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Chapter 10: Accessing Subobjects and Using Modeling Helpers

Using the Measure utility
In the Utilities panel is another useful tool for getting the scoop on the current selected object: the Measure
utility. You can open the Measure utility as a floater dialog box, shown in Figure 10.9. This dialog box dis-
plays the object’s name along with its Surface Area, Volume, Center of Mass, Length (for shapes), and
Dimensions. It also includes an option to lock the current selection.

FIGURE 10.9
The Measure utility dialog box displays some useful information.

Using the Level of Detail utility
As a scene is animated, some objects are close to the camera and others are far from it. Rendering a complex
object that is far from the camera doesn’t make much sense. Using the Level of Detail (LOD) utility, you can
have Max render a simpler version of a model when it is farther from the camera and a more complex ver-
sion when it is close to the camera.

Cross-Ref
The MultiRes modifier can also create real-time level of detail updates. It is covered in Chapter 26, “Deforming
Surfaces and Using the Mesh Modifiers.” n

To open the utility, click the More button in the Utility panel and select the Level of Detail utility. A single
rollout is loaded into the Utility panel, as shown in Figure 10.10. To use this utility, you need to create sev-
eral versions of an object and group them together. The Create New Set button lets you pick an object
group from the viewports. The objects within the group are individually listed in the rollout pane.

If you select a listed object, you can specify the Threshold Units in pixels or as a percentage of the target
image. For each listed item, you can specify minimum and maximum thresholds. The Image Output Size
values are used to specify the size of the output image, and the different models used are based on the size
of the object in the final image. The Display in Viewports check box causes the appropriate LOD model to
appear in the viewport.

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