The main issue I’m having right now, and it’s a really big issue, is that the main top toolbar disappeared and I can’t seem to get it back. I tried Customize > Revert to Startup Layout, reinstalling it, nothing. I can’t seem to get it back.

I really need this resolved, especially since I want to complete the Modeling Tutorial within a few days and not weeks.

My other, more minor issues:

1) When following the rook building exercize of the Modeling Tutorial, I rain into an issue: when it says to set the Inset Amount to 4.0, and it displays a picture of what the finished product SHOULD look like, mine doesn’t. Heck, it doesn’t even do anything period. Which, since this is a major step, keeps me from ever making the rook or anything else of that category.

2) Half the time, when I set Viewpoint Background in the top view, it freezes. By that I mean, from that point on I can’t build anything in the top view (however, I can build in all other views).

If all of them could get resolved, that would be great. However, people post even if you only know or think you know one of these, the first being most important. Thanks.

Edit; Nevermind, I fixed the first one. Danke shon.

How did you fix the first issue. Sharing the solution with others would be most helpful.

Tim Wilbers [FA]

College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Visual Arts
University of Dayton
http://www.udayton.edu/
3ds Max: 7.5, 8, 9, 2008, 2009, 2010

On the Rook tutorial, there is a scale issue that was not resolved prior to the release.

In the section: “Prepare the top for the battlement”, step 9, use a value of 160 instead of 4.
In the section: “Create the battlement”, step 5, use a value of 200 instead of 4.5.

Tim Wilbers [FA]

College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Visual Arts
University of Dayton
http://www.udayton.edu/
3ds Max: 7.5, 8, 9, 2008, 2009, 2010

Did you try to use “Menu Bar/Customize/Custom UI and Defaults Switcher ...” to solve your first issue?

And did you got the actual drivers for your graphic card for the Background Image thingy? May be that helps.

Greets
SpaceWarp

QuadCore2 Extreme Q6850 @ 3.0 GHz, 8 GByte RAM, 2 x Nvidia GTX 580, Win7 64Bit
- Never underestimate the power of a dark clown -

For the last one, to fix my UI on top, I went to Customize -> Customize User Interface -> Reset, instead of the actual method, which didn’t work. The rook, I followed your instructions, and it worked. I’m still having an issue where I can’t assign textures to objects, though.

Also, the Viewport Background seemed to fix itself when I reinstalled the program.

Please describe the procedure you are using to apply a material to an object.

Or, if you are following one of the tutorials that come with Max, which one, which section, does it fail?

Tim Wilbers [FA]

College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Visual Arts
University of Dayton
http://www.udayton.edu/
3ds Max: 7.5, 8, 9, 2008, 2009, 2010

To apply a material, I type ‘m’ to pop up the Material Editor, I assign a material to one of the spheres, and drag -left-clicking it- onto the object. It doesn’t work.

Also, not so much of a problem as confusion, but:

How do you round individual edges? Mesh Smooth and TurboSmooth make the whole thing rounded, and it looks stupid.

Are you trying to apply a Bitmap (image file) to the object? To do that you need to use it in the Diffuse Map slot and turn on “Show map in viewport”, then move back to the top level of the material (the UpArrow button) then left-click drag it to the object (from the sample / preview “sphere").

Use the Chamfer tool to round individual edges - MeshSmooth / TurboSmooth are (normally) for smoothing the whole object, although MeshSmooth can operate on a Stack Selection - uncheck the “Apply to whole mesh” checkbox.

Max 4.2 through 2013.
XP-64 (SP2)
NVidia 9800GTX-512 (Driver 266.58).
Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz, 8Gb Ram, DX9.0c.

Doesn’t work when I use the Chamfer tool. It shaves off the edges, leaving a triangle of nothingness.
Any other ideas?

Well, the chamfer tool works here. It depends largely on what you’re trying to do - a couple of screenshots, or a small scene file would help because we’re having to guess at what you’re after.

Max 4.2 through 2013.
XP-64 (SP2)
NVidia 9800GTX-512 (Driver 266.58).
Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz, 8Gb Ram, DX9.0c.