Creating in 3D becomes more and more friendly every passing day with new tools being released. These are incredibly helpful for working on various objects and most aid us in one important aspect: creating the most in less time.
I do the majority of my work in 3ds Max, and one thing I love is that animations can be quickly modified as many times as we need, allowing us to speed up our process and add complexity.
This time I'll be using a plugin called MadCar. Back in issue 310, I showed you how to animate a car wheel using 3ds Max's built-in tools, and at the end we had a vehicle with fully animated tyres that moved in a straight line. Here we'll rig the car in a much more fun and interactive way.
The idea here is to create the animation in real-time, which means actually driving the car in the scene just like you would in a video game. We'll add dummies and use some of the other tools the plugin brings, including the car's suspension.
01 SPLIT THE WHEELS FROM THE CAR
The first step is to select the right model to work with. We can have an amazing sports car with the wheels attached, but it will mean extra work splitting away the wheels and other components. Most of the time I select a model with the wheels separate from the chassis to avoid wasting the time. Once you get the full workflow down, you can use any car model and also place it in your model library.
02 SET THE MAIN WHEEL DUMMY
It's time to begin the process of adding dummies for the wheels. Set the Viewport to a side view so you can see the wheels, then go to the Helpers tab in the Create menu and select MadCar. Remember to have the Snaps turned on, click on the wheel and drag it to create the dummy. We can adjust its size and position later.
03 ADJUST THE WHEEL DUMMIES
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super Founders Edition
On the surface, the GeForce RTX 4080 Super is barely any different from the vanilla GeForce RTX 4080 that was launched in 2022.
MCU VFX moments
Pros choose their favourite CG shots from the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Nosing around on Fallout
We sniff out the story of how FutureWorks brought The Ghoul to life with the creation of his iconic noseless face
DISCOVER RED GIANT GEO'S HANDY TOOLS
Heather Sterland introduces one of the newest additions to Maxon's suite of Red Giant VFX plugins with an atmospheric lunar creation
BUILD AND ANIMATE A FUN-FILLED ROBOT
Expand your horizons with Julio Benavides, who reveals his workflow for creating a charming hard-surface character
DESIGN STRIKING SCULPTS AT SPEED
Learn how to build 3D characters that balance visual quality and efficient workflow with pro advice from Oh Holy Mary
CREATE A CANYON ENVIRONMENT
Build a stunning desert setting with an expert walkthrough from Romain Eboli, who uses high-quality Quixel assets
TURN A 2D CONCEPT INTO AN INCREDIBLE 3D-PRINTED FIGURE
Concept artist Emily Chapman shares her process for sculpting, printing and painting an outstanding model to put on display
Goodbye SAIGON
Trevor Hogg gets held captive by multiple versions of Robert Downey Jr.while uncovering the visual effects of HBO's spy series The Sympathizer
IMPRESSIONISTIC REALISM
Trevor Hogg learns how the artisan aesthetic came to be for The Wild Robot