How To: Create an ocean in 3ds Max

how to create an Ocean in 3DS Max

Your tutor, Dave will show you how to build animated water with 3ds Max in the tutorial video. This method does not require expensive plug-in. First select a plane from your screen, then drag it to top view. Rotate the plane so the square edges are not abutted evenly with the four sides of the plane as you see in the screen. With 3ds in gear, press m on the keyboard which will bring up the materials. From the reflection choice select retrace. Go back to reflection and set it to about 70. Now choose bump from the menu and then choose noise. Change the size to 8 and then turn on the auto key. Notice the numbers on the bottom and how the pointer guide moves with your selections back to start or zero. Move glossiness up a little on the left side of your screen. Next, you will assign a color, choose a nice deep blue, and a speckle of white. Assign these to the plane. Check your work with a quick rendering to see how its going. It still need some more effects to be realistic. The next step is adding some back ground. Create a cylinder in the upper left hand plane. Center it over the tilted, gridded box. Go to the modify panel and select normal. Bring up the starter panel and select the next box from the panel. Click on maps, choose one you like and click open, apply this to the cylinder, then make the color of this more then the other about 100 so lights and shadows don't effect it. Now select an omni light by going to the lights and choosing retrace shadows, turn down the intensity by about 8. For atmosphere add effect, lens effects, glow, omni light, default settings and then add a sphere. Adjust this sphere to sit on the plane at the third starter icon sphere and give it some glow. Go to maps, reflection, retrace, choose the reflective material, then turn up the glossy and add some dark color. Update your preview and see you glimmer-y, animated ocean scene.