?

A capsule is a cylinder with two rounded end caps that are hemispheres having the same diameter as the cylinder..

10. How does an oil tank differ from a capsule?

• In an oil tank, the height parameters of the hemispherical end caps can be changed.

• An oil tank also has a blend parameter that can be set to create a bevel between the cylinder and each end cap, providing a smooth transition between faces.

11. How does a spindle differ from an oil tank?

The end caps of a spindle are cones, the end caps of a prism are hemispheres.

12.What is a prism?

A prism is an object having five faces, including two parallel triangular ends and three sides.

13. How does a gengon differ from a prism?

The base of a gengon is a regular polygon. rather than a triangle, and the number of sides can be set and filleted. Whereas the sides of a prism cannot.

14. What is a typical use for L-Ext and C-Est objects?

• An L-Ext has a L-shaped base and can be used to quickly create walls, fences, and other L-shaped objects.

• A C-Ext has a C-shaped base and can be used to create similar objects.

15. How does a torus knot differ from a standard torus?

• A torus knot is a complex object that has a knotted form and more parameters than a standard torus.

• A torus knot uses a 3D curve as its path, rather than a 2D curve.

• The base curve of a torus knot can be a circle or knot.

16. What does the Warp Count: value determine when drawing a torus knot?

The Warp Count: value determines how many “bumps” there are around the circumference of the circle in a circular torus.

17. What does the Warp Height: value determine when drawing a torus knot?

The Warp Height: value determines how “big” the bumps are around the circumference of the circle in a circular torus.

18. What is a common use for a ring wave?

A ring wave can be used for many different special effects, such as an outer space explosion, because its irregularity can be animated.

19. What is the Ring Wave Timing area of the Parameters rollout used for?

The Ring Wave Timing area is used to animate the growth, or explosion, of the ring wave.

20. What are the three basic shapes for a hose?

A hose can be:

- Circular

- Rectangular

- D-shaped.