Hallo

Tutorial name: The snapshot tool

For max 5 and above maybe lower.

By Wardile @ Max-Realms Forum

What will be covered in this tutorial

-assigning path constraint

-cloning with the snapshot

-booleon operation

Create a tube object in the left viewport (located at the extended primitives)

Go to the modify panel and change the values  ::: Radius 1: 115

                                                                         Radius 2: 100

                                                                         Height   : 80

Okay now create another tube on the top viewport: ::: Radius 1: 800

                                                                                 Radius 2: 780

                                                                                 Height   : 500

Note: You might want to make the sides value about 40.

You should now have something similar to this

Okay now create a circle spline on the top viewport. Don’t worry about the size just make it.  Cool now select the spline and press “alt-A” It’s the shortcut for aligning objects in 3dsmax . A cross appears, select the big tube. A dialog will appear   

Make sure the x y and z positions are checked.

Sweet. Make sure the spline circle is selected and go to the modify panel. Change the radius to 790.

The spline should now be in the center of the wall (the tube walls) Look I only show a piece so u can see it.

Cool.

Now select the small tube. Go to the motion panel

Nice. Now roll-out the assign controller tab.

Select the  position controller. And press the button. A dialog will appear, choose the path constraint and press ok. (Look at pic and do this. Click motion, then select then press)

U will see the above. Click the add path and select the spline in your viewport. The small tube now is on the outer side of the big tube.

If the small tube faces the wrong direction, change the axis of the path constraint dialog under motion.

Cool, now deselect all and select the spline. Scale it until your small tube is penetrating through both sides of the big tube.

If you drag your time slider the small tube should rotate around the big one. Go back to frame 0.

Deselect all and select the small tube.

Ok now r- click an open space on the main toolbar and select axis-constraints. . Its right at the top.

A small tab appears with the x y and z axis on it. Also this weird looking balls.

L-Click and hold the array button (weird balls) and choose snapshot

It looks like that. A dialog will appear   

Choose range

Change the copies to 20

U will now have this

Okay now select all the small tubes, you may want to delete the spline and the duplicated tube that overlaps another tube. Or just hide them.

Once you have selected all the small tubes r-click and select convert to edit-able poly.

Select just one small tube, r-click and choose attach… then start at the one next to the tube and attach all the small tubes until its seen as one mesh.

Now while it’s selected go to the \create panel-> Compound object.

Under the compound menu choose boolean.

Click on operand B and select the big tube.

Change the substraction (a-b) and visa versa to get the right effect. You basicly want the small rings to cut holes in the big tube.

I woulda loved to show you a end result but I forgot to save L

Anycase this wraps up this tutorial, hope it helped you in any way… im off to go play with static meshes and ut2k3 engine J