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Copyright Notice

Sisyphus Software MAXTRAX II and this manual are Copyrighted, Audrey M. Peterson, 1998.
Reproduction of the software or associated digital information or of this manual, other than for
those excepted purposes expressly described within, is forbidden. All Rights are Reserved.

This software is designed to function as an adjunct to 3D Studio MAX Release 2 by Kinetix. 3D


Studio, 3D Studio MAX, and 3D Studio MAX R2 are registered trademarks of Kinetix, a division
of Autodesk, Inc.

Acknowledgments
Our thanks go out to the many beta team testers who helped make MAXTRAX II a
reality. Consistently excellent software cannot be produced without a solid and supportive
beta team, and we know just how lucky we are to have one.

Table of Contents
Copyright Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.0 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.0 How to Reach Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3.0 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
4.0 License Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
4.1 Warranty and Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
5.0 Upgrade Policy and News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
6.0 Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
6.1 Files on the Disk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
7.0 Using the Plug-Ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
7.1 General Terminology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
8.0 Sisyphus MAXTRAX 2 Particle System. . . . . . . . . . . . 6
8.1 MTrack Particle Trail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
9.0 Sisyphus MAXTRAX 2 Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
9.1 GTrack Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
9.2 GTDisk Emitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
9.3 RingWave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
10.0 Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
11.0 Sample Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
12.0 Technical Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
12.1 Mapping Tire Tread Marks and Similar Effects. . . . . 17
12.2 Sample Exercises for MAXTrax 2. . . . . . . . . . . . 18

List of Figures
Figure 1 - CREATE/GEOMETRY (Sisyphus Particles). . . . . . . 6
Figure 2 - MTrack Basic Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 3 - MTrack Load/Save Presets. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Figure 4 - CREATE/GEOMETRY (Sisyphus Objects). . . . . . . . 9
Figure 5 - GTrack Basic Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 6 - GTDisk Basic Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Figure 7 - RingWave Basic Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

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1.0 Introduction
Thank you for purchasing MAXTRAX version 2.01 from Sisyphus Software. MAXTRAX II
consists of three distinct plug-ins. The first, MTrack, is the standard path-generator familiar to
MAXTRAX I users. Notable improvements to this system include an on-off and cyclic timing
queue and the ability to use shapes as cross-sections along the MAXTrax path. GTrack, the
second plug-in, is a geometry-based version of MTrack. It possesses the similar capabilities,
but since the object created by a GTrack operation is composed of geometry, and can be
collapsed into an editable mesh, you can use GTrack as an animated lofter.

MAXTrax II also includes RingWave, a procedural object that generates shockwaves.


RingWave is not a supported part of MAXTrax II, it is a freebie, and will run even without your
authorization code. Although we do not provide tech support for RingWave, it has been
thoroughly tested and is a stable and reliable product.

MAXTRAX II is a direct upgrade of MAXTRAX I for 3D Studio MAX, which was itself an upgrade
of the Sisyphus product MAKE TRACKS for 3D Studio R4.

Sisyphus was the legendary king of Corinth, in mythology, who was doomed to perpetually
manhandle a boulder up a mountainside in Tartarus - the bottomless pit below Hades - only to
have it roll back down every time. We try to keep your job from feeling like that by
selling you powerful, versatile products that are rock solid and dirt cheap.

2.0 How To Reach Us


Sisyphus no longer offers direct sales, but you can call us for technical support or upgrade
data transfers at: 1-210-543-0665

We check the message areas in CompuServe's AMMEDIA and KINETIX forums at least twice
daily. You can send us email about our products at ericpeter@compuserve.com, or at our
web site, www.sisyphus.com.

Our mailing address is:

Sisyphus Software
6402 Stable Drive
Leon Valley, TX 78240

We can't guarantee that there will be someone available 24 hours on the phone line, but if we
get a call in the middle of the night looking for technical support, we'll try to return it. If you
have a project coming up, give us some advance notice and we'll arrange to be available at
any time leading up to your deadline.

3.0 System Requirements


MAXTRAX II runs under 3D Studio MAX Release 2.0 for Windows 95 or NT 4.0. MAXTRAX II has
roughly the same system requirements as does MAX 2; if your system supports Kinetix 3D
Studio MAX R2, it will support MAXTRAX II. However, complex scenes involving several
spacewarps, multiple emitters, and large numbers of particles will consume vast amounts of
memory and processor time, in addition to requiring fast video update rates. We recommend
that 64 megabytes be considered the practical minimum amount of RAM and that a P120 or
faster machine be used for these applications. On some machines note that increasing the
display resolution can drastically increase the display update times required.

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4.0 License Information
You have purchased a single-user, single-station usage license for Sisyphus MAXTRAX II. You
may install MAXTRAX II on those machines, either singly or in a network slave configuration,
which operate(s) under a single-user Kinetix 3D Studio MAX 2 license. If you intend to install
multiple copies of MAXTRAX II, each functioning with a separate licensed copy of 3D Studio
MAX, then you must purchase an equal number of MAXTRAX II licenses or a single Site
License. Contact Sisyphus Software or one of our dealers for details. See additional warranty
and license terms on the media envelope.

4.1 Warranty and Disclaimer


Sisyphus Software and the program authors have no liability to the purchaser or any other
entity, with respect to any liability, loss, damage caused, directly or indirectly by this software,
including but not limited to, any interruptions of service, loss of business, anticipatory profits,
or consequential damages resulting from the use of or operation of this software. See
additional warranty and license terms on the media envelope.

Updates may be made to this documentation and incorporated into later editions.

5.0 Upgrade Policy and News


No information for this version. This space intentionally left blank.

6.0 Installation
Before proceeding you should make a back-up copy of your distribution diskette.

6.01 Automatic Installation

To auto install, select the START option from your Windows task bar and click ARUN@. Then,
type AA:\INSTALL.BAT C:\3DSMAX2@ in the Filename space. (if your disk drive is not your A
drive, or MAX 2 is not on your C drive, substitute the correct drive letters). Click on OK.

6.02 Manual Installation

If you only want to install some of the components of MAXTRAX II, you will need to use the MS-
DOS prompt from your MAIN group to individually install each portion that you want added.

For the main program containing only the particle and geometry plug-ins, go to the
3DSMAX2\PLUGIN directory and type AA:\program@ and press enter.

For the example and tutorial scenes, go to the 3DSMAX2\SCENES directory and type
AA:\scenes@ and press enter.

For the map files, go to 3DSMAX2\MAPS and type AA:\maps@ and press enter.

For the sample meshes, go to 3DSMAX2\SCENES and type AA:\meshes@ and press enter.

6.03 Authorizing MAXTrax II


This plug-in set is copy-protected and must be authorized before you can use it
in an interactive mode. If you run a rendering farm with lockless slave
stations, all you need to do is to install the plugin (or just the dlo file) on

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those systems. No authorization for slave systems is required. MAXTRAX II
will not run in interactive mode on lockless stations at all. European versions
may require an unlock code obtained from your reseller.

After installing MAXTRAX II, try to create either an MTrack or GTrack object.
The moment you click in the viewport to actually create the emitter, you'll get
a dialog that tells you:

 your lockbox ID

 to read this portion of the manual

 to type in an authorization code

You can't right away, of course, because you don't have the code. Write down
your lockbox ID and hit cancel.

Then, fill in the registration card and mail it to us, fax it to us, or send us
all the registration info via e-mail. We'll register you for upgrades and bug
fixes and then give you an authorization code. If you have a site license,
don=t worry! We=ll authorize all your copies when you register.

If you try to load a file that uses the MAXTRAX II plugins before MAXTRAX II is
authorized, you=ll get an error on load and the authorization screen will pop
up. If you authorize MAXTRAX II during the load, your file will not load
properly the first time. Reset MAX, then re-load your file.

The authorization code is tied to your lockbox. If you change the lockbox on
your machine, you will need to enter the new code that matches your new
lockbox.

6.04 Installation Notes

The distribution diskette is write-protected to prevent the user from inadvertently damaging or
erasing the distribution files.

Each diskette will include some sample meshes for your use. These meshes aren=t
necessarily related to the plug-in you=re buying, and what you get depends on how much
space we=ve got left to fill on the disk, but they are royalty-free and you may use them
however you please. You asked for them; we=re giving them to you.

In the unlikely event you already have a plug-in routine, map, project file, or image whose
name is the same as one supplied with MAXTRAX II, it will become necessary to rename either
the existing files or the MAXTRAX II file with the duplicate name. See your Windows 95 or NT
manual for the use of the RENAME command in the Windows Explorer or File Manager.

6.1 Files Included on the Diskette


The files included on the distribution diskette will include a varying list of sample files and
maps which change with new releases. While the contents of each self-extracting archive
may vary, however, each archive will always be present.

INSTALL.BAT - Batch file which unzips and installs the files into MAX 2.
PROGRAM.EXE - The particle system and geometry plug-ins.
SCENES.EXE - example and tutorial files.
MAPS.EXE - New textures for use with the example and tutorial files.

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MESHES.EXE - Sample meshes by the folks at Sisyphus included for your use.

7.0 Using the Plug-Ins


The trail generation and shockwave plug-ins are accessed by using the CREATE/GEOMETRY
selection from the main MAX control panel. To access MTrack, select the Sisyphus Particles
category from the drop-down. To access GTrack, GTDisk, or RingWave, select the Sisyphus
Objects category from the drop-down. See Figure 1 appearing later in this manual. MTrack
and GTDisk appear as frisbee-shaped disks, while GTrack appears as a wavy path shape.

When deciding whether to use MTrack or GTrack for a particular project, keep in mind that
MTrack can make use of particle space warps and is somewhat easier to set up, while GTrack
uses geometry space warps and is also an object that you can collapse into an editable mesh.
Additionally, MTrack cannot be instanced or referenced, but contains a load/save presets
rollout to help you more easily make copies of a given MTrack configuration. The trail
generators use a Contact Patch to direct the creation of their trails. While the particle version
is both Contact Patch and trail emitter in a single icon (MTrack), the geometry version uses
GTrack as its emitter, and GTDisk as its Contact Patch. You must make your GTrack a child of
your GTDisk to generate a trail (the GTrack will disappear; this is normal).

MAXTRAX II has the ability to reference a shape and use it as a cross-section


along the length of its trail. This is a powerful ability, but requires you
to pay just as much attention to the setup of your shape as you do to MAXTRAX
II itself. The most important factors that influence MAXTRAX II=s ability to
handle a referenced shape are vertex order, side count, and how the shape will
be capped.

In order to loft along the MAXTRAX II path correctly, a reference shape=s


vertices must run counterclockwise around the shape. If the vertices are
organized clockwise, the shape will still loft, but the trail will be inside
out. How can you tell if a shape is oriented correctly? There are two ways.
 Remember which way you drew it, either clockwise or
counterclockwise. Counterclockwise is "correct" from the point of
view of MAXTRAX II.
 Use it as a section and see if the extrusion is inside-out.
If your shape=s vertices are built clockwise, you=ll need to reverse them.
Fortunately, you don=t have to do this manually. Unfortunately, the method
you have to take to do this in MAX 2 is somewhat convoluted.
 First, you must turn your shape into an editable spline. Any
spline Detached from a shape is automatically an Editable Spline.
For other shapes, select the shape, hit the edit stack button in
the modifier stack rollout, and choose the Convert to Editable
Spline option.
 Now, set your selection level to Subobject/Spline. Select the
entire shape, and hit the Reverse button.

Although MAXTRAX II can detect the number of subcurves in a referenced shape, there is no
good way for it to detect the step setting for the individual segments in order to reproduce the
shape exactly as it appears on your screen. In general, there are two ways to improve how
accurately MAXTRAX II replicates shape cross-sections.
 Use Autodetect Side Count to find the number of major knot points
(vertices) in the shape, and use a multiple of this number. This
method has the disadvantage that straight segments may be broken
into sections unnecessarily and that the MAXTRAX II capper may have
problems with these straight lengths of parallel segments.
 Set Steps to zero and edit the shape, making all segments linear
and inserting vertices manually to approximate curved surfaces (you

5
can insert pieces of many-faceted n-gons to great effect here). You
can then use Autodetect Side Count to set an accurate number of
sides. This method is reliable and robust, but requires a great
deal of preparation.

Keep in mind that MAXTRAX II can never cap nested shapes. A referenced shape
must always be a single open or closed spline. Should a shape contain multiple
unconnected splines, the second and later splines are ignored.

7.1 General Terminology


There are several classes of variable names common to many Sisyphus plug-ins. The
common terms are defined below:

'Period' is a parameter which defines how long, in your currently selected display units, a
particle takes to complete some repetitive motion, such as the back-and-forth movement of
bubble motion or the circular orbit that particles follow in HALO.

'Phase' variables refer to a shift in position of a particle when it is first created. When applied
to Bubble Noise, for example, a uniform Phase might mean that all the particles start out to
the right and then move left across the path of motion. If you then apply Variation (below) to
that Phase value, the particles will vibrate Aout-of-sync@.

'Variation' parameters allow another setting to vary. For example, a Variation of 50% applied
to an Orbital Period value of 10.0 would set the Period of each particle to a random value
between 5.0 (50% less than 10.0) and 15.0 (50% more than 10.0). For Variation to produce
any results at all, the parameter it modifies must be set to a value other than zero.

'Scatter' parameters (referred to as >Concentration= in some previous Sisyphus manuals)


affect the randomness with which particles are spread across the range set by a Variation
(above). A high Scatter value means that most values will fall very near the base value (10.0,
in the case of the above example), but low Scatters will spread the values more evenly, with a
Scatter of one indicating that the distribution is completely random, with no value more likely
to be chosen than any other. In some cases we allow scatter values of less than 1, which tend
to distribute the particles toward the limits of the range set by a Variation, while leaving the
center of the range rather sparsely inhabited.

8.0 Sisyphus MAXTRAX II Particle System

8.1 MTrack Particle Trail


The MTrack particle trail is a particle-based animated trail generator. MTrack can be reached
from the CREATE/GEOMETRY panel (select the Sisyphus Particles category from the drop-
down). The MTrack icon is a disk-shaped framework which acts as both Contact Patch,
directing the growth of the particle trail, and emitter, creating the trail itself. The MTrack
command rollout contains two separate rollouts, which govern basic parameters and preset
controls. As a particle system, MTrack can be influenced and modified by particle space
warps.

8.11 The MTrack Basic Parameters Rollout


Figure 2 depicts the MTrack Basic Parameters rollout as it appears when
accessed through the creation menu. The rollout is subdivided into four areas,
described below.

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Timing Area
Timing Control Options - You have two methods of
controlling the timing of the MTrack path.
 Use Timing Queue allows you to establish a queue of
on/off times so that Mtrack generates an intermittant trail.
The Add Pair button will create additional pairs, while the
Value spinner and the Replace button allow you to edit a
highlighted value. You can use the Delete Pair button to
remove any pair whose ON time is highlighted.
 The Use Cycle Times method allows you to set an On
Length and Off Length which will repeat continuously
from your Time On value to your Time Off value. On
Length and Off Length are not animatable, although their
counterparts in GTrack are.
Fade Enabled - When this check box is not checked, the
trail created by MTrack remains indefinitely after creation. When Fade
Enabled is checked, the trail disappears after a length of time set by the
Persistence spinner, below.
Using Fade in conjunction with Initial Delay is a good way to
make a banner or flag. If you want to map your banner or flag, use the
Telescoping mapping type.
Persistence - This is the length of time that the particle
trail remains after creation when the Fade Enabled check box is
checked. When Fade Enabled is not checked, this value greys out and
has no effect.
Initial Delay - When you set an Initial Delay, MTrack
generates a trail as normal, but will not display it until after the delay
period has passed.
Display Until - This establishes when, in your
currently selected display units, MTrack will stop
displaying the trail. The trail is then invisible both to
the viewport and the renderer.

Geometry Area
Scale Width - Scale Width is a percentage multiplier that
increases or decreases the width of the default trail or the scale of the
referenced cross-section shape. Scale Width is animatable.
Sample Rate - Sample Rate is the number of face pairs
used to flesh in the trail per unit time. When your trail is moving
erratically or is making sudden turns or changes in shape, setting
Sample Rate to a high value keeps those areas from looking choppy. If
MTrack=s path won=t involve any sudden movements or abrupt
changes, then set Sample Rate to a low value to reduce face count and
improve processing speed.
Fancy Corners - When the MTrack path has sudden
changes of direction or quick switchbacks, check the Fancy Corners
checkbox. This option uses a more complex calculation process for
better corner detail. Avoid this option if you don=t have any sharp
turns, as it does slow MTrack down a bit.
Use Custom Shape - The Use Custom Shape check box
allows you to pick a shape that MTrack will use as a cross-section for its

7
trail. When this check box is not checked, the Pick Shape Object button and Steps spinner are
greyed out, and you are restricted to MTrack=s default two-dimensional path.
Using shapes as cross-sections is a powerful new ability of the MAXTRAX
II plug-ins, but it requires that you prepare your shapes very carefully. see
Section 7.0 for details on how to make sure your shapes will loft correctly.
Pick Shape Object - This button is greyed out unless the Use Custom Shape
check box is checked. When you press the Pick Shape Object button it will activate, setting
your cursor to pick mode. From here, click on a shape in your scene to select it as the cross-
section for MTrack=s path. The Object line above the Pick button will change to display the
name of the picked shape.
Autodetect Side Count - This check box is greyed out unless the
Use Custom Shape check box is checked. Checking the Autodetect Side Count box
will tell MTrack to set the Sides spinner based on the vertex count of your
shape. If your shape has any curves in it, like a circle or the letter AD@,
for example, this check box won=t set your number of sides properly, but for
other shapes it works quite well.
Sides - Sides establishes the number of line segments used to approximate the
Picked shape. If your shape consists entirely of straight line segments, use the Autodetect
Side Count check box. Sides is animatable.
Uniform Side Length - Each shape has two interpolation modes. Normally,
MAX uses the default method, which tends to respect knot points and segments. When
Uniform Steps is checked, MAX will use the other available method, which makes each side of
equal length.
Cap Beginnings - When the Cap Beginnings check box is checked, the
beginning of the trail created by a custom shape is capped. If your Timing setup causes the
trail to be created in several separate sections, each chunk will have its beginning capped.
Cap Ends - When the Cap Ends check box is checked, the end of the trail created by
a custom shape is capped. If your Timing setup causes the trail to be created in several
separate sections, each chunk will have its end capped.

Mapping and Smoothing Area


Mapping Type - MTrack allows you to set mapping coordinates using
any one of three different options. The three mapping types perform in the
following manner.
 UnRolling - This option maps the total eventual length of the
trail, without paying attention to Fade. If your trail will be 100
units long, maps would be spread across the full hundred units of length, and
the map would appear to Agrow@ over the course of the animation. Use the
UnRolling mapping type to map tire tracks.
 Telescoping - This maps your material across the length of whatever portion of
the trail is visible at the moment. If the trail grows or shrinks, the maps will
stretch or contract accordingly. Telescoping mapping is a good choice when
you use MTrack to make a banner or flag.
 Pulling - Pulling is the reverse of unrolling. With the UnRolling maping type,
additional portions of map appear at the head of the trail as MTrack grows;
Pulling causes the map to appear at the rear of the trail. The effect is somewhat
like pulling out a length of toilet paper from a roll. This effect is also helpful for
mapping ticker tape, paper towels, or anything being pulled from a roll.
Most trails generated by MTrack will be very long and extremely thin. You=ll probably
need to tile any maps you use in order to get good surface effects.
Smooth Along Length - When checked, this option smooths the trail along the
length of its creation.
Smooth Along Width - When checked, this option smooths the trail across its

8
width, or around its circumference if you are referencing a shape.

Emitter Area
Emitter Diameter - This spinner sets the emitter icon diameter. When you are
not referencing a shape, it is also the default width of the trail. Emitter Diameter is
animatable.

8.12 The MTrack Load/Save Presets Rollout


Figure 3 depicts the MTrack Load/Save Presets rollout as it
appears when accessed through the creation menu. The
rollout consists of a single area, described below.

Saved Presets Area


Saved Presets - The Saved Presets area consists
of the window where the names of instanced objects are
displayed, the Preset Name space, and the Load, Save, and
Delete buttons. The Presets window shows your currently
saved Presets. To load a preset, highlight one and click
the Load button. To make your current MTrack configuration
a preset, type a name for it in the Preset Name space and
click the Save button. You can remove a preset by selecting
it and clicking the Delete button.

8.13 MTrack Applications


Previous MAXTRAX users have created animated logos, bandages trailing from a
mummy, banners towed behind an aircraft, boat wakes, contrails, footprints, a
gift box whose ribbon ties itself, handwriting, paint stripping, painting,
phasor fire, skid marks, a spider building a web, ticker tape blowing in the
wind, and tire tracks. With a little experimentation, you should find even more
applications.

8.14 Using MTrack


Use the CREATE/GEOMETRY button in the main MAX panel and select Sisyphus
Particles from the drop-down to access the creation mode for MTrack. Click and
drag to create the MTrack, and you=re ready to go. Animating the motion of the
icon will cause a trail to appear behind the icon. Note that the default trail
is only visible from one side. If you want it visible from both sides, you must
either use a two-sided material or check the Force 2-Sided check box in your
rendering setup. Alternately, you can use two MTrack objects back-to-back.
When animating the motion of the MTrack icon, try not to make sharp vertical motions with
the icon; the mathematics assumes that the patch moves edge-on, like a frisbee, not face-
forward, like a cream pie being thrown.

9.0 Sisyphus MAXTRAX II Geometry

9.1 GTrack Trail


The GTrack trail is a geometry-based animated trail generator. GTrack
can be reached from the CREATE/GEOMETRY panel (select the Sisyphus
Objects category from the drop-down). The GTrack icon is a wavy path

9
shape which is the emitter for the geometry trail. However, GTrack cannot produce a trail by
itself. You must also create a GTDisk, which serves as the Contact Patch, directing the growth
of the trail. When GTrack is made a child of a GTDisk, the two work
together, GTrack generating the trail and GTDisk controlling where the
trail is created. The GTrack command rollout contains two separate
rollouts, which govern basic parameters and preset controls. As an
object, GTrack can be influenced and modified by object space warps,
and can also be collapsed into an editable mesh that you can modify as
you would any other.

9.11 The GTrack Basic Parameters Rollout


Figure 5 depicts the GTrack Basic Parameters rollout as it
appears when accessed through the creation menu. The
rollout is subdivided into four areas, described below.

Timing Area
Timing Control Options - You have two methods
of controlling the timing of the GTrack path.
 Use Timing Queue allows you to establish a queue
of on/off times so that Gtrack generates an
intermittant trail. The Add Pair button will
create additional pairs, while the Value spinner
and the Replace button allow you to edit a
highlighted value. You can use the Delete Pair
button to remove any pair whose ON time is
highlighted.
 The Use Cycle Times method allows you to set an
On Length and Off Length which will repeat
continuously from your Time On value to your
Time Off value. On Length and Off Length are
animatable (GTrack only). The Use Cycle Times
option also features a pair of radio buttons,
Animate At Emitter and Animate Along Path, which
modify the On Length and Off Length parameters.
Animate At Emitter applies the current value in
these fields to whatever the emitter is creating
at the moment, while Animate Along Path
retroactively applies the animated value to the
entire path.
Fade Enabled - When this check box is not
checked, the trail created by GTrack remains indefinitely
after creation. When Fade Enabled is checked, the trail
disappears after a length of time set by the Persistence
spinner, below.
Using Fade in conjunction with Initial Delay is a good
way to make a banner or flag. If you want to map your
banner or flag, use the Telescoping mapping type.
Persistence - This is the length of time that the
particle trail remains after creation when the Fade Enabled
check box is checked. When Fade Enabled is not checked,
this value greys out and has no effect.
Initial Delay - When you set an Initial Delay,
GTrack generates a trail as normal, but will not display it
until after the delay period has passed.

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Display Until - This establishes when, in your currently selected
display units, GTrack will stop displaying the trail. The trail is then
invisible both to the viewport and the renderer.

Geometry Area
Scale Width - Scale Width is a percentage multiplier that increases
or decreases the width of the default trail or the scale of the referenced
cross-section shape. Scale Width is animatable.
Sample Rate - Sample Rate is the number of face pairs used to flesh
in the trail per unit time. When your trail is moving erratically or is making
sudden turns or changes in shape, setting Sample Rate to a high value keeps
those areas from looking choppy. If GTrack=s path won=t involve any sudden
movements or abrupt changes, then set Sample Rate to a low value to reduce face
count and improve processing speed.
Fancy Corners - When the GTrack=s GTDisk parent has a path which
has sudden changes of direction or quick switchbacks, check the Fancy Corners
checkbox. This option uses a more complex calculation process for better
corner detail. Avoid this option if you don=t have any sharp turns, as it does
slow GTrack down a bit.
Use Custom Shape - The Use Custom Shape check box allows you to
pick a shape that GTrack will use as a cross-section for its trail. When this
check box is not checked, the Pick Shape Object button and Steps spinner are
greyed out, and you are restricted to GTrack=s default two-dimensional path.
Using shapes as cross-sections is a powerful new ability of the MAXTRAX
II plug-ins, but it requires that you prepare your shapes very carefully. see
Section 7.0 for details on how to make sure your shapes will loft correctly.
Pick Shape Object - This button is greyed out unless the Use
Custom Shape check box is checked. When you press the Pick Shape Object button
it will activate, setting your cursor to pick mode. From here, click on a
shape in your scene to select it as the cross-section for GTrack=s path. The
Object line above the Pick button will change to display the name of the picked
shape.
Autodetect Side Count - This check box is greyed out unless the
Use Custom Shape check box is checked. Checking the Autodetect Side Count box
will tell GTrack to set the Sides spinner based on the vertex count of your
shape. If your shape has any curves in it, like a circle or the letter AD@,
for example, this check box will produce some fairly obvious faceting of the
cross-section, but for other shapes it works quite well.
Sides - Sides establishes the number of line segments used to
approximate the Picked shape. If your shape consists entirely of straight line
segments, use the Autodetect Side Count check box. Sides is animatable.
Uniform Side Length - Each shape has two interpolation modes.
Normally, MAX uses the default method, which tends to respect knot points and
segments. When Uniform Steps is checked, MAX will use the other available
method, which makes each side of equal length.
Cap Beginnings - When the Cap Beginnings check box is checked, the
beginning of the trail created by a custom shape is capped. If your Timing
setup causes the trail to be created in several separate sections, each chunk
will have its beginning capped.
Cap Ends - When the Cap Ends check box is checked, the end of the
trail created by a custom shape is capped. If your Timing setup causes the
trail to be created in several separate sections, each chunk will have its end
capped.

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Mapping and Smoothing Area
Mapping Type - GTrack allows you to set mapping coordinates using
any one of three different options. The three mapping types perform in the
following manner.
 UnRolling - This option maps the total eventual length of the
trail, without paying attention to Fade. If your trail will be 100
units long, maps would be spread across the full hundred units of
length, and the map would appear to Agrow@ over the course of the
animation. Use the UnRolling mapping type to map tire tracks.
 Telescoping - This maps your material across the length of whatever
portion of the trail is visible at the moment. If the trail grows
or shrinks, the maps will stretch or contract accordingly.
Telescoping mapping is a good choice when you use GTrack to make a
banner or flag.
 Pulling - Pulling is the reverse of unrolling. With the UnRolling
maping type, additional portions of map appear at the head of the trail as
MTrack grows; Pulling causes the map to appear at the rear of the trail. The
effect is somewhat like pulling out a length of toilet paper from a
roll. This effect is also helpful for mapping ticker tape, paper
towels, or anything being pulled from a roll.
Most trails generated by GTrack will be very long and extremely thin. You=ll probably
need to tile any maps you use in order to get good surface effects.
Smooth Along Length - When checked, this option smooths the trail
along the length of its creation.
Smooth Along Width - When checked, this option smooths the trail
across its width, or around its circumference if you are referencing a shape.

Icon Size Area


Size - This spinner sets the size of the GTrack icon. Icon Size does
not influence trail creation.

9.13 GTrack Applications

Previous MAXTRAX users have created animated logos, bandages trailing from a
mummy, banners towed behind an aircraft, boat wakes, contrails, footprints, a
gift box whose ribbon ties itself, handwriting, paint stripping, painting,
phasor fire, skid marks, a spider building a web, ticker tape blowing in the
wind, and tire tracks. With a little experimentation, you should find even more
applications.

9.14 Using GTrack

Use the CREATE/GEOMETRY button in the main MAX panel and select Sisyphus
Objects from the drop-down to access the creation mode for GTrack. Click and
drag to create the GTrack, and make it the child of a GTDisk. The GTrack will
disappear when you do this, and animating the motion of the GTDisk will cause a
trail to appear behind the icon. Note that the default trail is only visible
from one side. If you want it visible from both sides, you must either use a
two-sided material or check the Force 2-Sided check box in your rendering
setup. Alternately, you can use two GTrack-GTDisk pairs back-to-back. When
using geometry and mesh space warps, bind the GTrack icon to the space warp,
not the GTDisk.

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9.2 GTDisk
GTDisk is a helper object which acts as the Contact Patch
for GTrack, controlling the growth of the trail which GTrack
emits.

9.21 The GTDisk Basic Parameters Rollout


Figure 6 depicts the GTrack Basic Parameters rollout as it
appears when accessed through the creation menu. The
rollout contains a single area, described below.

Generator Size Area


Diameter - This sets the diameter of the GTDisk icon.
Because no direct reference exists between GTrack and the disk,
updates to the diameter will not affect the trail width until you hit Play
or attempt to render. Generator Diameter is animatable.
Helper Hidden - Checking the Helper Hidden check box
hides the disk icon. Note that this is a display only effect, since the disk
is never renderable.

9.23 GTDisk Applications

GTDisk acts as the Contact Patch for GTrack. You always


must use these two in conjunction with one another. Make
GTrack a child of the GTDisk, and animate the motion of
GTDisk to control where GTrack=s path grows. GTrack will
disappear when it becomes a child of the GTDisk; this is
what=s supposed to happen.

9.24 Using GTDisk

Use the CREATE/GEOMETRY button in the main MAX panel and


select Sisyphus Objects from the drop-down to access the
creation mode for GTDisk. Click and drag to create the
GTDisk, and make a GTrack the child of the disk. The GTrack
will disappear when you do this, and animating the motion of
the GTDisk will cause a trail to appear behind the icon.
When using geometry and mesh space warps, bind the GTrack to
the space warp, not the GTDisk. When animating the motion of the
GTDisk, try not to make sharp vertical motions with the icon; the
mathematics assumes that the patch moves edge-on, like a frisbee, not face-forward, like a
cream pie being thrown. Mirroring the GTDisk will result in the loss of the correct vertex order
assumed by the mathematical control in GTrack. Do not, under any circumstances, use a
mirrored GTDisk if you value your output.

9.3 RingWave

RingWave is a procedural object designed to model shockwaves. RingWave can be reached


from the CREATE/GEOMETRY panel (select the Sisyphus Objects category from the drop-
down). Click once in the viewort to create RingWave.

9.11 The RingWave Basic Parameters Rollout

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Figure 7 depicts the RingWave Basic Parameters rollout as it appears when
accessed through the creation menu. The rollout is subdivided into four areas,
described below.

RingWave Timing Area


Start Time - This establishes when, in your currently select display
units, the RingWave object appears. Start Time is animatable
Grow Time - Grow Time establishes how long, in your currently selected
display units, RingWave takes to grow to its full size. Grow Time will be
greyed out when your growth method is Static Animatable.
Display Until - RingWave will remain visible until this time.
Growth Method - You may choose from four different Growth Methods:
 Cyclic Waves - RingWave grows for Grow Time,thehn disappears and starts a
new wave.
 One Shot Wave - As above, except that no new waves appear.
 Grow And Hold - The wave stops groing but remains visible after Grow Time.
 Static Animatable - The wave does not grow at all, but appears at full size.

RingWave Size
Maximum Diameter - RingWave will not grow larger than this size. If your
growth method is Static Animatable, then RingWave appears at this size.
Ring Width - This is the thickness of the ring, in MAX units. Please
note that this is thickness with respect to RingWave=s X-Y axes, not its Z axis.
RingWave is completely two-dimensional, and has no thickness along its Z axis. Ring Width is
animatable.
Resolution - The number you enter in the Resolution field sets the number of
segments used to make up the ring. The default Resolution of 200 is good for most
applications.
RingWave=s ability to accurately display Cycles (see Outer Edge Breakup and Inner
Edge Breakup, below) is closely tied to the Resolution setting. For best results, Resolution
should be at least four times as large as your highest Cycle Count setting. If the ring ever
appears blocky or faceted, increase the Resolution to smooth out its appearance.

Outer Edge Breakup Area


On Check Box - Checking this check box enables Outer Edge Breakup. This box is
not checked in the default configuration. All other parameters in this area are greyed out
while this box is not checked.
Cycle Controls
What follows is a description of the controls for both major and minor
cycles. The terms >major cycle= and >minor cycle= are created for convenience
only; the two sets of cycle controls are exactly identical in operation and
effect. Each set of cycle controls creates a simple animated wave pattern on
the outer edge of the ring. Using both Major and Minor cycles (at different
settings) can generate very complex wave patterns.
Major/Minor Cycles - The Cycle Count setting establishes how many
times the wave pattern repeats across the outer edge of the ring. If you set
Cycle Count to a number greater than 50, be sure to increase your resolution
accordingly.
Width Flux - Width Flux determines the height and depths of the peaks
and troughs in the wave cycles. Width Flux is expressed as a percentage of the
Ring Width. Thus, Width Flux of 30% applied to a Ring Width of 50 would create

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waves in the ring that rose and fell 15 units (0.30 x 50 = 15). Width Flux is
animatable.
Crawl Time - Crawl Time describes how fast the wave cycle moves around the
ring.

10.0 Tutorials
The following section provides you with a quick introduction to your new
software. This tutorial will cover the major functions of GTrack and GTDisk
(MTrack works like GTrack), including how to reference shapes properly, and how
to operate the timing options.

 Open the file GT_Tut.max in your Scenes directory. Your screen will
display a GTrack and a GTDisk in their default configurations.

 We can=t make any tracks until we connect GTrack and GTDisk.


Select the GTrack, and click the Select and Link button on the
left-hand side of your toolbar. Now click on the GTrack and drag
to the GTDisk. This will make the GTrack a child of the GTDisk;
you=ll notice it also makes the GTrack disappear from your screen.

 You can still select the GTrack when you need to by using the
Select By Name option on your toolbar, or by clicking on the trail
GTrack will generate once we move it around.

 Select the GTDisk and move the animation to frame 100. Now we=ll
make a basic track; hit the Animate button and slide the GTDisk
across the screen in the Perspective viewport.

 To make the path a bit more interesting, go to frame 50 and move


the GTDisk straight down to the bottom of the Perspective viewport.

 Move to frame 100 again, and you=ll have a nice, arcing path. Now
we=ll work with some of the GTrack parameters. Turn off the
Animate button, select the GTrack, and go to the modify panel.

 First, we=ll work with learning the Use Timing Queue options.
Right now, the Queue has one entry, from time 0 to time 100.
Select 100 in the OFF queue, type a 30 in the Value space, and
click Replace to make the track build for just the first thirty
frames.

 Click the Add Pair button and set the new pair to ON-35 OFF-65.
Add another pair at ON-70 OFF-100. Now you=ve got a curving track
broken into three even segments.

 When the ON-OFF values are regular and repetitive like this, it=s a
great deal faster to Use Cycle Times to control the queue. Select
the Use Cycle Times radio button and set the Off Length to 5. This
gives you the same effect as you had before, but with noticeably
less work. The On Length and Off Length fields can be animated (in
GTrack only). See your sample file helix.max for an example.

 Now we=ll trim a little bit off the end. Set Time Off to 85.
While this kind of asymmetric effect might be more appropriately
done in Use Timing Queue, it demonstrates that using some of these
functions in ways not even the designers intended can yield unique

15
and valuable effects. Never be afraid to experiment or bend the
rules.

 Set Time Off to 100 again. Now check the Fade Enabled check box,
and start the animation.

 You can alter the length of the trail that hangs behind the emitter
by adjusting the Persistence spinner. Let=s try to get the effect
of a banner of constant length trailing behind the GTDisk. Set On
Length to 100 and Initial Delay to 20.

 Well, we=ve got our banner, but its length isn=t constant. The
reason for this is the interpolation methods that MAX uses between
keyframes. We could fix this by manually adjusting the
interpolation factors, but that gets really tedious after a while,
especially if you=re using lots of vertices.

 A more powerful and efficient method is to build a path and assign


a Path motion controller to GTDisk=s Position animation. If you
have no idea what I=m talking about, then hold on; you=re about to
learn something really neat. First, go to the Display panel and
click Unhide All. You should see an >X= and a curved line appear.
We=ll use the line as our path; the >X= will be useful later.

 Select the GTDisk, go to the Motion panel, and select the Position
controller for GTDisk in the Assign Controller Rollout.

 Click the Assign Controller button in the same rollout and double-
click on the Path option.

 In the Path Parameters rollout that appears below, click the Pick
Path button, and select Line01. Now, check the Follow check box
and the Constant Velocity check box.

 Run the animation once more, and we have a long trail of constant
length that could be quickly and easily mapped with some kind of
banner message.

 Select GTrack and go back to the Modify panel. The first two
features of the Geometry area are Scale Width and Sample Rate.
Shift to frame 60 and slide these two about some to see their
effects; they=re both pretty straightforward. Return them to their
defaults (100% and 1.0), and we=ll skip down to the Use Custom
Shape check box.

 Check Use Custom Shape, hit the Pick Shape Object button, and
select the >X=. You don=t see any immediate change in the
viewports because the Side counter is set to 2. Check the
Autodetect Side Count button.

 You=ve got an >X= now, but it looks terrible. The reason for this
is that the vertices of the shape are built clockwise, which is
backwards from MAX=s perspective, so GTrack lofts the shape inside-
out. MAX build all its shapes correctly, but many fonts from which
text is constructed don=t, so this is a common problem with text.

 To make this work, we=ll need to reverse the shape=s vertices.

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Select the >X=, hit the Edit Stack button in the Modifier Stack
rollout, and choose the Convert To Editable Spline option.

 Go to the Subobject/Spline level, select the entire shape, and hit


the Reverse button. You should now have a correctly-lofted shape.

 Go back up o the object level, select MTrack again, and check the
Cap Beginnings and Cap Ends check boxes. Run the animation, and
you should see a nicely capped >X= of constant length slide evenly
along the path.

11.0 Sample Files


Your installation diskette also placed nine sample files that illustrate some of
the basic uses of the particle system and spacewarp plug-ins in your Scenes
directory. They are:

banner.max ringtst1.max
helix.max rw01.max
logo.max rw02.max
ribbon.max rw03.max
skids.max

 Banner.max features a biplane towing an advertising banner. This


is a classic application for MAXTRAX that has been seen in dozens
of commercials and ad campaigns. Oftentimes the banner isn't towed
by an aircraft, but the same characteristics apply: a mapped
flowing banner or trail moves along a path with constant mapping
and near constant length. The key feature here is the way in which
the banner follows the path, just as if it were really being towed
or dragged through a medium, each point on the banner moving into
the position occupied by the point nearer the emitter during the
previous time frame. Very sinuous, serpentine motions are
possible.
 Helix.max creates an abstract star-shaped object trail cycled over
a 3D path with animated timing, making the trail appear to "crawl"
over the length of the trail and stream from the emitter.
Specifically, the star-shaped trail appears climbing the helical
path, the on- and off- lengths of the trail animating shorter as
the trail builds towards the center apex of the path. The effect
of this parameter animation is to make the star-shaped section
extrusions shorten and fall downwards along the helix towards the
beginning of the path along the lowest point. Since the on-length
is animating, the extrusions appear to compress as well, and since
the overall segment frequency is animating towards larger values,
the effect is to make the extrusions appear to actually be
propelled out from the emitter.
 Logo.max generates a streaming solid extruding lettering MAXTRAX II
logo. This is typical of the sort of solid logo lettering
extrusion an animator might set up for streaming logos handled in
times past with video persistence trails. The words "MAXTrax II"
appear as the trails begin to form and the lettering advances
towards the point of view, the individual extrusions becoming
longer in the process. A slightly different version of this file,
with the dummy carrying the emitters twisting as it moved further
into the scene, was used to produce the MAXTRAX II logo for the
Kinetix Partner Catalog.
 A space warp interaction creates an abstract rippled object trail

17
in ribbon.max. MAXTRAX has been used to build tire tracks or
object trails over surfaces which themselves are subjected to
ripples, waves, or noisy earthquake-like effects. If the animator
wants the trail to stay over the animated surface, using the
geometry version is the only way to go, since the effects of the
spacewarp bound to the GTrack and the effects of the spacewarp
bound to the terrain will be identical.
 Skids.max is a typical forensic animation application showing a
wagon with four tires that accelerates, decelerates, loses control
and spins. The base surface is flat but the file illustrates some
other typical advanced features: each of the four tires has a skid
mark which is timed separately, and the skids follow the motions of
tires against the surface even as the wagon spins out of control,
the skids crossing and intersecting one another repeatedly.
 The four RingWave sample files include examples of that free plug-
in with various settings.

12.0 Technical Appendices


The following sections are not necessary to use any of your MAXTRAX II plug-ins,
but provide specific information that may be of use to advanced users of MAXTRAX
II.

Section 12.1, AMapping Tire Tread Marks and Similar Effects,@ provides the user
with information on how to properly map the long, narrow trails characteristic
of MAXTRAX II, and includes mathematical formulas specifically tailored for tire
tracks.

Section 12.2, ASample Exercises for MAXTrax II,@ walks the user through the
creation of the five sample files that ship with this product.

12.1 Mapping Tire Tread Marks and Similar Effects


Both versions of MAXTRAX II provide for texturing the procedural trail over its
length. However, one common problem users have with MAXTRAX is that a
carefully set up animation yields "streaky" mapping over the procedural trails.
This isn't a bug, but a natural extension of how MAXTRAX II works when it's not
set up properly.

The Materials Editor provides comprehensive facilities for scaling and tiling
any texture along or across any material. Thus, tiling and scaling controls in
MAXTRAX would be redundant. Worse, they would slow processing speed and
inflate the code, and that is simply not desirable.

The important thing to remember is how MAXTRAX applies texturing to the


procedural trail. UnRolling mapping, for example, applies the U coordinate
over the entire length of the trail - from the time it first appears to the
time at which the trail stops forming - regardless of the relatively narrowness
of the trail and regardless of the relative complexity of the path. Thus, it
isn't difficult to understand how a map applied over a 6" wide trail that's 300
feet long becomes blurred; the map is stretched over the entire trail and
distorted by a factor of around 600:1!

Some simple calculations and some work in the materials editor are required to
make things like tire tracks work. You'll need EITHER of these sets of
numbers:

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 The total distance traveled by the tire as it rolls, T

 The length L of the pattern represented by the map to be applied

-OR-

 The DIAMETER of the tire, D, that actually rolls on the terrain to


receive the tracks

 The total number of revolutions made by the tire as it rolls, R

 The value of Pi, which can be approximated by 3.14159.

 The length L of the pattern represented by the map to be applied

If your case is the former, you have it easy:

U Tiling Factor = T / L
All this means is that you're applying a map over the length of the trail as
many times as the total length of the trail is longer than the map.

If your case is the latter, you need to do a little more work:

U Tiling Factor = Pi * D * R / L

This says the same thing, of course, that the tiling factor is how many times
the length of the trail is longer than the length of the map. And, the
distance traveled is the total circumference of the tire rolling along the
ground, which is what the numerator in the second relationship represents.

Note: the reader will note that since both expressions describe the same
quantity, we can also equate the two to find an expression to find exactly how
many times a tire of given diameter should turn to roll a specified distance:

T / L = Pi * D * R /L - equating the above two equations

T = Pi * D * R - after multiplying through by L

R = T / ( Pi * D ) - Rearranging terms

One of the textures that ships and installs with MAXTRAX II, MXTX0003.JPG
(previously tiretrax.tga) represents the tire pattern of a unidirectional high
performance tire. The length of this map is a little less than the width, or
about 6 inches. When making these calculations, therefore, it is not unusual
to have tiling factors on the order of hundreds, or even thousands.

12.1 Sample Exercises for MAXTrax II

MAXTRAX II Sample File #1: banner.max


File Description: A biplane towing an advertising banner.
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
MAXTRAX II Version Used: Geometry
MAX Skills Required: Controller binding, spline and primitive creation, group
controls, transform animation keying
File Features: Geometry version configuration, trail mapping, Fade

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Sample File Creation Summary:

(1) Build a simple representative airplane. The biplane in the sample file
uses two boxes, one for the upper wing and one for the fuselage, with vertex
scaling and tapering applied. The lower wing and the tail are copies of the
upper wing, scaled uniformly and moved into place.

(2) Group the airplane components together using Group/Group.

(3) In the top view, draw a spline path representing a convenient flying path
for the airplane. Make it at least 6 to 10 times the length of the aircraft.

(4) Change the total time for the animation to 500 frames.

(5) Select the airplane Group. Enter the Animation panel (the unicycle icon)
and open the Assign Controller rollout. Expand the track view controller
branch and highlight "Position", then press the illuminated "Assign Controller"
button that just came on.

(6) Select "Path" from the list of available controllers.


(7) Hit the "Pick Path" button and select the spline drawn in step 3. Also
select "Constant Speed".

(8) Hit Play and watch the plane travel along the path, maintaining orientation
the whole way.

(9) Turn Animate on, and in the top view rotate the aircraft to align with the
path start at frame 0, if it doesn't already. Advance a few frames until the
path changes direction, and rotate the aircraft to align with the path. Also
add some aircraft bank at each key.

(10) Repeat until the aircraft reaches the end of the path.

Note: The "Follow" and "Bank" check boxes would do almost the same thing, but
in a much more repeatable, smoother fashion. You may get more realistic motion
by keyframing the turn and bank by hand.

(11) Turn Animate Off. Go to Frame zero.

(12) Using Create/Sisyphus Objects/GTDisk, drag out a GTDisk object behind the
plane's tail and align the surface of the disk with the aircraft's vertical
midplane, Make the disk about as tall as the aircraft.

(13) Link the GTDisk as the child to the Group as parent.

(14) Drag out a GTrack, and link it as child to the GTDisk as parent. Hit the
Arrow selection tool and use Select By Name with Display SubTree checked to
verify the correct hierarchy.

(15) With the GTrack still selected, select Modify. Highlight the Off Time in
the queue, enter "500" in the Value field, and hit Replace. Scroll down to the
Display Until field and enter 500 there as well. Change mapping to
Telescoping. Enable Fade. Change "Persistence" to a value of about 10. You
will have to experiment with this setting based on the scale and relative sizes
of your scene elements.

(16) Hit Play. Observe the trail form behind the aircraft and follow the path
of the aircraft as it follows the path.

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(17) If it is not selected, select the GTrack.

(18) Enter the Materials Editor. Create a new material using a Cube sample
window with the maps MXTX0001.JPG in the Diffuse Channel at 100% and
MXTX0002.JPG in the Opacity channel at 100%. Apply to the GTrack object.
Activate the "Show Map in Viewport" options for both maps.

(19) Play the animation. If the banner is upside down, spin the GTDisk about
the longitudinal axis of the aircraft 180 degrees at frame zero.

MAXTRAX II Sample File #2: helix.max


File Description: Abstract star-shaped object trail cycled over a 3D path with
animated timing, making the trail appear to "crawl" itself over the length of
the trail and stream from the emitter.
Difficulty Level: Advanced
MAXTRAX II Version Used: Geometry
MAX Skills Required: Shape and Path Creation, linking, controller assignment,
parameter keyframing, procedural texture controls, object properties control
File Features: Cyclic timing controls, shape referencing, animatable
parameters, trail texturing, subframe sampling

Sample File Creation Summary:

(1) Using Create/Shape, drag out a helix whose axis is vertical whose
parameters are Radius 1: 100, Radius 2: 40, Height: 200, and Turns: 2.

(2) Create a five-pointed Star whose outer radius is about 15 or 16 units.


Using Object Properties, turn off Renderable for both splines.

(3) Change the total time for the animation to 200 frames.

(4) Create a GTDisk whose diameter is about 20 units.

(5) With the GTDisk selected, open the Animation panel and expand Assign
Controller, Transforms, and highlight "Position".

(6) Push the Assign Controller button and choose "Path". Pick the helix.
Select Constant Speed as well.

(6) Create a GTrack.


(7) Link track GTrack as child to the parent GTDisk.

(8) Hit Play. Observe a trail form over the first half of the helix and then
disappear.

(9) Using Select By Name, choose the GTrack. Select Modify.

(10) Select "Use Cycle Times" and change both On and Off Lengths to 20 while
changing the Time Off to 200. Also change the Display Until value to 200.

(11) Turn Animate on, go to frame 100, and change both the On and Off Lengths
to 15.

(12) With Animate still on, go to frame 200, and change both values to 5.

(13) Turn Animate off. Hit Play. Observe the way the trail forms and then
appears to "fall" or "crawl" down the helical path.

21
Note: On and Off Length are not animatable in the particle version of MAXTrax
II.

(14) Activate "Use Custom Shape" and Pick the star. Set Steps to be ten.

(15) Play. Note that the trail is now star-shaped in section.

(16) Activate both Cap Beginnings and Cap Ends. Note that the trails are now
solid extrusions.

(17) Turn on Smooth Along Length. Turn on Telescoping mapping.

(18) Enter the Materials Editor and create a new material with a procedural
Gradient applied in the Diffuse channel at 100%. Select three bright colors,
different from one another.

(19) Turn on Show Map in Viewport and apply the material to the GTrack. Note
that the gradient wraps around the circumference of the section instead of
along the length of the trail.

(20) In the Gradient map Coordinates roll-up enter a value of 90 degrees in the
W: "Angle" field. Note that the gradient runs along the trail now.

(21) Make an AVI at 640x480 using all 200 frames.

(22) Note that when the AVI plays, as the sections of the extrusions crawl back
down the path the longer, earlier segments "jump" in length. This is a natural
result of their having segments representing one whole frame.

(23) Select the GTrack and Modify.

(24) Scroll down to "Sample Rate" under Geometry and increase to a value of 2.
Rerender. Note that the jumpiness has decreased. Increase Sample Rate to a
value of 8. Rerender. Note that the jumpiness of the length changes in the
early sections is virtually gone, at the expense of additional geometry created
over time early in the animation.

MAXTRAX II Sample File #3: logo.max


File Description: Streaming solid extruding lettering for logo
Difficulty Level: Advanced
MAXTRAX II Version Used: Particles
MAX Skills Required: Shape and Path Creation, linking, copying
File Features: Error handling, shape extrusion

Sample File Creation Summary:

(1) Using Create/Shape/Text spell out "MAXTrax II" in a font that has no nested
polygon shapes. You may find that you don't have one. We used "Braggadoccio"
for this sample file, a font with an unusual art deco block style whose letters
are all composed of single un-nested shapes.

The purpose of this exercise is to explain both the capabilities and


limitations of MAXTRAX II when it comes to lofting shapes. First, as you may
have found by now, MAXTRAX II will not loft nested shapes or splines.
Furthermore, the MAXTRAX II capper has some limitations with shapes which
possess multiple aligned concave segments. The capital "T" in the Braggadoccio
font has two line segments joining the angled bottom segments to the vertical
stroke that align with one another. This letter will cause the capper to
glitch, and you'll get an error message that you need to adjust some geometry,

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and the plugin will turn the capping checkboxes off. Moving two of the very
short segment endpoints vertically a hair will fix the problem.

(2) Edit Spline, subobject spline, select all the letter segments, and hit the
Reverse button. This is necessary because many fonts -including all copies of
Braggadoccio we've found - have individual shapes oriented clockwise - with
vertex orders wrapped in clockwise directions around each shape. MAXTRAX II
will work with this, and even cap the geometry correctly, but the sidewalls of
the extrusion themselves will be inside-out. When you see this, reverse the
direction of the spline.

(3) Detach all the closed shapes of the lettering to individual shapes.

(4) Create an MTrack emitter and Modify, pick Shape01. Select Autodetect Side
Count. Select Cap Ends.

(5) Create a dummy. Link the child MTrack emitter to the parent dummy object.
Animate. Advance to frame 10 and move the emitter in its own plane some short
distance. Animate off. Work the following steps at around frame 9 or 10,
where a trail has already formed.

(6) Select MTrack01. Edit/Clone, Modify, Pick Shape02.

(7) Repeat until you have one MTrack emitter for each letter segment. Note
that detaching the various letter chunks from a single Text object has the
advantage of retaining the local shape origin, so all the MTrack emitters will
be coincident when referencing the correctly spaced chunks of the letters.

MAXTRAX II Sample File #4: ribbon.max


File Description: Abstract rippled object trail
Difficulty Level: Beginner
MAXTRAX II Version Used: Geometry
MAX Skills Required: Transform animation keying, hierarchical linking,
spacewarp binding
File Features: Geometry version configuration, effects of spacewarps

Sample File Creation Summary:

(1) Create a GTDisk about 14 to 15 units in diameter. Turn Animate on, advance
to frame 100, and move the GTDisk several hundred units in the X-Y plane in the
Perspective view.

(2) Go to frame 50 and move the GTDisk about half the total distance traveled
in a direction across the original direction of travel.

(3) Turn Animate off.

(4) Hit Play and observe a curving motion of the GTDisk.

(5) Create a GTrack at frame zero.

(6) Link the GTrack as child to the parent GTDisk. Observe that the GTrack
icon vanishes as soon as it has a GTDisk reference parent.

(7) Hit Play. Observe the curving trail left behind the GTDisk.
(8) Create a Ripple spacewarp somewhere along the path taken by the GTDisk.
Make its values Amplitudes: 4, Wave Length: 21.

(9) Select the GTrack and bind it to the Ripple.

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(10) Animate the motion of the Ripple icon over 100 frames. Observe the
effects of the interaction.

MAXTRAX II Sample File #5: skids.max


File Description: Skid marks
Difficulty Level: Beginner
MAXTRAX II Version Used: Particle
MAX Skills Required: Primitive creation, hierarchical linking, transform
animation keying
File Features: Particle version configuration, Timing Controls

Sample File Creation Summary:

(1) Using the 3D Snap system, build a simple wagon consisting of a body and
four wheels. In our sample the tires each are of diameter 100 units and the
body is a box 180 by 400 by 50.

(2) Link all four tires to the body.

(3) Set the total animation length to 200 frames.

(4) In the top view Create an MTrack emitter and adjust the diameter to match
the width of the tires. Place the emitter directly under one tire, aligned
with the circumference and centered on the tire. Using Snap here is very
helpful.

(5) Make copies of the emitter for each tire. Link each emitter as a child to
its parent tire. Hit the Arrow tool and use Select By Name with Display
SubTree on to verify a good hierarchy.

(6) Turn Animate on, go to frame 200, and move the wagon some distance along
its direction of travel between 10 and 12 times its length.

(7) Back up to frame 130 or so and keyframe a rotation key about the wagon's
vertical axis. Advance one frame and keyframe another rotation key. Neither
should cause any obvious spinning. Advance to frame 200 and key in two or
three full spins of the body.

(8) Select one MTrack emitter and select Modify. Highlight the Off Time in the
queue and enter 200 in the Value field. Hit Replace. Highlight the On Time,
enter a value around 120 in the Value field, and hit Replace. Scroll down to
Display Until and enter a value of 200.

(9) Repeat for all three other emitters, using On Times varying from 110 to
150. Alternately, save the preset from the first emitter and load this present
into the other three emitter panels, modifying only the On Time.

(10) Play. Observe the skid start just before the spin and continue, timed
separately, for each wheel.

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