aerodynamika flight design resources presents: Gmax Aircraft Tutorial

This tutorial is a repackaging of the article by Darren Brooker published in 3Dworld magazine, Issue 21. The international magazine for 3D artists and includes product reviews, tutorials.

Darren Booker is an award-winning freelance 3D artist specialising in lighting, whose work can be seen at www.big-face.com.

With all the features of 3ds max 4 relevant to games production, gmax is aimed at video games players and developers alike. We take you through the creation of a low-poly plane. BY DARREN BROOKER

Take the rendering engine out of 3ds max 4, and trim off any compositing- and effects-based features. Then simplify the materials by taking out thise not applicable to video games, and you end up with a streamlined subset of a full-blown professional 3DF toolkit: gmax. In attempting to further consolidate its position in the games market in which 3ds max is the undisputed leader, Discreet has come up with gmax.

The two flavours in which this toolkit is available - gmax dev and gmax - are aimed at both ends of the market: the game developer and game player. the first enables the developer to model and texture, animate using both forward and inverse kineatics and so on. Developers can then provide their customers with gmax, which enables the game player to build extra characters, terrains, animation and textures for sharing online. Here, we take you through creating a plane, which could be used in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002, one of the first titles to ship with gmax included.

All images referenced in the tutorial - backdrops, diffusemaps, etc, and the original finished gmax source file are included in the 3dw_gmax.zip file. The files are:

• 3dw_FokkerFinished.gmax
• 3dw_FrontView.jpg
• 3dw_LeftView.jpg
• 3dw_TopView.jpg
• 3dw_FuselageDiffuse.jpg
• 3dw_FuselageBump.jpg
• 3dw_TailBump.jpg
• 3dw_TailDiffuse.jpg
• 3dw_WingsBump.jpg
• 3dw_WingsDiffuse.jpg

-	step 1 - starting out	We'll begin by modelling the wings and tail, then move on to the more complex fuselage
-	step 2 - more modelling	Now we'll turn our attention to the remaining bits and bobs - wheels, propellers and cockpit
-	step 3 - materials and mapping	To add the finishing touches, we'll position materials using the various mapping tools

This tutorial has been repackaged and posted with permission from 3Dworld magazine and the author by Felix Rodriguez.

It is my intention to build on this tutorial and add control surface animations, etc., with the help of flightsim design enthusiasts.

For additional gmax tutorials, please visit Freeflight Design Shop.

Created on ... May 30, 2002