Lesson 2: Spaceship Modeling

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To design our spaceship, we looked at the U.S. Apollo space program and Russian manned space projects (Fig. 2.1). But, before we start modeling, the main task should be determined. From this, we can see that there is no need to create an incredibly detailed model. Most of the time, the spaceship will be relative far from the camera. During the small period of time that the spaceship is near the camera, at a distance where its details could be discernable, it will move at a fairly high speed relative to the observer, and its motion will blur those details.

Figure 2.1: Spaceship sketch

Spaceship Geometry Creation

The first thing to do is to determine the set of individual objects. The main structure consists of the propulsion unit, lunar module (see Lesson 3) and living area. Three solar panels, directed at the Sun, and a communications antenna, directed at the Earth, are attached to this complex.

We will model the parts of the spaceship using geometrical primitives. 3ds max provides an extensive selection of primitives, with material indices (Material ID) for various pre-assigned surfaces and texture coordinates (UVW Coordinates) generated automatically. The examples to be discussed demonstrate when this helps and when this hampers modeling.

Before we start the process, we recommend that you specify the measurement units. It should be mentioned that, in 3ds max, the units are somewhat arbitrary and not as important as in CAD systems, but their use adds a certain austerity to the modeling process and helps avoid problems when several projects are united in one.

• Make one unit of 3ds max equal to one millimeter - the unit commonly used in engineering to denote linear sizes:

  • Main menu à Customize à Units Setup à System Units Setup

  

Note 

The developers of 3ds max do not recommend changing this parameter without utter necessity. Frankly, we do not quite understand why: After many years of work with 3ds max, we never encountered any difficulties. We therefore recommend that you see the effects and why they occur for yourself. We will use millimeters as the measurement unit in this lesson and meters in the next one. Problems (if any) will arise when all the objects are shown in one scene.

It is usually sufficient to specify the units to be displayed. 3ds max will work internally with inches by default and convert them into the units you specify for display.

If you load a file with system units different from those in current use, the Respect System Units in Files flag should be checked. You will then be able to adjust the object to conform with the current system units, or adjust the system units to conform with those of the file. If the flag is not checked, 3ds max will ignore the units of the file being loaded, which may lead to unpredictable results.

• Set the units for display:

  • Main menu à Customize à Units Setup à Millimeters

  

• Enable snaps to grid points:

  • Main menu à Customize à Grid and Snap Settings à Snaps (Fig. 2.2, a)

    
    Figure 2.2: Snaps (a) and Home Grid (b) settings

• Set the grid spacing to 100 millimeters:

  • Main menu à Customize à Grid and Snap Settings à Home Grid (Fig. 2.2, b)

The Inhibit Perspective View Grid Resize option requires explanation. When it is checked, the grid in the projecton preview window can only be resized to the extent specified by the Perspective View Grid Extent parameter. When it is unchecked, the grid is not so restrained, as in the previous versions of 3ds. You can use this option as you please.

Tip 

Later, you will be able to access this window by simply clicking the right mouse button in the main panel.

• Activate snaps to the grid (<S> key).

• In the Front viewport at the coordinate origin, create a cylinder with a radius of 3000 millimeters, height of 4000 millimeters, and the parameters shown in Fig. 2.3:

  • Main menu à Create à Standard Primitives à Cylinder

  
  Figure 2.3: Cylinder parameters for modeling the propulsion unit

Explanation 

By default, 3ds max partitions cylinders by height into 5 segments. In our case, this is absolutely unnecessary. Set the Height Segments parameter to 1.

Check the Generate Mapping Coords flag.

Tip 

It is often convenient to create a primitive using the keyboard (Control panel à…à Keyboard Entry).

Note 

To avoid repetition, in the future we will not indicate where to initiate the creation of a primitive. There are four primary methods in 3ds max: first, via the main menu (Create à Standard Primitives, Extended Primitives); second, in the control panel (Create à Geometry); third, in the context menu, accessed by holding the <Ctrl> key while pressing the mouse button, then select Primitives (there are only a few in this menu, but you can add more if you want); finally, via the Objects panel. It is a matter of preference which way you choose.

• Go to the Perspective viewport and maximize it to full screen (<Alt>+<W> key combination).

• Switch to Shaded object display in the viewport (<F3> key) and turn on the rib display (<F4> key).

• Select the AutoGrid flag in the control panel.

  

• Rotate the view as you feel comfortable and create a truncated cone (corresponding to the mid-flight engine nozzle) with the parameters shown in Fig. 2.4.

  
  Figure 2.4: Truncated cone, corresponding to the rear side of the propulsion unit, and its parameters

  Explanation 

  Set the Sides value to match that of the cylinder.

• Align the cone and cylinder. Begin as follows:

  • Main panel à Align

  

• Click on the cylinder and set the parameters in Fig. 2.5.

  
  Figure 2.5: Align Selection window with parameters to center the cone and cylinder

Note 

We assume you know how to navigate viewports, and will not cover that here. See Lesson 12 for further information.

Note 

In our book "3ds max 4: From Objects to Animation," we repeatedly recommended that you assign unique and meaningful names to your objects. Now would be a good time to do so with this example, but it is not necessary, as all parts of the spaceship will be combined into a single object.

In our opinion, further modeling is straightforward and will not be considered in much detail. The following discussion is a brief outline of the steps to be taken.

First, ensure that the Generate Mapping Coords parameter is checked when creating each primitive, because 3dx max deselects it by default.

Turn the truncated cone into a mid-flight engine nozzle by applying the Edit Mesh modifier. Select the polygon covering the nozzle and delete it (Fig. 2.6, a):

• Main menu à Modifiers à Mesh Editing à Edit Mesh

• Context menu à Sub-object à Polygon

Figure 2.6, a: Spaceship-body creation

Put ring tubes (Tube) along the nozzle. Place the tubes so that part of them extend inside (Fig. 2.6, b).

Figure 2.6, b-d: Spaceship-body creation

Tip 

After creating the first ring, you can copy it several times, adjust the parameters and move them along the longitudinal axis by holding the <Shift> key.

For the rings on the propulsion module, use Chamfer Cylinder primitives with a small chamfer value (Fig. 2.6, c). Many users neglect the chamfers, thinking they would be invisible anyway. In reality, they are visible, maybe too much! The chamfers create a feeling of authenticity that the works of beginners often lack.

You can also use the Chamfer Cylinder primitive for the lunar module (Fig. 2.6, d). Once it is created, use the Edit Mesh modifier to delete the unnecessary polygons.

Warning 

Don't Collapse the stack of modifiers, as you may still need to change the cylinder's parameters.

Use the common cylinder "decorated" with flanges to make the transfer hatch from the propulsion module to the living area.

You can easily build the living area by simply copying the lunar module, deleting the Edit Mesh modifier and correcting the parameters (Fig. 2.6, e).

Figure 2.6, e: Spaceship-body creation

Finally, make the hatch between the living area and the lunar module.

Try to render the spaceship by pressing the <F9> key in the perspective window.

At this point, you can see that most of the elements are disturbingly angular. This is easy to fix: Double the number of sides in the primitives' parameters. This should be done for the propulsion module (both the front and rear parts), the living area and the lunar module, as well as for the "seams" of these objects.

Note 

For the lunar module, this procedure is a little difficult. When you try to change the primitive's properties, you will be warned that there is a modifier in the stack (Edit Mesh) that strongly depends on these parameters (Fig. 2.7). Confirm your wish to continue and make the necessary changes. You will see that the result of the Edit Mesh modifier leaves much to be desired. We will not go into detail explaining this problem, but note that it can be solved by deleting the modifier from the stack and applying it again.

Figure 2.7: Warning that a modifier in the stack depends on the primitive's parameters

Tip 

It is easier to select components of objects with the basic projections; in this case, on the Left or Top viewport.

Note 

The current intermediate stage of construction of the spaceship is on the companion CD-ROM in the file \Lessons\Lesson02\scenes\lesson02-01.max.

Continue editing by creating the engines used to orient the spaceship. We suggest that you make them separately from everything else. To do so, select all of the objects and hide them:

• Main menu à Edit à Select All or <Ctrl>+<A> keys

• Context menu à Hide Selection

Tip 

The keyboard hotkey for the Hide Selection command is not initially defined in 3ds max. We recommend that you to assign it:

Main menu à Customize à Customize User Interface à Keyboard inlay

Select the Hide Selection command in the Action list.

Click in the Hotkey window and press the key that you think is most suitable for this command (we selected the <*> key on the numeric keypad).

If this key is already defined, you will be warned in the Assigned to window. If so, select another key or key combination.

Press the Assign button to save your choice.

We recommend that you to assign hotkeys for Hide Selection, Hide Unselected, and Unhide All. We selected the combinations <*>, <Ctrl>+<*>, and <Alt>+<*>, respectively, where the <*> key is on the numeric keypad.

For our purposes, the orientation engines function as a unit on the surface of the spaceship, with the nozzles pointed in various directions. It is not very difficult to build them:

• Draw a Box in the Top viewport with dimensions of 600 × 300 × 300 millimeters.

• Convert it to an editable mesh object:

  • Context menu à Convert to à Convert to Editable Mesh

• Select the upper polygon and reduce its size, so that you end up with a truncated pyramid (Fig. 2.8, a):

  • Context menu à Sub-object à Polygon

  • Context menu à Scale or <R> key

  
  Figure 2.8: Orientation engines

• Create the nozzles in the same manner as that of the mid-flight engine (Fig. 2.8, b).

• Select the truncated pyramid and attach the nozzles to it:

  • Context menu à Attach

• Select and delete the polygons covering the exhaust of the nozzles:

  • Context menu à Sub-object à Polygon

Now you have to place the orientation engine on the surface of the propulsion module. You can do so by simply dragging it, but there is another method you should try: aligning the normals of the appropriate surfaces (Normal Align command).

• Unhide all objects:

  • Context menu à Unhide All

• Select the orientation engine and position it near the rear end of the propulsion module. Use the Normal Align command:

  • Main panel à Normal Align

  

• Select the bottom surface of the orientation engine. This surface will be marked with a blue arrow representing its normal (Fig. 2.9, a).

  
  Figure 2.9, a: Using the Normal Align command

• If necessary, adjust the viewport in order to select the surface on the propulsion module with which the engine will be aligned. This surface will be marked with a green arrow.

• Enter the parameters in the dialog box so that the engine is positioned correctly (Fig. 2.9, b).

  
  Figure 2.9, b: Using the Normal Align command

• Adjust the orientation engine if necessary.

Tip 

It is convenient to move the engine using local coordinates.

Main panel à Reference Coordinate System à Local or <Alt>+Context menu à Local

Now you have to make copies of the engine for three other sides of the propulsion module. To do so, clone the object and turn it around the module's center by following these steps:

• Main panel à Reference Coordinate System à Pick

• Select the object which will be used as the center of rotation.

• Select the object's center as the Transform Coordinate Center.

• Turn the object 90 degrees around the Z-axis while holding the <Shift> key.

  

• Set the Clone dialog parameters as shown in Fig. 2.10, a. You should have the result shown in Fig. 2.10, b.

  
  Figure 2.10: Clone Options window (a) and the result of copying the orientation engines (b)

We will not consider the process of editing the remainder of the spaceship body in detail, except for a few cases that deserve special attention. You can find the result on the CD-ROM in the file \Lessons\Lesson02\scenes\lesson02-02.max.

We built the open aerial towers using the quadrangular truncated cone, divided into several sections by height, and by applying the Lattice modifier (Fig. 2.11, a). Then we applied the Edit Mesh modifier and worked on the vertices:

• Control panel à…à Modifier List à Lattice, Edit Mesh

Figure 2.11, a and b: Modeling different elements of the spaceship

The aerial dishes were made with the use of the Semi-sphere primitive (Fig. 2.11, b), also with further modification by the Edit Mesh modifier.

The solar panels were built using the Box primitive with large partitions (Fig. 2.11, c). You will see later how this partitioning is used.

Figure 2.11, c-e: Modeling different elements of the spaceship

The docking hooks come from a Box adjusted with the Edit Mesh modifier and duplicated around the general center (Fig. 2.11, d).

The portholes consist of Semi-sphere and Tube primitives.

We also put handholds and ladders on the surface of the spaceship using renderable shapes. They are what visually determine the size of the ship, for the size of astronauts who use them is implied and gives a subconscious estimate of the size of the whole construction. In order to attach them to the surface of the ship, we first had to set the parameters shown in Fig. 2.11, e.

Note 

Notice that the Sides and Steps values are small. Modeling efficiently and recognizing when great precision is not needed can save you several minutes or hours at final rendering.

As a final step, we selected all the objects and specified that they are made of the same material:

• Select all objects.

• Open the material editor (<M> key).

• Select any preview window (Material slot) and press the Assign to Selection button.

  

Tip 

We want to use a double-sided material, so make sure the 2-Sided flag is checked in the material's parameters.

The basic geometry of the spaceship is ready (Fig. 2.12). Now it is time to look at different materials.

Figure 2.12: Result of rendering the spaceship

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