We give you a very brief overview of Ez3d, to get you started immediately, before you start on a "real" project. Since Ez3d is extremely user-friendly, it will be far easier to learn than other software packages of this nature. Use the on-line context-sensitive help cards to get detailed help on the various tools.
Opening an Ez3d Project
When you start Ez3d, the system gives you a default project. Choose "File - Save As", and choose an appropriate location and name for your tutorial project, say, "Test".
The interface in front of you has a main 3D viewer with a title bar and a tool bar on top, and a status bar below. The pull-down menus in the title bar, the icons in the tool bar and the information bar have a similar look-and-feel to other desktop programs that you may be familiar with (such as Microsoft Word). In addition, the main viewer (and any more viewers that you bring up) have a tool bar on the right.
Figure 1: The main interface has the following components: title bar pull-down menus, icon toolbar, the main viewer (consisting of viewing area, thumb-wheels for camera movement, and a right toolbar), and status bar
The title bar has several pull-down menus. "File" contains operations to manage your project. "Edit" contains common editing operations like "Cut" and "Undo". "Model" contains all the modeling operations. "Attribute" contains operations to assign colors, materials and textures to objects. "Scene" contains operations to set lights and environment, and to create a photo-realistic image of the scene. "Options" contains interfaces to customize your work settings. "Help" gives you help in using the program. The tool bar is a shortcut for some of the more important operations in the title bar menus.
Getting Online Help
Basic help on a particular feature is provided in the status bar at the bottom, when you move the cursor over an icon, or over a pull-down menu item in the title bar. When you move the cursor over an icon, you also get "balloon" help right at the cursor.
For more elaborate help, choose "Help - On Context" in the main title bar. This will bring up the help card on opening a new project. As you go on to do more things, the help card will constantly update to give you help on whatever you are doing. If you have "Help - Help Mode" on, and then click on a button, Ez3d does not perform the action, but only gives you help on it.
Choose "Help - On Topic". Select a topic from this list to obtain help on that particular topic.
Hint: It is recommended that you constantly refer to "Help" while you are still learning the product. Depending on your style, you may either follow the tutorials as it is, or experiment on your own as you go along.
Orienting Yourself in a 3D World
Your computer screen and mouse are essentially 2D devices. For someone new to 3D modeling, it takes some time to get used to creating and moving in a 3D world on the computer. What you see in front of you is the main 3D view with a magenta grid representing the ground. Notice the hand-shaped cursor. Press down with the left mouse button and move the hand. Notice how the scene rotates. What is actually happening is that "you" are moving around the scene. There is a camera placed at your eye that is capturing a "perspective" view of the scene and projecting it onto the screen. Press down on the left mouse with the <Shift> key pressed, and move up and down or left and right. Press the left mouse button with both <Shift> and <Ctrl> keys pressed. Notice how you get closer and further from the center of the scene.
(Optional) Now let us set up a traditional "CAD"-style viewer interface. Choose "Options - New Viewer - Front". This brings up a 2D front view. A 2D viewer has a camera that projects one of six right angle (front, back, left, right, top or bottom) views of the scene. Bring up two more 2D viewers using "Options - New Viewer - Top" and "Options - New Viewer - Right". Now resize and rearrange the windows to your taste. If you are reasonably familiar with 3D interfaces, you may want to get rid of one or more viewers (by double-clicking on the top-left corner). Having more viewers slows down the display.
Let us insert an object into this scene now. Choose "Model - Primitive". Double-click on "Cylinder". Notice the various camera views of the object. Notice the green box around the object in all four views. This is called a "3D manipulator", because it allows you to move, resize and rotate the object in 3D space. Get familiar with moving in the 2D viewers. Use <Shift>+<Left mouse> to zoom in and out. Notice how the object appears to get bigger or smaller in that one viewer alone. This means that you are only changing that viewer's camera to zoom closer or farther, not re-sizing the object itself. Use <Left Mouse> to "pan", that is, move in the plane of the camera.
The viewer has a pop-up menu that you access by pressing the right mouse inside it. Choose "Draw Style - move wireframe". If you move the view, you will notice that the object is displayed as "wireframe" (using lines) when the view is changing, but "as is" (shaded) when you stop moving. Experiment with different draw styles.
Click on the "?" icon in the viewer tool bar to get detailed help on all the viewer functions and keyboard/mouse shortcuts.
Manipulating Objects
Now let us try to move and resize the object using the intuitive "3D manipulator". The viewer has two modes. So far, we have been in "View" mode and have been moving the camera only. To interact with the objects in a viewer, go into "Edit" by pressing the <Esc> key, or by clicking on the "Arrow" icon in the viewer decoration, or turning off "Viewing" in the viewer pop-up menu (using the right mouse button). Press down the left mouse button somewhere inside the green box, and start moving. Notice that the manipulator turns yellow when you select it. Notice how the object moves in the various views. Notice in the 3D view, that the object is moving on the ground. Move the object in all directions in all views, and observe the results.
Let us try to resize the object. Using the left mouse button, grab the little cube in the corner of the manipulator, and pull outward. Notice the object growing in size. Do the same thing, but with the <Shift> key pressed. Notice the object grow or shrink in the direction in which you move.
Let us try to rotate the object. Grab the sphere in the middle of one of the sides. 2 circles appear, indicating the possible directions along which you can rotate. Move, and notice how the object rotates. Note that if you keep <Shift> pressed, the object rotates about the opposite side.
Choose "Attribute - Transform". This tool allows you to type in precise values for the position, scale and rotation attributes of the object. Type in a value, and notice how the position of the object changes. You can also use this tool as a replacement for the 3D manipulator. Choose "Options - Selection Highlight - Box". Notice that the 3D manipulator around the object is replaced by a bright green box. You can now move the object only using "Attribute - Transform", but the display will be faster.
Figure 2: Manipulating objects in Ez3d using the "3D manipulator" and "Transform" tool
Let us now use another manipulator to rotate the object. Choose "Options - Selection Highlight - 3D Trackball". You will notice three rings appear around the cylinder. Drag one of these rings using your left mouse button. You will notice the ring turning yellow, and the object rotating in that direction. Switch back to "Options - Selection Highlight - 3D Manipulator". See the help card for complete details on the "3D manipulator".
Go back and forth between moving the object, and moving the camera(s) to get a better view. Use the <Esc> key to switch between the "View" and "Edit" modes.
Use "Edit - Undo" to undo the last change. Notice that if you repeatedly use "Undo", the system keeps undoing the history of changes. Use Edit - Redo" to undo the undo!
Choose "Edit - Cut" or click on the "Cut" icon to remove the object from the scene.
Choose "Edit - Duplicate" or click on the "duplicate" icon. Then use the left mouse to drag the copy of the cylinder to a new location.
Click on the first object. Notice how the first object is selected instead of the duplicate. Now click on the duplicate object, while keeping the <Shift> key pressed. Notice how both objects are now selected. Click on an empty space in the screen and notice how all objects get deselected.
Choose "Scene - Object List" or click on its icon. Notice that there are two objects listed. Select the first object in the list. Select another object by clicking on its name. You can deselect the objects by selecting the selected (highlighted) entries in the object list. The "Object List" is a convenient alternative to selecting objects by picking in the viewer (especially when the scene is very crowded).
If you have two objects selected, and move one of them, notice that both the objects move. You can change this behavior using another option in "Attribute - Transform - Move". An interesting option is "Snap to Object". When you move one of the objects, Ez3d will try to snap to the other selected object in the direction of movement. This is useful for assembling objects together.
Choose "Edit - Group". Notice that the two objects now move as one group. Choose "Edit - Ungroup" to ungroup them.
Pick one object, and choose "Edit - Hide - Selected". Notice how the other object disappears. Use this operation to concentrate on the object that you are currently working on. Chose "Edit - Show" to redisplay all objects. Click on a region outside of all the objects to deselect all selected objects.
Choose "Edit - Select All", then "Edit - Cut" or the "Cut" icon to delete all objects in the scene.
This ends our section on getting used to the 3D environment and manipulating simple objects. If you want to end this session, Ez3d will remember all the options you have set (such as number of viewers, and their positions). The next time you invoke Ez3d, it will come up in your customized style.
Potter: Let's Start Modeling
Figure 3: The "Potter" interface shows a "section" spline in the main window, and a "profile" spline in the smaller window.
Choose "Model - Potter" or click on the icon. This brings up the "Potter" interface. If you like, bring up the help card and read the introduction to Potter. The cubical object in the scene is built by using a straight profile (in the lower "main" Potter window) and a square section (in the upper window).
Move the cursor over a spline point in the main "Potter" window, until a green box appears. Press down and move the spline point. Notice how the object changes shape. Move the cursor over the spline curve, and click once, to add a new spline point. Change "Spline Steps" to make the object curved. You can move two or more points by drawing a box around ("box-selecting") them, and moving the manipulator that comes up. There are many other things you can do in the spline editor. Read the help card for more details.
(Optional) In "Potter", choose "File - Section Hole - Spline Primitive". This brings up a list of pre-defined spline templates. Choose "Circle". Notice how a circular extruded hole appears in the object.
Choose "Profile" to edit the profile curve. Try moving the "Spline steps" slider to make the object denser. If you have a circular section (using "File - Spline Primitive", changing the profile has the effect of creating a "surface of revolution".
(Optional) Choose "Axis". Notice how a red axis spline appears in the viewer window(s). Choose "Viewer Type - Front" in the viewer pop up menu.(or click on the "Front" icon in the left decoration. Move your cursor over the end of the axis spline, and when a green box appears, press down with the left mouse button and move it vertically. Notice how the object stretches as you change the axis. Click on the middle of the axis to create a new spline point. Now move any spline point and see how the object bends.
"Potter" is the central modeling tool in Ez3d. It offers simultaneous use of basic modeling operations such as "Extrude", "Surface of Revolution" and "Extrude along a 3D path" in one compact interface. As you learn more about it and become more comfortable with it, you will realize that this tool can be used to make incredibly complicated shapes such as machines, snakes and even dinosaurs.
More Modeling
(Not available in Ez3d Junior, Ez3d VR Builder)
Select an object that you built with "Potter" and choose "Model - Spline Surfer". Little blue spline points appear on the surface of the object. You can now drag these points any way you want. "Close" the "Spline Surfer" tool, and "Delete" all objects.
Let us now make an object by directly creating faces (triangles). Let us make an outline for a flat stage "prop" (such as the New York city skyline, or a person's silhouette). Bring up a front view by choosing "Options - New Viewer - Front".
(Optional) You can also create the outline from an image. In the viewer pop-up, choose "Background", and use the file selector to choose an appropriate image. Notice that the viewer now has the image in the background (which does not change even if you move the camera). Use "Remove" to get rid of the background image.
Choose "Model - Face Builder". With the <Ctrl> key pressed all the time, click once on the left mouse button. This creates a vertex, and gives you a green rubber band. Click again. This creates a green line (one side of the face you are creating). Keep on clicking until you get a nice outline. If you want to select an existing vertex, just move the cursor over it until a green box shows up, then click. When you are done, double-click on the last point or release the <Ctrl> key. The outline gets "triangulated" into a set of faces.
Figure 4: Building a city skyline using "Face Builder". Draw the outline using the left mouse, keeping <Ctrl> pressed. Ez3d will automatically create the triangles to fill the outline.
Move the cursor over a vertex. A green box comes up on the vertex. Press down and move. Draw a box and select more than one vertices. A "3D manipulator" comes up around the selected vertices. Move or resize. Click again on the left mouse to get rid of the 3D manipulator. Select a face using the left mouse. Choose "Finer". Notice how the face is split into 3 triangles. You can make portions of the object finer in this fashion.
There are more modeling tools like "Mold", "Slice" and "Mirror", that you can learn as you go along (or play with now, if you like!)
Setting Object Attributes
Select an object. Choose "Attribute - Color". This brings up the color editor. Move the little marker on the color wheel, and observe the color change on the object.
Choose "Attribute- Material" or click on the "Material" icon. This brings up the Material editor. Click on the buttons to the left of "Diffuse". This brings up a color editor. Change the color. Move the "Diffuse" slider to change the brightness of the color. Play around with "Transparency" and other values. Use the color editor to change the color back to white.
Select an object and choose "Attribute - Texture" or click on the icon. This brings up the texture editor interface and brings up a file selector, giving you a default "palette" of texture images.
Click on one of the images, and see the object in the preview window get texture mapped. Try different textures by clicking on them. Try translating, scaling and rotating the texture map using the sliders on the left. Once you have the texture map set up right, click on "Update" for the texture map to appear on the main scene. "Close" the texture interface.
Choose "Scene - Lights". This brings up the light editor, and the "Transform" tool. Let us create a new light. Select "Spot" light type to create a new spotlight and click on "Create". Notice the spotlight icon in the viewer window(s). You can move the light by moving the sliders in the "Transform" tool with "Translate" or "Rotate" selected. If you grab the thin cylinder in the center of the light icon, you can move the light up and down. If you grab the end of the arrow, it allows you to change the direction of the spotlight. Try changing its color. Select an object in the main viewer, then choose "Point at Object" in the "Light Editor". Notice how the light now shines on the selected object. You can "Remove" the light or turn off the icon (but retain the lighting effect) by turning off "Display - Show Icon". Try other types of lights.
Creating a 3D (VRML) Web Page
(Not available in Ez3d Modeler Pro)
Let us now create a very simple 3D Web page in VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) ".wrl" format.
Start a Project:
Choose "File -New" or "File - Open" to start on a fresh project. Since the VRML files need to be in a location different from your Ez3d projects (usually, along with all your other Web-related files), you can specify a "Publish Folder" in the "Options - Preferences" interface, say, "\users\you\WWW".
Modeling:
Let us say that we want to create a simple room with walls, some furniture, a TV, and so on. You can either create the objects using the modeling tools available in Ez3d, or import them using "File - Import". If you are using Ez3d modeling tools, keep "Attribute - Complexity" up, to keep track of the polygon count, which should be kept to the minimum.
To save time while learning about VRML, you may just want to use some simple "Primitive" and "Potter" objects, instead of doing some elaborate modeling. If you have fast access to the Internet, you can look around for appropriate clip art objects in formats that Ez3d supports (the VRML format itself is your best bet).
When you are assigning textures to the objects, choose "Texture - Texture Storage", and set the "Relative to Current Folder" option (if not already set), so that the references to external texture files are relative to the location of the VRML files.
VR Scene Composition:
Composing a scene for VR is trickier than building the scene for ray-tracing. The scene needs to be interesting as well as interactive (the user should be able to walk through the scene in real-time).
Inlining:
One way to make the scene interactive is to have the VR browser load objects only when needed. This is done by "inlining" the object, that is, storing the description of the object in a file, and only including a reference to the file in the main scene. Select an object, and choose "Model - WWW Inline". This will output the object onto a ".wrl" file in the "Publish Folder", and create an "Inline" reference to the file.
Level of Detail:
You can specify multiple representations of the object, any one of which gets displayed at any given time, based on the distance from the eye to the object. Thus you can make an object become more detailed as the user comes closer to it. Select an object (preferable a curved "Potter" object), and choose "Attribute - Level of Detail". By default, the original object is the first representation. Move the "Level" slider to 2. By default, the second level of detail is a copy of the first. Now in the "Complexity" interface (which comes up as a companion tool to "Level of Detail"), set the number of triangles to be about half the original, and press "Ok". Create 1-2 more levels of detail, and set "Last Level Empty". Now choose "Idle", and zoom in and out in the main viewer. Notice that the object changes from one level of detail to the next as you zoom. You can set the ranges for the levels, by going into "Edit" mode, changing the camera in the main viewer, and choose "Set to View", to set the transition points between any two levels.
WWW Links:
You can link 3D objects in the scene to WWW resources. Select an object, and choose "Attribute - WWW Anchor". Type in "http://www.yahoo.com", and press "Apply". You can choose "Browse..." and use the file selector to choose a local file (in your Web page folder hierarchy), and Ez3d will automatically set the relative path as your WWW link.
Camera Viewpoints:
Choose "Scene - Camera Viewpoints". Zoom in to an interesting location in your scene. Choose "Create" and give it a descriptive name. Create many camera vantage points - all of them will be automatically listed while browsing using a Web browser.
Previewing:
If you have a 3D browser configured in your Web browser system, you can directly preview your VRML scene without having to export files. Choose "Scene - VR Browser" or click on the "VR" icon. If you have problems, set your browser command in "Options - Preferences".
Publishing VRML:
To write out selected objects or the entire scene, choose "File - Publish". By default, files get written to the "Publish Location". Set a "Title" (this title will show up in the Web browser). Turn on the options "Compress after Save", because compression is almost the norm for VRML. You may also want to turn on "Optimize Output", if you are not going to edit the file by hand. This utility will merge, rearrange and make the resulting VRML scene more efficient.
Congratulations! You've just created a 3D Web page using Ez3d!!
Creating Photo-realistic Images
(Not available in Ez3d Junior, Ez3d VR Builder, and demo versions)
Create a simple scene (or use your current scene). Choose "Scene - Render Options" . Click on "Test Render". After some time, the image will be completely rendered and the system may try to bring up an image viewer for you to see. Depending on your scene, you may notice shadows and reflections. When you are satisfied with the way the test rendered image looks, you may want to perform a complete rendering by clicking on "Render". You may have noticed that some of the interface items in Ez3d (such as "Layer" in the "Texture Editor") are colored blue. This means that you will see the effect of your actions only in the rendering stage, not in the viewer window(s).
(Optional) In the "Render Options" interface, choose "Program Selection". You will see two or more different renderers listed. "Rayshade" is a high-quality ray-tracer (that supports shadows, reflections, multiple layers of textures, and so on), but rendering takes a longer time. Choose "Open GL" if you want a quicker rendering. To set high-quality options for "Open GL", choose "Options - Viewer - Anti-aliasing" and "Options - Viewer - Transparency" , and set appropriate values.
Wrapping Up
Save your project by choosing "File - Save" or clicking on the "Save" icon. Choose "File - Exit" to quit your current Ez3d session. The next time you start Ez3d, the interface will come up exactly as you leave it now. This allows you to customize the interface to suit your needs.
Hopefully you have now got a head start on Ez3d. However, the best way to learn Ez3d is by working on a real project on your own and using on-line help as you go along.
