OK, minus the mirrors, it is time to start setting up the structure of the car, as discussed near the beginning of this tutorial. What we are basically going to cover is the use of dummies to represent the objects, which are directly attached to them. What is meant by attached is Linked, and there is a tool for linking in max, but first, we will concentrate on the dummies.
It is now time to unhide everything. In the Top Viewport, you need to make a Dummy, not too big, like the one below.
Label this dummy as Axis_Door_L. It will be the first Axis you will work on. With the Select and Move Tool selected, right click on the tool. The Type-In Transform window will open up. First, make sure that it is sitting outwards on the X coordinate only. In other words, the Y and Z should be 0. Next, make the X axis an easy number to remember. In this case, mine will be 1.8.
Leave the Type-In Transform window up. In the Top Viewport, make another smaller one on the inside. Like so.
Call it Switch_Detach_Door_L and place it in the exact coordinates as the Axis. Then duplicate it, and call the new one Switch_Deform_Door_L. Click the Link button, then the Select by Name button, and link it to the Switch_Detach_Door_L dummy.
Next, click the Select and Move Tool, then the Select by Name button, and select the Switch_Detach_Door_L. Then the Link button, then the Select by Name button, and link it to the Axis_Door_L dummy.
Notice, that I clicked the Display Subtree checkbox. This
will help if it is on.
As you can see, the Axis_Door_L structure
above matches the Structure, so
far for an Axis point detachable.
OK, Now, select the Axis_Door_L, and place it where the natural hinge would be for the left door. This can be done in the Back Viewport.
After that, go to the Type-In Transform window, and make the numbers easy to remember. In my case, I will choose the numbers X=1 and Z=.91. Watch the Viewport and make sure that the dummies don't shift to far away when you do this. If they do, go back to the Viewport and reposition it, and try again.
I know I have been harping on Creation Point. Basically, because there isn't any real way to get around it. Creation point is where an object was created. The current creation point for the doors, if you have followed the instructions, is 0,0,0, or Zero-World. Since an Axis point detachable, is a Non-Zero-World object, we have to reset it's creation point to that of the Axis point. This is why you should try to make the numbers where you can remember them.
With the Top Viewport Selected, under the Creation Tab, go to Box. Then under the Keyboard Entry rollout, create a 5x5x5 box at the coordinates of the Axis_Door_L dummy.
The Box needs to then be converted to an editable mesh, then piece by piece, duplicate the box, renaming it into the piece, attach the piece, then delete the vertices from original box. Just like you did for the main body. This should be done for the data_Door_L and the display meshes for the door and any window that is attached to it.
Sub-Detachables:
OK, since my mirrors are sub-detachables of the door, I will now make sure that they are set correctly. If you remember, the rule from the first part of the tutorial.
Rule: Any Non-Zero-World object which is the direct sub-object of a non-zero-world object must be offset from the parent non-zero-world object's location.
Here is how to do that. If the Mirror were an Axis point object, create a dummy at world center. Link the left mirror, it's data mesh and it's pivot to the dummy, move the dummy to the location of the Axis_Door_L. then unlink them. Then create the structure there for the detachable. The basic structure is like this:
Axis_Door_L
Switch_Detach_Door_L
Switch_Deform_Door_L
data_Door_L
Axis_Mirror_L
Switch_Detach_Mirror_L
Switch_Deform_Mirror_L
data_Mirror_L
lod12_Mirror_L
lod22_Mirror_L
lod12_Window_Door_L
lod13_Door_L
lod23_Door_L
Notice that the Mirror is the same structure as a Axis point detachable. Also notice that the door are stated to have three levels of detail, but only two is shown, that means that when the distance is reached by the car, that these pieces will not be visible. This however will be covered by the lod33_Chassis, which is a simple mesh for distance.
The mirrors in this case are Zero-World objects, and will use the Axis_Door_L as a zero point rather then the MAIN_NULL.
In order to create the setup for the mirror, we are going to have to make a Switch_Detach_Mirror_L and a Switch_Deform Mirror_L. Now, here is the third object placement definition. The Detach Switch and Deform Switch are Inconsequential-World Objects. Which means that they don't have to be any specific place in order to work. So, Select and duplicate the Switch_Detach_Door_L and the Switch_Deform_Door_L (name them Switch_Detach_Mirror_L and Switch_Deform_Mirror_L), and move the out in front of the car. This is the reason that those are smaller then the Axis dummy. I also take the opportunity to move these to X,0 just to be clean, but that isn't necessary.
Now, you have to reset the Creation Point of the mirror, and all it's parts to the Axis_Door_L location. Once that is done, you can set up the linking structure as above.
Notice, compared to the structure above, the lod23_Door_L and
lod22_Window are
missing. This will be taken care of later.
This is basically what it looks like with the mirror in place.
All stand alone dummies, especially the brakes and towpoint are treated in the same manner, so if you have a bed of a truck that is an Axis point Detachable, and the brakes are attached to it, then the brakes would be offset from Zero-World to the Axis for the bed.
Now, Select the Axis_Door_L, Switch_Detach_Door_L and Switch_Deform_Door_L. Duplicate them (renameing them for the right door), change the Axis points X value to the negative of what the left door was. This would make my Axis_Door_R an X of -1. Notice I will have to set the mirror for this door as well.
Now, simply follow the same steps for the Right Door, Except using the Axis_Door_R's location.
This is after all the placement and Creation Points are set.
Now, Select the Axis_Door_L, Switch_Detach_Door_L and Switch_Deform_Door_L and Duplicate them (renaming them for the Hood). Set the Axis_Hood's X to 0, moving it to the middle. In the Left Viewport, move the axis to where the hood's natural hinge would be. Using the Type-In Transform, convert the Y and Z into numbers which you can easily remeber. Mine would be Y, .27 and Z, 1.06.
With those numbers, you can now reset the Creation Point for the data_Hood, and it's display meshes. Then create the structure for it. This would simply be, link them to the Switch_Deform_Hood.
Now we can do the same for the Trunk, and that will be the last of the Axis point detachables for this car.
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