Good day everyone, today, I’ve decided to show how two special tools, extrude and inset, can be used to quickly create a simple handphone model. So stay tune, as I show you how to use extrude and inset tools.

Create phone base

1. Under Create panel, select Box button

2. In front viewport, click and drag to set length and width for box, then drag and click again, to set height of box (don’t worry about actual dimensions of box, as we will set actual values later)

3. in create panel, change name of object to phone

4. in create panel, set Length to 10, Width to 4, and Height to 1

5. in create panel, set Length Segs to 8, Width Segs to 3, and Height Segs to 3

6. select Zoom Extents Selected, which is normally under Zoom Extents button (click and hold to open out other options, and select Zoom Extents Selected option)

7. click Move tool

8. set values for position for x to 0, y to 0, and z to 0

9. right-click on each of the viewports (front, perspective, left, top), and click Zoom Extents Selected button for each of them to Zoom Extent to the selected object.

10. in front view, move the object upward till it ‘rests’ on the grid (try click and drag with mouse wheel or middle mouse button to pan viewport to see object better, for both front and perspective view)

Create Screen for handphone

1. right-click object, and select Convert to Editable Poly

2. in modify panel, click + sign beside Editable Poly, and select Polygon, to enter subobject polygon edit mode

3. select Select tool (ensure crossing selection mode is used)

note: cross selection and window mode are toggled between each other, and is represented by a button, on the left of the move button

note: for crossing mode , the button looks like a square with a circle only partially within the square, this mode means even subobjects or objects partially within selection marquee are selected

note: for window mode , the button looks like a square with a circle completely within the square, this mode means ONLY subobjects or objects completely within selection marquee are selected

4. click Ignore Backfacing checkbox

note: ignore backfacing when checked prevents you from selecting subobjects ‘behind’ current subobjects

5. in front view, click and drag marquee to ‘touch’ the top 4 x 3 polygons of the object

6. in top view point, press Alt, and click and drag selection marquee to ‘touch’ polygons on the left and right side of the object, to de-select these polygons

note: selected polygons are shown in red

7. right-click selected polygons, then select Inset dialog box

8. select Inset Type of Group, and enter Inset Amount, eg. 0.2, and click OK

9. right-click selected polygons, then select Extrude dialog box

10. select Extrusion Type of Group, and enter Extrusion Height, eg. -0.1, and click OK

note: use negative value for extrusion height, to cause polygons to extrude inwards, use positive values for extrusion height, to cause polygons to extrude outwards

Create buttons for handphone

1. in front view, click and drag marquee to ‘touch’ the bottom 4 x 3 polygons of the object

2. in top view point, press Alt, and click and drag selection marquee to ‘touch’ polygons on the left and right side of the object, to de-select these polygons

3. right-click selected polygons, then select Inset dialog box

8. select Inset Type of By Polygon, and enter Inset Amount, eg. 0.2, and click OK

9. right-click any of the selected polygons, then select Extrude dialog box

10. select Extrusion Type of By Polygon, and enter Extrusion Height, eg. 0.1, and click OK

Render of simple handphone model

Try checking out 3D Studio Max Setup Reference Images, 3D Studio Max Create and Use Selection Sets, 3D Studio Max Model a Tank, to learn how to setup reference images, and use them to help guide you in your modeling, it should make it easier for you to create models based on photos you can take yourself or find on the internet

note: 3D Studio Max Model a Tank is a multi part tutorial, showing how to make use of reference images to model a tank, the other parts of this tutorial will be posted soon, so stay tuned. If you want to know how to create a tank model now, you can also check out the book called Introducing 3ds Max 9: 3D for Beginners, which my tank tutorials are be based on.