Step one
In this tutorial, we will make an environment with clouds, horizon, water, trees etc. Let’s start with a Plane with Length =
2000, Width = 2000, Length Segs = 60 and Width Segs = 60.
Figure 1. Step two
We will make a uneven land with it. So, apply a “Displace” modifier to it.
Figure 2. Step three
Go to Displace modifier > Parameters > Image. Click the None button under Bitmap.
Figure 3.Step four
We will assign a map like below as the Displacement Bitmap which we should have prepared with an image making/editing
software such as Photoshop. The whitest part will be the highest part of the resulted land and the most black will be the
lowest. I made it with Adobe Photoshop.
Figure 4. Step five
So, let’s return to the step in Max. After clicking the None button, Select Displacement Image window will appear. Navigate
to the folder where you saved that image for displacement and choose the image.
Figure 5. Step six
Set the Strength = 200 and Blur = 5. The land topology will be formed with the specified parameters based on the appearance
of the image we’ve chosen.
Figure 6. Step seven
Let’s make a water surface. Choose Plane again and set ‘Square’ as its Creation Method. Set the values for both the Length
Segs and Width Segs as 1. Then drag out from the center of the land to encompass the area of it.
Figure 7. Step eight
Move the plane a little up so that the bottom of the land is covered by it.
Figure 8. Step nine
Maximize and adjust the Perspective viewport something like below with the viewport navigation tools located at the lower-
right corner of the Max window. Then choose Create menu > Cameras > Create Camera from View.
Figure 9. Step ten
A target camera will be created and assigned to the Perspective viewport with name of Camera01. Now let’s assign a material
to our land. Press ‘M’ to open the Material Editor. With empty 1st sample slot is selected, click the Map button for
Diffuse slot and choose Bitmap.
Figure 10. Step eleven
Navigate to your Max root directory > Maps > Ground. Then choose SANDSHOR.JPG.
Figure 11. Step twelve
Set its both U and V tiling values as 5. Enable the Show Map in the Viewport icon and apply the material to our land object.
Figure 12.Step thirteen
To assign some shininess to the sandy land, set Specular Level = 20 in the Material Editor.
Figure 13. Step fourteen
For the water surface, choose the 2nd material slot. Scroll down and expand its Maps roll-out. Then click the None button in
the Reflection slot and choose “Flat Mirror” for it.
Figure 14. Step fifteen
Choose “Use Bump Map” under Distortion at the Flat Mirror Parameters (we will apply noisy Bump Map later on). Apply this
material to the water surface.
Figure 15.Step sixteen
Do a Quick Render. We got a reflective water surface. But it is too calm and flat to simulate such real world water surface.
Figure 16. Step seventeen
To make the water surface noisy, return to the Material Editor and apply a Noise map to the Bump Slot of the water material
we’ve just made.
Figure 17. Step eighteen
Set the Size = 15 under Noise Parameters.
Figure 18.Step nineteen
The background of such an environment should be Sky-Blue and NOT black. So, choose Rendering menu > Environment to open the
Environment and Effects dialogue box.
Figure 19. Step twenty
Choose Background Color a sky-blue one. An RGB value of 0, 162, 255 should work fine.
Figure 20. Step twenty one
Do a Quick Render again. Result is not a bad one. Blue sky is being reflected on the water surface. We will add clouds later
on to the sky.
Figure 21.Step twenty two
Let’s add some natural elements like trees. Choose Create panel > Geometry > AEC Extended category. Then choose “Foliage”
under as the Object Type. Select ‘Generic Palm’ from the Favorite Plants list.
Figure 22. Step twenty three
Then, on the far isolated smaller part of land, place two palm trees. Make one palm tree smaller decreasing its Height value.
Give some rotation to the trees.
Figure 23. Step twenty four
Choose some other trees and place them in the land using your artistic eyes. Don’t forget to apply variations to the heights
etc. to the trees.
Figure 24Step twenty five
What’s about the sun? Let’s add an Omni light (Create > Lights > Standard > Omni) in the Top viewport.
Figure 25. Step twenty six
Go to Front or Left viewport and move the Omni above enough beyond the land. In the modify panel, turn ON the Shadow option.
Expand the Intensity/Color/Attenuation roll-out and increase the multiplier to 1.5 which may be adjusted later on depending
on the resulted render.
Figure 26. Step twenty seven
It’s time to add some clouds to the sky. Make a Sphere in the Top viewort as encompassing the whole environment with a
Hemisphere value of 0.48.
Figure 27. Step twenty eight
Go to Front viewport and with the Scale tool, scale down the sphere in the Y view axis.
Figure 28. Step twenty nine
Maximize the Camera01 viewport. Press ‘F10’ to open the Render Scene options window. Check “Force 2-Sided” under Options
group. Click “Render”. In the below picture, the background’s blue color is not the environment’s blue color. Co-
incidentally my cloud hemisphere has been assigned blue color by Max. However, “Force 2-sided” is needed to render the
cloud Sphere correctly. Because the normal facing the polygons of our cloud hemisphere is set to the outside.
Figure 29. Step thirty
For the clouds material, choose third material slot. Apply pure white color to Diffuse, Specular and Self-Illumination
colors. Set both the Specular Level and Glossiness values to 0.
Figure 30.Step thirty one
Most significant part of our clouds will be its Opacity map. Choose a “Noise” map as its Opacity Map.
Figure 31. Step thirty two
Apply this material to the cloud hemisphere. Material Editor should still be opened where we will adjust some settings for
the noise map of this clouds material.
Figure 32. Step thirty three
In the Material Editor, under Noise map’s ‘Coordinates’ roll-out, set X Tiling = 0.1, Y Tiling = 0.1 and Z Tiling = 0.3.
Under ‘Noise Parameters’ roll-out, choose ‘Turbulance’ as Noise Type, Size = 50, Noise Threshold High = 0.66 & Low = 0.2.
Do a Quick Render to see the result.
Figure 33. Step thirty four
If we look at the clouds there is no reason to be unhappy with the result. But in the real world, the horizon area is
normally foggy. For that, clone the cloud hemisphere using SHIFT+Scale method.
Figure 34. Step thirty five
Make sure, name the clone as “Horizon”. Make sure, ‘Copy’ option is selected for the Horizon.
Figure 35. Step thirty six
Now, open the Material Editor and select the 4th empty slot. Choose a pure white color for Ambient, Diffuse, Specular and
Self-Illumination colors. Then apply a ‘Gradient’ map as the Opacity map.
Figure 36.Step thirty seven
Under the Gradient map’s ‘Coordinates’ roll-out, choose Environment Mapping (Screen) option. Then, under ‘Gradient
Parameters’ roll-out, choose Color 1 and 3 as black and Color 2 as white. Set the Color 2 Position = 0.45. Apply this
material to the Horizon hemisphere in the viewport.
Figure 37. Step thirty eight
Quick Render again. Now, the result is pretty realistic. The horizon is now foggy where there is a friendship between sky and
the earth.
Figure 38. Step thirty nine
But, still there is a problem area in the rendered image. That is, the water surface is too bright. To correct this, go to
the water material (the 2nd slot of the Material Editor) again and make its Diffuse color darker (more black).
Figure 39.Step forty
Quick Render again. The result should be OK now.
Figure 40. Step forty one
We may want to use this environment for an animation. For that, we should make the water animated as well. To do that, go to
the Noise map’s settings of the Water material.
Figure 41. Step forty two
Turn ON the Auto Key mode and go to the last frame of the animation. Set the Phase value = 10. Turn OFF the Auto Key mode and
render out an animation as an AVI file using the Render Scene dialogue box. Please feel free to play with the
values/parameters when you do your own practice.
Figure 42.
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