Speaker modeling tutorial – 3DS max basics explained very well

Why did I made this tutorial : I saw that many of my website readers don't know very well the basics of 3D modeling. This is a simple tutorial that I would recommend to anyone who is new in 3DS Max. I will try to explain how to use every button and function. After you will finish this tutorial, please note on something if its difficult to keep all in mind, why we use bevel and not extrude, what is chamfer, etc. If you will use this functions 3-4 times you will now them forever. Below, as you can see, the result of this tutorial will be some speakers.

1. Start my making a Box with the same dimensions as in the image below (you can place it where you want) :

2.Now we have just a box, but we need to convert this object into an editable poly. To convert the object into an editable poly, select the object > right click > convert to : convert to editable poly.

3. Before to start modeling, be sure that you are in an orthographic view, and not perspective. If you are in the Perspective view, right click on the left upper corner and change to Orthographic

4. If you don't see the edges of the object, right click on the left upper corner and choose "Edged Faces"

5. In the front viewport, (click on the face of the cube named "FRONT") select the same poligon as me. And then click on the little square from "Inset" and a small window will appear.

IMPORTANT : We need to click on the little square because we need to put a custom amount on our polygon. If you click directly on the "Inset" button, or any other buton they will put automaticaly the last amount that you have used. In our case, we need 1 as amount.

6. Select our new poligon and this time we will use the "Extrude" button. This function push the poligon (or poligons) backward or forward. If you need to push some poligons backward (to the interior of the object, use a negative number as amount. Example : -4; -5; -6,4; etc.)

IMPORTANT : Don't forget to click on the little square to put your custom amount. We will use -0.5 as amount because we need to push back this poligon.

You can see that you have different extrusions type, like "group","local normal","By Polygon". Make an object with more polygons and play with this 3 types to get used with them.

7. Now we will model the speakers and when we are done, I will show you how to cut this box and fix the speaker. Start by making a cylinder with the same dimensions as me :

8. Convert the cylinder into an editable poly. You can do this in the same way that you have made in the step nr 2. After you have converted the cylinder, select the front polygon.

After you have selected the polygon, use "Inset" and put 1.3 at Amount.

9. Keep that polygon selected, and click on the little square from Extrude and put -0.5 at amount

10. Use again "Inset" but this time put 0.3 at amount and you should have this :

11. Again on the same poligon, use inset with 0.85 as amount. Now we will make that rubber part which surround the speaker.

12. Select the same polygons as me

then use bevel with the same amount. Why we use bevel and not extrude? Well, if we use Bevel we can change the size of the extruded polygons in the same time. Use the same values as me and press just Apply , and don't close that little window.

Now change the values into this ones and then press OK

13. Let's go back to the big polygon. Select it, and use again Inset with this amount

14. Having the big polygon still selected, use bevel with this amounts to push him to the interior

15. Keep the polygon selected, and use again Bevel like me. In every image you have different amounts. Click on Apply at each image.

16 Delete the polygon which is in the of our speaker. This one, just select it and press the delete button from your keyboard :

17. Select this edges.

Now click on the little square from "Connect". This function will connect this edges between them with a new edge (or edges).

18. Select the same polygons as me, then extrude the polygons with a very small amount. You can use the same amount as me:

19. Choose from the modifier list a smooth modifier. I've choosed "Meshsmooth" and you should have something like this :

IMPORTANT : Smooth modifiers make a smooth surface of an object. Our speaker doesn't look bad, but we will make him to look better by chamfering some edges. You can control the smooth option by increasing the Iterations in the modifier menu. in the above image I used 1 as Iterations.

20. Now select the same edges as me. I have made the speaker grey for a better view.

21. Having those edges still selected, click on the little square near the "Chamfer" button and put the same values as me.

IMPORTANT :

1.What chamfer does ? Well, when we want to keep some sharp edges when we smooth a surface of an object, we chamfer those edges. If the chamfer will be small, the edge will be sharp, and if the amount will be big, the edge will be slightly rounded. Keep this in mind, because you will use this function very much.
2. When you chamfer, check the chamfered edge to see if you have 3 or more edges which are intersected because when you smooth an object and you will have polygons made only by 3 edges, you will have bumps or ugly shapes on the surface. The best number of edges per polygon is 4. Those are quads and if your model is made only by quads you should not have problems on the smoothed surfaces.

22. Select the same edges as me and chamfer them with the same amount as in the image:

23. Select the same edges as me, and then drag them on the same way as me. The first image is before, and the 2nd is after. To make the object transparent, select him, and press alt+x

24. Select all the surrounded edges, and connect them (click on the little button from Connect) with the same values :

25. Now try to put the speaker in the same place as me

26. Select the front polygon of the box, that polygon that we have extruded to the interior, and in the modifier menu you will find a button called "Detach". Press it, an this window will appear.

IMPORTANT : When you detach a polygon (or more) you can detach it in many ways. If you will check "Detach To Element" , the polygon will be detached from the object but will also be a part of that object. What I want to say is that the vertices will not be weld anymore. If you will check "Detach As Clone", this will create a clone on the selected polygon(s). In the box from Detach as : you can write the name of the new object. If you will not check any of those boxes, the polygon will be detached from the object and it will be like another object. In our case, dont check anything, just put a name if you want and press OK.

27. You should have the box still selected.If not, select the box > right click > Hide Selection. We will hide this object because we dont need it for the moment you should have only this to proceed to the next step.

28. Now, select that front part of the speaker, select the triangle shape from modifier menu. This will allow you to select the edges but we will not select the, we will create new edges using cut. Right click on the object and select "Cut". Then create the same shape like mine, arround thos speaker. Not really arround, but a little bit to the interior because when we will put a smooth modifier on the object, the object will be a little bit squeezed. Just click where you want to start, then continue by clicking on the desired path. So, try to create this shape :

29. Delete the interior of that shape, then, in the left or right viewport, move back your speaker to fix it on the box.

30. In the front viewport, select the speaker, hold the shift button and drag up by using the Y axis to create another speaker. After you have made it, make again a shape around him then delete the interior.

31. Until now, if you have made what I have said, you should have the same object like in the image. Right click the click on "unhide all" and put a smooth modifier on the speakers. (I have made all the objects grey - we will talk later about materials)

32. Let's pass to the design stuff. We will make a protection for our speakers. Start by making a cylinder with the same dimensions:

33. Now put the cylinder in the same place like me then convert it into an editable poly.

34. Use this instructions to model that hole where the protection will be fixed. Select th front polygon, then click on the "Bevel" square and use this amounts :

35. Having that polygon still selected, use an Inset and then an extrude with the same amounts :

36. Select the same edges as me, then put a chamfer on those edges with the same values like in the image :

37. Hide everything, except that object, then look at the back, and delete this polygon :

38. Look in the front viewport ans select that polygon from the center, then use a side viewport to make a clone. After you have select it, hold shift and drag forward to create a clone of that polygon which fit perfectely in the hole. (check the "Clone To Object" box)

39. Now select that disc, then go to the modifier list and pick the "Shell" modifier. Use the same amounts like in the image to make a cylinder.

Then you should have this

40.Convert the cylinder into an editable poly then delete this polygon

41. Hide everything, except the cylinder and on the other side of the cylinder, chamfer the same edges like in the image.

42. Now select all the surrounding edges, and connect them usign the same values

HINT : we have connected those edges because if not, we will have some unwanted shadows on the object. When you chamfer and object with not so many polygons, you should do the same thing if you will apply a smooth modifier

43. Use the Y axis to put the cylinder in that object with a hole in it :

44. Select both objects, (do not attach them) them hold shift and drag down to make a copy of the objects in the same place. Do this using the front viewport.

45. Now select all the 4 objects and make a copy of them. Try to place the new copies at the same distance from the edge, on the other side. Again, you need to do this in the front viewport.

46. Attach all the cylinders. Just select a cylinder, then in the modifier menu you will find a button called "Attach" and then click on the objects that you want to attach. )ONLY THE CHYLINDERS.

47. Now do the same thing with those object with hole, where the support will be fixed.

48. Select the speaker's box, then select the same polygons as me. After you have selected them hold shift and drag forward to make a clone of those polygons, like below.

49. Hide everything except those polygons that we have detached and select the object. In the modifier menu, you have a button to select the border, it looks like a bended circle. Select him, then clik on the interior border. All the interior edges will be automaticaly selected.

After those edges are selected, in the border menu, press the "Cap" button which will close this hole.

50. Unhide all the objects. At this step use the front viewport. Select that plane which will be the protection of the speakers, grab the bottom vertices and drag up a little bit. If you need to make the plane transparent , select him a, press alt+x

51. Do the same thing for the top vertices

52. Now, you will use this technique a lot. Grab those 2 edges, then in the left viewport, hold shift and drag them on the left.

53. Select the same vertices as me and choose the scale tool. Then use the the Y axis to make like mine. Maybe you will asc :"why we dont move them manually?". Well, in this way we will move them equaly, on the top and on the bottom

54. Select these edges, then right click > remove. We will create another ones :

55. Select the same edges like in the image, then connect them with the same values

56. Now on the top, the same select & connect

57. On the bottom

58. Having the object selected, go to the modifier list and select "Shell" . After you have select it, use these values to give a volume to our plane.

Now convert the object into an editable poly

59. Now select the back polygons and extrude them using the same amounts as me. We can just select the polygons and trag them usign one of the axes but I want to have a similar result. Below you have the front (no polygons selected) and the back (with the polygons selected)

60. Select this polygon, and extrude him just like me .The polygon is on the back, we are working on the back face

61. Now select the top and the bottom polygon but now extrude them with a smaller amount :

62. Select those 4 object which will be placed in the holes (with one click you should select them all because we have attached them before). After you have selected them, select the same vertices as me, and drag them out a little bit.

63. Place the speaker's protection as me.

64. This kind of speakers have a tube to bring out the air. (NEVER put something in the front of that tube, trust me. Once, I broken my subwoofer because of that) . Make a tube with the same dimensions as me and put it in the same place

65. Convert the tube into an editable poly, and select the same edges as me. After this, connect the edges by clicking on the little square from Connect, and use the same amounts as me

66. Keep the edges selected, then drag the forward a little bit

67. Detele these polygons

68. Select these edges, hold shift and drag backward a little bit

69. Select these edges and use a chamfer with a veri small value :

70. This is the last thing that we need to make on the front part. Having that tube selected, press alt+x to make it transparent. Then use the cut tool to make a round shape and delete the interior polygon, the same thing that we have made on the speakers.

71. Fit the tube like me and we are done on the front part.

72. The last part is that wire input. Its easy to make it and fast . Start by making a tube with these values (do this in the back viewport) . I have added more sides because we will not add a smooth modifier ont his object

73. Make a plane like this one, convert the plane into an editable poly and move the vertices like me :

74. Select the same lines, and connect them :

75. Now you need to use both viewports. IN the back viewport, select the same polygons and in the left (or right) viewport, drag them backward a little bit

76. Select these edges and make a chamfer with 0.2 at amount

77. Having these 2 polygons selected, click on the little square from "Inset" but this time check the "By Polygon" box

78. Use bevel to push the a little bit to the interior.

79. Inset these polygons then extrude them and place the vertices as me (in the side viewport)

80. Place it in the middle of the speaker (on the back side) the use cut to make a round shape , delete the interior polygon, place the object like in the image and we are done with the modeling part.

This is only the modeling part. In the next tutorial I will show you how to texture the speaker. I didn't make so many details on the last object (the wires input) because I will show you how to use bump and displace to make a detailed object using textures. If you like the tutorial, don't forget to leave the tutorial and any cent is welcome .

3ds speaker modeling beginner detailed texturing tutorial tutorial

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