From the course: 3ds Max 2020 Essential Training

Extruding with the Sweep modifier - 3ds Max Tutorial

From the course: 3ds Max 2020 Essential Training

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Extruding with the Sweep modifier

- [Instructor] Earlier in the chapter, we saw how to make a spline renderable, by just turning on that switch in the modify panel. And we can make a spline render as a tube or as a rectangular prism. But if we want to create a complex object from a series of splines, and also make sure that the joints of that object are seamless, then we can use a Sweep modifier. And I'll use it in this case to create the framing for the glass walls of this office building. And I've got two editable spline objects already built. This one is called window frame west, and this is window frame north. And we can see that if we go into the Modify panel that they are line objects or editable spline objects, they're the same thing. And I want to create a frame from this. So let's add the Sweep modifier go into the modified panel, to the Modify list, scroll down, and we've got Sweep. So click to add that. And let's get in really close in the perspective, you'll maximize it with Alt + W, and get in really close. And we can see that it's got some thickness, it's made 3D, tumble around. And if we go to the other side, we can see that it's actually an angle bracket. So we have some built-in sections here in the Sweep modifier. For example, we could just use a simple bar. But if we want an angled bar, let's say I want chamfers on all of these, I don't have an option for that here. I've got cylinder, pipe and so on, but there's no chamfered or filleted bar. But, we can add our own custom section, and that's what this option is for here. We need to create a rectangle or some other spline object. So let's do that, we'll go back to the Create panel, to shapes, and make a rectangle. And you can create it anywhere, it's probably best to create it at the origin, so you'll be able to find it later. Go back to the top view port with Alt + W. Alt + W again to get really close, zoom in, and then let's create the rectangle at the origin here. We can turn on snaps, I'll use 3D snaps, and right click and make sure I'm snapping to grid points, and just draw that out, and then right click. Go into its modify panel, and let's rename it, we'll call it window profile. In its parameters, set the length and width to 10 cm. Type in a 10, press the tab key, type in another 10, press the tab key. And for a filleted shape, we'll give it a corner radius, let's make it one cm. Get in closer with the mouse wheel. We've got a rounded corner. If I want a straight chamfer, then I can accomplish that by going into the interpolation settings and bringing the number of steps down to one, or zero actually. Here we go, so now I've got a nice chamfered edge on that rectangle. And we can apply that as the profile curve in the Sweep modifier. Go back to the perspective view, Alt + W. Reselect the window frame object. In the Sweep modifier, choose use custom section, then click the button labeled pick and click on the window profile object that we just created. And now that's the custom profile, we can get in close here, we can see that we've got a chamfered edge on that. Maybe tumble around. And this is an instance, you'll see that instance is currently selected. I can go back to the profile object and make changes, such as increase the corner radius, and we can see that that's updating in real time. I'll set the corner radius to two cm. And I could easily apply that same Sweep modifier by just pasting it into the other object. So select the frame, so window frame north, and then select Sweep modifier, right click, and copy. Go out to the perspective view, select the other window frame object, window frame west, right click in the modifier list and choose paste instanced. And now they'll both share that same Sweep modifier, and any changes to one will affect them both. Get in real close here and verify that. Reselect the profile object and play around with the corner radius, and you'll see that it's changing both of them simultaneously. And let's investigate this a little further by checking out the topology here. Go to the perspective view and maximize it with Alt + W, and enable the edged faces, or wire frame on shaded option, with F4. And we see that we have very nice topology here, these joints are perfectly seamless. If we wanted to, we could go ahead and change up the interpolation on that spline. If we added more points on the spline object, then that would increase the level of detail here, but it's already pretty optimal. That's how to apply a Sweep modifier to model extruded forms from complex splines.

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