Adding Default Lights to the Scene

Creating a Realistic Hourglass

Modeling an Airplane

 

Autodesk 3ds Max Tutorials >  Modeling Tutorials > Creating a Realistic Hourglass > 

Rendering Your Work

So far, everything you've done has been displayed in the viewport only: you haven't actually tried to create any output. You essentially have two output types from which to choose:

• RasterRaster formats, such as QuickTime MOV and Windows AVI, are flip books of still images, which means they can be rather large in size but very rich visually.
• 3D geometry3D output, such as VRML, MAX, DWG, 3DS, DXF or AI, allows you to choose your own viewpoint, as well as providing animation and behaviors through proximity triggers.

Since the hourglass has both transparency and particles, you'll choose the only output type which supports both, which is raster. You'll create a QuickTime movie that you can play on a Web site. First you'll render some still frames.

1. Activate the Camera viewport. If you do not have the Camera viewport visible, press C on the keyboard.
2. On the main menu, choose Rendering > Render.

   In the Output Size group of the Common parameters rollout, click the 640x480 preset button.

3. Click Render.

   

   Rendered image shows off the highlights.

4. To change the background, choose Rendering > Environment. In the Background group, click the Background Color swatch. In the Color Selector, type these RGB values:
   • Red: 120
   • Green: 194
   • Blue: 252

   This should produce a pale blue.

5. Close the Environment dialog, and press F9 to render again automatically.

   

   Changing the background color.

   Next you'll render to an animation file.

6. In the Render Scene dialog, in the Common Parameters rollout in the Time Output group, change from Single to Active Time Segment. This renders the entire animation.
7. Reduce the size to 320x240. That's a better size animation for Web playback.
8. In the Render Output group, click the Files button and name the file you're about to create myhourglass. avi (for a Video for Windows animation) or myhourglass. mov, (for a QuickTime animation). Make a note of where you are saving this file.
   • If you are rendering to AVI, click OK in the Video Compression window, then click Save. To start the rendering, click Render.
   • If you are rendering to MOV, make adjustments as you like in the Compression Settings dialog, then click OK. To start the rendering, click Render.

   A Rendering dialog appears. As each frame is rendered, a bar shows the progress. You can see all types of information updating in the Rendering Progress group as your rendering advances.

9. When your rendering is finished, close the Rendering dialog. On the File menu, choose View Image File, navigate to where you saved the file, and open it. The appropriate player program will play your animation.
   TipIf you like, you can play sands_of_time.avi or sands_of_time.mov to see a finished rendering of the animation.

   

   QuickTime MOV output