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Page 1.

E-mail Billy.

It is possible to create the boxes with the Pivot already in the right place by creating them in the Top Viewport. However, I want you to know how to adjust the Pivots.

Here's a basic hierarchy that you should all be familiar with:

Each element in the hierarchy only takes orders from its superiors.

Managerial structures are not the only kind of hierarchy though. Almost every object with moving parts has some kind of hierarchy that determines how it moves.

E.g. The Basic Hierarchy of a Bicycle:

This "top down" hierarchical structure is known as Forward Kinematics. In 3D Studio Max, we also have the option to use Inverse Kinematics, which work from the bottom up, but these require a far more complex set-up, and we are not going to use them.

So lets get straight down to it and I'll show you what I mean.

• Reset Max

• Create 3 Boxes in the Front viewport like so:

• The first thing we need to do is to alter the Pivot Points of our boxes to represent the joints. At the moment, the Pivot Points will be in the middle of the box on the back face.

• Go to the Hierarchy Panel and click Affect Pivot Only.

• Select the uppermost Box

• Move the Pivot to the Top of the box in the Centre of the top face:

• It's a good idea to Click Reset: Transform at the bottom of the hierarchy panel after you have moved the pivot point. This creates a new Transform Matrix for the Box, basically meaning it wipes the slate clean, so it's as if you created the box with the Pivot in that position to begin with.

• Do the same with the other two Boxes.

• Make sure you turn off Affect Pivot Only when you are finished.

• Now choose the Select and Link Tool From the Toolbar:

• When we create Forward Kinematic Hierarchies, we always work from the bottom up. By this I mean the bottom of the Hierarchy, not the bottom in relation to physical space. So we link everything to the Root Object working from the outside in.

• Click and hold on the bottom box

• The cursor will change to a Link Icon

• Move it over the Middle Box, and then let go of the mouse button.

• The middle box should turn white for a second to show that it has been linked.

• Now link the middle box to the top box using the same method.

• We now have a hierarchical structure.

• The top box is the Root Object, and is the Parent of the middle box.

• The middle box is the Child of the top box, but the Parent of the bottom box

• The bottom box is the Child of the middle box.

• Save this project as "box-links01" before we go any further.

• Now, using the select and rotate tool, in the Front View, and using the Local Co-ordinate system, Rotate the top box in Y.

• Note how the other boxes move with it.

• Rotate the middle box. Only the middle and bottom boxes are affected.

• Rotate the bottom box. It is the only one affected as it has no Children.

• Right, that was tedious and dull I know, but you need to understand the basics, as it gets a bit confusing now...