Working with Instance Objects

Your Ad Here

Organic growths such as feathers, leaves, flowers, and scales have properties similar to hair, and present similar challenges for modeling. The Hair And Fur modifier lets you model these objects by growing instances of an object.

When you work with instances, please keep the following points in mind:

You’re creating geometry, even if it is only at render time, so memory is a limitation on hair count. For this reason, use an object with a low polygon count, and a comparitively low Hair Count.
The material applied to your growth is inherited from the growth object, not the instance itself; only UVs come from the instance.
The root of the instance, where the 3ds Max pivot is, will be at the root of where the hair would otherwise be.
The shape or grown instances, including their size, bend, and so on, result directly from the hair settings, including styling.
Despite the expression “instance,” objects created with Hair's Instance Node tool are not true 3ds Max instances of the original object: they do not automatically reflect subsequent changes to the original. To updated instanced hairs, you must click the button in the Instance Node group after you edit the source object.

Set up the tutorial:

1. Open the file instancing_start.max.

The scene consists of a dog model with Hair applied, and a plane mapped with a leaf image.

Both the dog model and the leaf have already been textured with the same material.
Render the Perspective view.

Dog and leaf both share the same material

Check the leaf object's pivot point:

Select the leaf object.

Check that the leaf object's pivot is at its base, where it will connect with the dog's skin.

If the pivot weren't at the leaf's base, you'd need to go to the Hierarchy panel > Adjust Pivot rollout, turn on Affect Pivot Only, and then move the pivot to the proper location.

Choose the leaf to use as an instanced hair:

Select the dog object and open the Tools rollout.
In the Instance Node group, click the pick button (if there is no instance, its label shows “None”), and then in a viewport, click the leaf object.

Render the result:

Render the Perspective view once more.

Leaf applied as an instanced hair

Working with Surface Lock

Working with Instance Objects

Next