max projection cage

rollin

Hi there

is there a way to symetrically work with the projection cage in max?

it sux to select the same points on both sides manually

any plugins, tricks or other solutions?

thx!

Mark Dygert

Here is what I would do step by step.
First collapse the history stack down to Editable Poly.
To your base object apply push (leave it at zero)then apply a symmetry sandwich. Apply Symmetry, apply Edit Poly and apply another Symmetry on top. Your history stack should look like this:

Symmetry (this allows you to see the changes applied to the opposite side of the mesh as you make them)
EditPoly (this is where you will be making the changes to your cage)
Symmetry (this is needed for the sandwich to work, it helps to have both symmetry modifiers share the same settings)
push (To later offset the cage away from the base mesh, for now set it to zero on the base mesh)
EditablePoly (base level)

Then clone your base object call it cage or whatever. I like to make it see-thu.

Now click back on your base object and set up the RTT it will apply the projection modifier to your base mesh. Open the projection modifier and expand the "cage rollout" then click import and choose the cloned cage mesh, no error, start editing.
The first thing I would do to the cage mesh is in the history stack go down to push and adjust the value up. To offset it from your base mesh. Then go up to Edit Poly (higher up the stack) and make your changes to the active symmetry side and watch it update on the other, pretty cool actually.

Click your base mesh and import the cage mesh it doesn't dynamically update so each time you make a change to the cage mesh you'll need to import it. Don't delete/add any verts or add/remove anything to the history stack and you'll be able to import your tweaked cage. Just push and pull verts. Be careful not to move any of the center verts left or right (just forward/back) as it will create new verts and faces, making your cage different then the base mesh.

Special note:
Make sure to leave sub-object mode before trying to import the cage. (If you have a selection of only a few polys/verts/edges, that selection will be the only thing the modifers on top will deal with, invalidating your cage mesh).
You can tell you're in sub-object mode because the Edit Poly title will be highlighted in yellow. When its yellow if you click it, it will turn gray indicating you're out of sub-object mode and it will take into account all of the geometry not just what was selected in sub-object mode.

rollin

this is realy cool man!

and i can import this mesh also in xnormal.. this is great

thx a lot!!!