3DS Max

3ds max is a rendering package which we experimented with today in our first workshop for Secondlife.  In 3ds we used the prim composer in order to generate a sculptmap which we can later add to our inventory and use in Secondlife.

 3ds max has the option of looking at the model or object being created from four different views.  The four standard views are TOP, FRONT, LEFT and the angle can be changed for the last PERSPECTIVE view.
We can also see a grid of the object, which indicates to us how much we are stretching the object by.  This is helpful as when we apply a texture in Secondlife, we know which areas the texture will be stretched the most in the object.

The following images are a few sculpties created in order for me to familiarize myself with the software.

There is a soft selection tool which as shown above can help us to stretch objects will making the grid gradually stretched.  the red centre is the area in which the grid is stretched out the most and as the colours change, they represent areas on the object which are being stretched out less.

Also by changing the object to a poly mesh we can use the relax tool which can help reduce the amount the grid of our object is stretched however by using the relax tool, the object will alter in shape but it all depends on how much we use the relax tool.