The Tutorial will be based on a simple AutoCAD file.

Step 1

Open 3Ds Max and click on File →Import → Import (as shown in the below image)

Step 2

A pop out dialog box (‘Select File to Import’) appears.

After clicking on the “Import”option on the dialog box, select the file you want to import.

Step 3

After selecting the required AutoCAD file, click “Open”.

A dialog box opens up (AutoCAD DWG/DFX Import Options).        

In this scenario I am going to open a floor plan to visualize into an Interior Scene.

Change the Incoming file unit according to the AutoCAD format (E.g: feet’s/ inch’s/ meters etc)

Note: Do not change any other settings as it is not required for importing a basic AutoCAD 2D file.

After selecting the units, click “OK”.

Step 4

A Floor plan appears on the viewport. Center the co-ordinates of the floor plan as shown in the below image.

Now, we have imported and placed an AutoCAD file in 3DS Max interface.

(Note: Do not resize the AutoCAD plan )

In the next session we will continue with how to develope this 2D plan into a 3D model.

S.Bharath

Instructor -3Ds Max Design

iCAD.in

Autodesk has announced the release of AutoCAD 2012 and the Autodesk 2012 product portfolio. Autodesk claims that AutoCAD 2012 includes many great enhancements to work more efficiently from conceptual design to documentation.

One of the interesting features is that AutoCAD 2012 allows you to import 3D models from almost all major 3D modelling software, supporting a variety of file format. These imported models can be documented the same way as they were created within AutoCAD with a much easier possibility of 2D documentation as well as View Generation on them.

Array is the tool which I love the most in 2012 version, since the day I explored it. New introduction of path array and associative array seems a good idea. The new options help in setting up as well as sustain a set of relationships between arrayed objects in 2D or 3D space. Gives the freedom to edit array properties even after the initial creation of array. No need of divide or measure any more.

The introduction of multi-functional grips has been extended to more types of objects in AutoCAD 2012. Download the AutoCAD 2012  to learn more about the powerful new functionality AutoCAD has to offer!

Joshy Joseph

Head – Technical Support

iCAD.in