Vecta3D MAX

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is Vecta3D MAX?
  2. What can Vecta3D MAX render?
  3. How do I use Vecta3D MAX?
  4. What rendering styles are available in Vecta3D MAX?
  5. How do I create Macromedia Flash or Adobe Illustrator files?
  6. How can I render animations?
  7. How can I alter the way a particular object is rendered?
  8. How can I apply the same outline style settings to multiple objects?
  9. How can I change the highlight styles?
  10. How can I render two-sided meshes?

How-Tos

  1. Rendering images with Vecta3D MAX
  2. Rendering to Macromedia Flash files
  3. Rendering filled images
  4. Outlines
  5. Highlights
  6. Rendering two-sided meshes
  7. Applying styles

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Vecta3D MAX?

Vecta3D MAX is a plugin for 3D Studio MAX which creates 2-dimensional vector images of 3D scenes and animations.

What can Vecta3D MAX render?

Vecta3D MAX can render almost any scene or animation which can be designed using 3D Studio MAX. It allows you to accurately render intersecting meshes without loss of detail and without needing meshes to be merged into one.

How do I use Vecta3D MAX?

There are three stages required to render an image using Vecta3D MAX.
  1. Arrange the objects in your scene as you wish them to be rendered.

  2. Make Vecta3D MAX the current renderer.

    3D Studio MAX has two renderers active at any time, referred to as the "Production Renderer" and the "Draft Renderer". Vecta3D MAX can be selected as either or both of these renderers.

    This can be done by selecting "Production Renderer" or "Draft Renderer" on the Vecta3D menu. If either of these menus is already selected, clicking on it again will turn off that instance of the Vecta3D renderer, replacing it with the default scanline renderer.

    Note: If you prefer, you can use 3D Studio MAX's built-in functionality to change the current renderers by selecting "Preferences" from the 3D Studio MAX File menu and looking under "Current Renderer" on the "Rendering" tab. This can also be used to turn off the Vecta3D MAX renderer.

  3. Render the image.

    3D Studio MAX provides two ways to render an image using the current renderer.

    1. The green teapot toolbar button.

      Clicking on the green teapot toolbar button at the right of 3D Studio MAX's default toolbar will render the image in the currently selected viewport using the current production renderer.

      Holding down the green teapot toolbar button will cause a flyoff menu to appear, from which you can select the grey teapot toolbar button. This will render the image in the currently selected viewport using the current draft renderer.

      Note: If you are not running 3D Studio MAX maximised, or if you are using a display resolution of 800x600 or smaller, the entirety of the 3D Studio MAX toolbar may not be visible. In this case, you will need to drag the toolbar to the left in order to locate the button. This is done by holding the mouse button down over the space on the toolbar between buttons. The mouse cursor should change to an image of a hand, and you will be able to move the toolbar left and right by moving the mouse.

    2. The Render Scene dialog.

      Selecting the "Render..." option from the Rendering menu in 3D Studio MAX will display the "Render Scene" dialog box. If you have set Vecta3D MAX to be the current production renderer as detailed above, the dialog should appear similar to this:

      Render Scene dialog box

      You can use the "Vecta3D Renderer" rollup panel to set the options used by Vecta3D MAX when rendering the image. These are described below.

      Note: If the "Vecta3D Renderer" rollup panel is not visible, you may have assigned Vecta3D MAX to be the draft renderer. In this case you can select it by clicking on the "Draft" option at the bottom-left corner of the dialog box. If the "Vecta3D Renderer" panel is still not visible, use the mouse to drag an empty part of the window up or down until you find it. You may need to click on the "Vecta3D Renderer" bar to expand the panel.

      If the "Vecta3D Renderer" panel is visible, you can render the currently selected viewport by clicking the "Render" button at the bottom of the dialog box. To change the viewport which you wish to render, you can use the "Viewport" listbox at the bottom of the dialog box.

    What rendering styles are available in Vecta3D MAX?

    Images rendered with Vecta3D MAX can include fills, outlines, or both (default). These options can be set independently for production and draft renderers. This can be done either using the "Production Options" and "Draft Options" items on the Vecta3D menu in 3D Studio MAX or from the "Render Scene" dialog.

    Vecta3D MAX also supports two other types of line rendering in addition to outlines; intersections and highlights. Intersection lines are drawn wherever two meshes or polygons intersect. Highlight lines are drawn at edges which form sharp angles on the mesh. Intersection lines and highlight lines can be turned on and off independently. As with fills and outlines, this is done separately for the production and draft renderers, either with the "Production Options" and "Draft Options" items on the Vecta3D menu or via the "Render Scene" dialog.

    Note: If thin black lines are appearing over other lines on your models, you will need to turn off intersection lines to solve the problem.

    How do I create Macromedia Flash or Adobe Illustrator files?

    Images rendered with Vecta3D MAX can be saved as either Macromedia Flash or Adobe Illustrator files.

    Note: Adobe Illustrator output is not available in the trial version of Vecta3D MAX.

    To render to a file, use the "Output to:" listbox in the "Render Scene" dialog to change the output type from "Screen only" to either "Macromedia Flash (*.swf)" or "Adobe Illustrator (*.ai)". Enter the name of the file in the "File name:" textbox or press the "Browse" button to locate the correct file and directory. Clicking the "Render" button will then render to the selected file.

    Note: All further renders of the current scene or animation will be rendered to the selected file, overwriting the file if necessary. Once you have rendered your file as you want it, you can turn off this behaviour by changing the "Output to:" listbox back to "Screen only".

    How can I render animations?

    Animations are rendered in the same way as scenes, using either of the green teapot or grey teapot toolbar buttons or the "Render" button in the "Render Scene" dialog box. To select which frames will be rendered, you will need to use the "Common Properties" panel in the "Render Scene" dialog box. For help with this feature, see the documentation provided with your copy of 3D Studio MAX.

    How can I alter the way a particular object is rendered?

    The "Vecta3D Properties" rollup panel in the 3D Studio MAX Command Panel contains settings for the width and color of the rendered outlines of particular objects. By changing these settings, you change the corresponding properties of the current selection. Similarly, when the current selection changes, the panel will be updated to reflect the new properties.

    Vecta3D Properties panel

    How can I apply the same outline style settings to multiple objects?

    If you select all of the objects whose styles you wish to change before making the changes, all of the styles will be changed automatically. Alternatively, if you have set the style for a particular object, you can use the "Apply style to objects" buttons to copy its style onto other objects in the scene.

    Clicking on the (Apply style to objects) "In scene" button will allow you to simply click on other objects in the scene to copy the current style to them. The mouse pointer will change into a paintbrush icon to show when this may be done. Clicking the right mouse button over an empty area in the image finishes applying styles, as does selecting another tool.

    If you prefer, you can copy styles onto objects in the scene by name by clicking on the (Apply style to objects) "By name..." button. This will bring up a standard 3D Studio MAX selection list of all of the currently unselected objects. Simply select the objects in the list that you want to apply the style to and click "Apply". The SHIFT and CTRL keys can be used to extend the selection.

    How can I change the highlight styles?

    How can I render two-sided meshes?

    If you select the "Show Advanced Properties" option on the Vecta3D menu on the 3D Studio MAX menubar, the "Vecta3D Properties" rollup panel will also reflect some further properties of the selection. Specifically, the linewidths and colors of highlight lines, the breaking angle at which highlights appear and the option to render the back faces of polygons. The highlight properties can be transferred using the "Apply style to objects" buttons as with the outlines.

    If there are "holes" in your image, it is likely that part of your object is being viewed from behind. To solve this problem, set the "Render back faces" checkbox for the part of the object which is failing to render properly.

    Note: Rendering back faces can significantly slow down rendering, so it should only be applied to those objects whose back faces are visible. For this reason, this property cannot be applied automatically using the "Apply style to objects" buttons, but must be set explicitly for a particular selection.

    Copyright (c) Ideaworks3D Ltd. 1999. All trademarks and registered trademarks acknowledged.