Realistic Table Cloth Cover
Let's learn different thing: Cloth animation. If you want to create this manually, you'll end up in frustation. Fortunately, 3dsmax has these cool and interesting modifiers: Garment Maker and Cloth simulation. Garment Maker is used to convert an object into a 'fabric' ready to be animated. Cloth modifier is used to control how a 'fabric' behave in 3D space. This tutorial explains basic use of these modifier. This time you are going to create realistic table cloth cover animation.
1. First you need 3D table model. You can download here. This is just a simple round table. After download, import this model into 3dsmax (File>Import).
2. Next, we need table cover. Create using Rectangle. Position this rectangle a little bit above the table.
3. Next step, convert this rectangle into 'fabric'. Make sure this rectangle is still selected. Apply Garment Maker from Modifier List. As result, rectangle is divided into small wireframe mesh. Use Density=0.1. Density controlled how realistic your cloth animation later. Bigger value means more realistic cloth, thus smaller cloth division, but the drawback is more computer resources needed to calculate cloth animation.
4. To create cloth animation, apply Cloth modifier. Then, you need to define which object acts as cloth and which object doesn't. In Object rollout click Object Properties button. A window will open. Select Rectangle 01 (your table cover), check Cloth. In Presets, use Silk. All values like U Bend, V Bend will be filled to make cloth behave like silk.
5. Next, you need to add table as a solid object to interact with cloth. Click Add Objects button. Select table object. Then activate Collision Object in bottom part of window. Use Depth=5 and Offset=5. These values control the distance between solid object and cloth. Finally click OK.
6. In Object rollout, click Simulate button. 3dsmax will calculate the cloth animation frame by frame. Render the animation if you want. Save your 3dsmax file now. You can use saved file later in tutorial.
7. To create more realistic result, in Modifier Stack highlight Garment Maker. Click Yes when any warning window appears. Increase the Density value. For example 0.4. Don't increase Density too much, it may crash your computer. Click Mesh It button. Highlight Cloth modifier again and click Simulate.
8. Continue with your saved 3dsmax file. If you don't follow previous tutorial, you can download here. Move slider to frame 100, select cloth object, right click and choose Convert To>Convert to Editable Poly.
Now, you have 3D cloth model with few polygons (Remember you used Density=0.1). The problem lies in the edges (look at image below). You need to make sharp and smooth edges. The solution is remove these edges and replace with other polygons.
In Top viewport create Cylinder. Use values like image below. Position cylinder a little bit above table.
9. Select cloth object, go to Modify tab. In Edit Geometry rollout, click Attach button and click cylinder in viewport to combine these objects. Next, activate Polygon selection, in Front or Left viewport select polygons in area like image below. Then in Edit Polygons rollout, click Bridge button. Cloth and cylinder wil be connected.
10. Next, change selection to Vertex. Move vertices like image below, close to table surface. When finished, de-activate Vertex selection.
11. Change cloth color to any color you want. Apply Meshsmooth with Iterations=2 to cloth object. Notice that there's too much wrinkles in the bottom part of cloth, compared to the one before applied with Meshsmooth.
12. Fortunately, Meshsmooth has ability to apply smoothness only in several part of object. In Modifier Stack, highlight Editable Poly, activate Polygon selection. Select upper part of table cover. Don't deselect and go back to Meshmooth. This time, in Subdivision Method rollout uncheck Apply to Whole Mesh.
13. Image below shows Meshsmooth applied in upper part of table cover only.
14. This tutorial is finished. You should now have nice table cloth cover. Image below shows sample of rendered result.
Thank you.
