3d max cut tool

[MrMan]

Sometimes in max i try to cut across a square of rectangular face, and instead of it cutting from the middle of one side to the middle of the other the cut jumps into the corner on the other side, giving me a diagonal cut, which i don't want...how do i stop it doing this?

 

[StardogChampion]

Do you have any snaps activated?

 

[MrMan]

Hmm, im still kinda new to this. At the top 'snaps toggle' is deactivated. If i click on it (turns yellow) then bring up the properties it says that grid snap is on. I've tried cutting with that on and off, doesn't work still.

 

[Ravioli]

have you turned it into a Poly yet? Right-click, convert, edit poly.

Othervise, just use Slice

 

[MrMan]

Yeah it was a poly, turned out the problem was only occuring when i tried to cut in perspective view, once i went into user view it worked fine :| Hmm

I have one more question (sorry, total noob lol). I have 2 images set up as background images, as i am modelling a human figure, one is a side profile and one is a front profile. I have been working from the left hand side profile, and my model matches the image, but in the front profile the background image is a lot bigger than the model. The 2 images i am working from are the same size though.

edit: I unlocked the offending viewport background and zoomed in until it matched the size of my model...then i went to lock it again, but the background image jumps. How do i get it to align correctly?

 

[JudasKing]

first, i highly recommend not using background images for references :/ since idk how to fix ur bg image jumping, here's a better alternative imo heh. what i do is make a plane (or two in ur case), one in side view, one in front view. make each plane the same size as the image that's going on it (you don't HAVE to do this, but i don't wanna go into detail about workarounds for that right now -_-). then in the material editor (shortcut is M), find a blank material, or create one, and assign a bitmap as the diffuse, and use ur references pics. apply both materials to the 2 planes, and hit the "Show map in viewport" button in the material editor. After u get them where u want them, u can freeze them (if u want). just select both planes & right click > properties, and check "Freeze" under interactivity, and uncheck "Show frozen in gray" under Display Properties. hope that helps a little at least :/ i know some people swear by using background pics as references but they're so unreliable & u can't work w/ them in perspective view. as for the cutting problem, it's just one of max's quirks, just try cutting from a different angle if that happens again (which it probably will ).

 

[MrMan]

Ok thanks for the workaround, i created 2 planes, and they work but they only show up in perspective view, which isn't too useful when i'm trying to edit the model, can i get them to show up in the other viewports?

 

[JudasKing]

mm, not that i know of, for the time that i'm mapping out the basics of the model, i just make the model transparent (select model & alt-x) and shade the ortho views (f3 toggles in selected viewport) i'm digging through autodesk's knowledge base for a way to make just the plane shaded :/

 

[azumi_mm]

Check the VTMs on www.3Dbuzz.com !

 

[entity]

haha, this is why we should always read the manual

try this : views > viewport background > match bitmap > display background + lock zoom/pan

 

[MrMan]

Yeah it was the lock zoom/pan option that was making it jump, turns out one background was a different size than the other, even though they are the same size bitmaps, i selected 'reset viewport background' on both, and re-sized my model to fit, now it works fine. Thanks for all the help guys, no doubt i'll be back soon with more questions