Making a Realistic Rope Texture
Open a new 3d max scene, go to top viewport and create an NGon (Polygon) at (0, 0, 0) with the following specifications.
Create a Circle with diameter of 2.0 on one corner of the polygon and copy five more copies to remaining corners.
Select one of the circles, right click on the viewport and convert the selected circle into an Editable Spline. Click Attach Mult. Button in the Geometry rollout and attach all the objects. Go to Spline sub-object level and switch on the Trim button in the Geometry rollout, and click on unwanted lines to remove them (see the figure below). After removing all unnecessary parts, go to Vertex sub-object level, select all the vertices (press <Ctrl> + A) and press Weld button in the Geometry rollout.
Exit from the sub-object kevel and add extrude modifier to the object from Modifier List. Set the parameters as follows.
Render the extruded object from several angles and make sure the object having no bugs.
Apply Twist modifier from Modifier List and set Twist Angle as 1800.0 and Twist Axis as X.
The twist may not be uniform if the centre of the modifier is not the same as the object. To correct that, go to top viewport, select Centre sub-object level of the Twist modifier, switch on Snap (right click on the Snap Toggle and clear all the selections and select Grid Points), press Hierarchy > Adjust Pivot rollout > Move/Rotate/Scale: group > Affect Pivot Only button and drag the pivot point to (0, 0). Switch of the button. If the twist is not reset, delete the Twist modifier and apply Twist modifier again with the early parameters.
Select and right click the object and convert to Editable Poly.
Go to top viewport and create an Ngon at (0, 0) with Sides = 6 and Radius = 12.0. Turn on Snap (right click on the Snap toggle add tick for Vertex. Then copy and snap 6 copies of the twisted object to vertices of the Ngon created.
Go to Perspective viewport, and if the copied objects are in different positions through the Z axis, set Z = 0.0 for all the objects. Select all the twisted objects (#7) and add Twist modifier again form the Modifier List. Set the Twist angle as -600 (if the rope twisted in wrong direction, change the angle to +600) Right click on the viewport and convert the selection into Editable Poly, and attach all 7 objects together.
Now the object is exactly like part of a rope, this is the end of the modeling part.
Bake the normal map
Go to top viewport, and create a Cylinder at (0, 0, 0) with the Radius = 20.0, Height = 100.0, Height Segments =1, Cap Segments =1 and Sides =18.
Select right click and convert the Cylinder to Editable Poly, go to Polygon sub-object level and select all the top and bottom cap polygons and delete them.
Exit from the sub-object level, and apply UVW Mapping modifier. Select Cylindrical as the Mapping type and deselect Cap.
Press 0 to open the Render To Texture dialog box (or Main menu, choose Rendering > Render To Texture).
In the Projection Mapping group, turn on Enabled, and then turn off Sub-Object Levels.
Click the Pick button to display the Add Targets dialog. Click Rope object to highlight it, and then click the Add button to dismiss the dialog. The drop-down list in the Projection Mapping group has changed from (No Projection Modifier) to Projection.
Click the Options button next to the Pick button to display the Projection Options dialog, select Ray Miss Check and select World as the Normal Map Space type, and close the Projection Options dialog.
In the Render To Texture dialog > Objects To Bake rollout > Mapping Coordinates group, choose Use Existing Channel.
Click the Add button in the Output rollout. On the Add Texture Elements dialog select NormalsMap and click Add Elements button. Click the 1024 button in the Selected Element Common Settings group to set the output size to 1024 x 1024 pixels.
For the Target Map Slot, choose Bump from the drop-down list.
In the Selected Element Unique Settings group, turn on Output Into Normal Bump.
At the bottom of the dialog, click Render to render your normal bump map. If you see a File Exists warning dialog, click Overwrite Files.
This is how the normal map will be
Apply Normal Map to Low-Poly Object
Start new 3d max scene and create a cylinder with Radius = 3.0 and Height = 50.0. Other parameters of the cylinder is not that much important. (However I have kept Height Segments = 1, Cap segments =1, sides =18 and turned on Smooth option.)
Press M to open Material Editor, select one material slot and change the Diffuse colour in to a colour what you want (I have used Red : 29, Green : 137, Blue : 188). Scroll down and go to Maps rollout and click the None button in front of the Bump. Material/Map Browser will open. Select Normal Bump and press OK. Then click the None button in front of the Normal: and select Bitmap from the Material/Map Browser. Then Select Bitmap Image File dialog will open. Browse and select the normal map created early. Render the image and adjust the Tiling values in the Coordinate rollout until you get texture correctly. (it may U : 1.0 and V : 2.0)
Render the cylinder, you will get rope textured cylinder, which will be looks like a real rope at distance.
Tip – For rendering purpose I have used a Skylight with Multiplier =0.5 and Omini with Multiplier = 1.0 (shadows on). Render type Default Scanline Renderer with Light Tracer.
Tags: 3d max, bump, normal map, Render To Texture, rope texture, texture, tutorial, UVW Mapping
great job man…………….i realy like it n very helpfull
For some reason, my render is coming out red instead of yellow and blue. Look at it here:
mooretechnology.net/normal_error.jpg
Sorry to see that you were not able to get the correct result we want. By seen your result image, I could see you were able to follow the modelling part well. The problem is in the mapping part. Please recheck steps one-by-one starting of the “Bake the normal map” part. Most probably you may have done a simple mistake.
However your result image makes me feel you haven’t used cylindrical mapping – “Select Cylindrical as the Mapping type and deselect Cap.”
I’ll try to give you a solution if you unable to find the problem, please reply me.
Hope you will be able to find the mistake this time.
hai, i’m newbie in 3ds max, i still confuse , my work is end up in image006, and i can’t follow the next instruction..can u help me??..
Could you tell me the step you can’t understand? So it will be easier to help.
when i did the twist, this happened
tyvm ^^
http://img651.imageshack.us/i/twistwentwrong.png/
could someone help?
Most probably you may twist in a wrong axis. Change the twist axis and see. If didn’t works, change the angle value to zero and increase slowly. Then you will be able understand if it is twisting along a wrong axis. If both didn’t work reply me again with more screenshots (with lower angle values).
figured out what the problem was =D it wasn’t the twist, it was the extrude ^^ anyways, thank you very much for helping me *-*
I Dont understand why my Normal Map is diffrent form the tutorial. What did i do?? What render settings should i use for the correct render. I use 3ds max 2010. Hope you can help me.
http://rapidshare.com/files/406716814/NormalsMap.jpg
I couldn’t find out the exact reason for that. However, you have done everything correctly in the modelling part. If you have done any mistake, it should be in the mapping or rendering sections as you guess. The only difference I could notice is the colour gradient. It is shifted in your image. However, I fell you haven’t done any mistake, sometimes it may due to the difference of the 3dmax version (however I don’t remember what is the version I have used). Double check the steps after the “modelling” section, and try to find out if there any mistake. If you couldn’t find any mistake, complete few other remaining steps assuming you got the correct texture map. Compare the final product and see if you got the same result as mine. If so, you should not worry about the colour shifting of your map.
However update me on the result you got. I am also interested to know what the reason behind that is.
Hi Dinuka.. I didn’t find any solutions and you didn’t told me the render settings, maybe there is problem. Dinuka can you send to me your normal map of rope with TGA format because i really need that. Hope you help me. Bye Man
Hi, I’m trying to create a scene using real world size so I need the rope to be about 1000cm and the diameter of the ngon at 0.4cm and the small circles around it at 0.2cm. I tried replacing those numbers but no matter how many different numbers I tried for the twist angles. It always looks weird, kinda like there’s not enough polygons to make it look smooth. What can I do?
Try, following methods,
Method 1
Just follow the tutorial with the existing dimensions, take the texture map. Then make a cylinder (for the low-poly rope object) according to your requirement and to scale. Apply the prepared texture and map it well using tiling and scaling options.
Method 2
Just follow the tutorial with the existing dimensions, scale-down the object to your required size and then take the texture map. Make a cylinder with required dimensions. Apply the prepared texture and map it well using tiling and scaling options.
I hope both methods will work. Reply.
:O omg a speedy reply!
I will try that tomorrow and let you know if it works. Thank you very much XD
Ok I tried the 1st method but the problem is I’m using Vray as the renderer. I still haven’t got to the lighting part yet so I can’t really render anything right now (it’s all black). Is there any way you can look into how to do this with Vray? Much appreciated!
Just try using 3DMax default rendering
hi dinuka I am new to 3d max i want to know how to materials such as roof tiling and stone walls while rendering 3D images of bunglows and buildings
Your question is not very much clear to me. Hope you are requesting for some new tutorials. Please place it again with more details.
However, I have already placed a tutorial on “Making realistic stone wall”.
Positively agree with what you stated. Your clarification was definitely the easiest to understand. I inform you, I normally get irked when people discuss points that they plainly have no idea about. You managed to hit the nail right on the pinnacle and explained out the whole lot with out complication. Maybe, individuals can take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks
Thanks! Great tutorial!
We are a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your website provided us with valuable information to paintings on. You’ve done a formidable activity and our whole neighborhood might be grateful to you.
Hi,
First, congratulations for this tutorial which looks great and very detailed!
I face a big issue with step “render to Texture”: first, once I have grouped the 7 “rope fibers”, when I click on the cylindar then try to “pick” the group I cretaed, it is not listed in the dialog box. If I don’t group the fibers, those ones are listed in the dialog box and I can “pick” them, but when trying to render, I only get a black picture. I use 3DSMAX 2010 and I tried also the scanline render, but I probbaly makes something wrong.
I double checked every paramter suggested in the tutorial..
Each of the 7 twisted fibers appears as Editable Poly, but once I group them (Menu/Group), if I right-click in viewport, the “convert to editable poly” is in blue and does nothing. I tried to add a modifier Editable Poly, but same result.
When I render the whole scene as usual, I can see the proper fibers and the cylindar around them as in image009 above.
I have no light in my scene. Could it be a problem with the renderer paramtering ?
I’m far from being an expert in 3DSMax so any help would be highly appreciated.
By the way.. Is there a method to have the 7 fibers follow a curved path instead of a straight “extrude” ? (I’d like to draw ropes along curved splines.. but if making 1 twisted loft works, I can’t reproduce a rope made of 7 fibers as in this tutorial..)
Thanks a lot,
Ricorico94
I faced little difficult to answer you, because I wrote this tutorial some time ago. However, last I found a simple difference between my method and the way you did.
According to you “Each of the 7 twisted fibers appears as Editable Poly, but once I group them (Menu/Group)”, you have grouped the 7 twisted fibers (or fibres), but in the tutorial I asked to connect the 7 twisted fibers using attach (not to group them) “Right click on the viewport and convert the selection into Editable Poly, and attach all 7 objects together.”. Change that step and try again (hope you know how to attach).
My recommendation for your 2nd problem is not to try loft or any other method to extrude rope along a curved path unless you need extremely high quality output. It will result thousands of vertexes and will not easy to handle. Instead of that, use spline, make them visible in the render and apply the prepared texture on to that as a normal map.
Reply me on any problem
Hi,
Thanks a lot for your clarification. In fact, I was ineed trying to attach via the Group menu, but it was not working. I tried with the object properties dialog (the Modify panel) and then I could attach the 7 fibers together as a single editable poly. Thanks.
What I still don’t understand, is that the Render To Texture only gives me a black picture. If I do usual rendering (not render to texture), the ropes are displayed well, but the Render To Texture only gives black. Is there some step I miss, for instance selecting a specific view port or addind lighting or materials ? I can see my cylinder has a modifier “Projection” added after parametering the “render to texture”, but I can’t see anything wrong there.
I tried also to select the renderer in Output/Render settings with various options (I can see several lines with mental ray and 3Dsmax.scanline, each of them showing up several items (like: Default scanline+Advanced lighting+Raytracer..).
I really don’t know what to do now..
Thanks in advance for some more help.
Nice to hear that you have successful in the 1st part. Now the problem in ther rendering section. What you see on the render output window is not what you exactly get as render to texture output. Normally windows show the texture with applied material and affect by scene lighting, though the real output is not affect by them. For this case, the output might be black, if you have used black material for the rope or placed a light source in a covered place (where it will not give any light to rope). However, still your real output cannot affect by them. Open the saved render to texture file using Photoshop or any such application and check. If the file having the texture, you should not worry. If it is also black, there should be something wrong. Recheck all the steps and try again, or try with some other simple object. If you couldn’t find the reason, send me your MAX file (to dinuka.hw@gmail.com) I would like to help you.
No need to worry about “Projection” modifier.