Mastering Dynamic Patterns in 3ds Max: A Step-by-Step Guide

Avatar Khireddine Z | August 25, 2024 3 Likes 0 Ratings
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Welcome back to another tutorial! If you're new here, I’m Khireddine, an architect and interior designer, working full-time as a digital nomad. I create content to help architects and interior designers design better projects, deliver impressive presentations, and increase their earnings. If that sounds like you, subscribe to my channel so you never miss a video.

In today’s tutorial, I’ll show you how to create dynamic patterns in 3ds Max in just a few easy steps. By the end of this post, you’ll be able to model various patterns effortlessly.

Let’s dive right in!

Step 1: Create the Base Shape

Start by opening 3ds Max and creating a rectangle. Adjust the dimensions to fit your project—I'll go with 3 meters by 50 cm. After that, right-click and convert it to an editable spline. To modify its shape, click the Vertices icon, then right-click again and choose Refine to add three vertices along one of the rectangle's edges.

Once you’ve done that, right-click again to disable the refine tool. Now, move the right-side vertices to form a broken line. To make this line smoother, select the vertices, right-click, and pick Smooth. If you want more control, choose Bezier Corner and adjust the handles to achieve the curve you want. Feel free to get creative with the shape!

Once satisfied with the form, go to the Modifiers list and apply a Shell modifier to give your shape thickness.

Step 2: Animate the Shape

Now, let’s add a basic animation. Turn on Auto Key in the animation bar at the bottom of the interface. Move the timeline key to the end and input a value in the Y axis—let’s say 500 cm—to shift the shape from left to right. Press Play to preview your animation.

Keep the Auto Key active and add some intermediate keys to make the shape more dynamic. Move the timeline to the middle, adjust the vertices to change the shape, and repeat this process at the end of the timeline. You can add as many keyframes as you like—just make sure to space them evenly.

Now, you should see your shape morphing as it moves across the screen.

Step 3: Duplicate the Shape Along Its Path

Next, go to the Tools menu and select Snapshot. Change the setting to Range, enter the desired number of copies, and click OK. 3ds Max will automatically duplicate the shape along its animated path.

Step 4: Fix Spacing Issues

You might notice that the distance between the duplicated shapes isn’t even. This happens because the default animation speed starts slow, speeds up, then slows down again. To fix this, open the Mini Curve Editor by clicking the small graph icon next to the timeline. Select all the vertices, then click the icon that says Set to Linear. This will ensure a consistent speed throughout the animation.

Now, repeat the Snapshot process, and your spacing will be even.

Step 5: Apply the Pattern to a Curved Line

What if you want the pattern to follow a curved path? No problem! Start by creating an arc or any curved line as the path. Then, create a point helper for better control—make sure to check the box for visibility.

With the point selected, go to Animation > Constraints > Path Constraints, and click on the curved path. The point will automatically move to the start of the path. If you notice that the point doesn’t rotate with the path, simply check the Follow box in the parameters.

Now, adjust your original shape’s pivot to the bottom, align it with the point using the Align tool, and rotate it as needed. Link the shape to the point, so it follows the path.

As before, enable Auto Key, add keyframes, and modify the shape along the path. Finally, use the Snapshot tool to create copies of the shape along the curved line.

Bonus Tip: Customizing the Shape

Don’t forget that you can take this further! Change the scale, rotation, or add additional modifiers to create unique variations of your pattern. The possibilities are endless with 3ds Max!

 

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Written by Khireddine Z