Astéroid Générator 3.0 By François Mourlevat © August 1999 Thanks to Jean-Marc Rulier for this translation.   1. INTRODUCTION Welcome to Asteroid Generator version 3.0. This program corresponds to a script made for 3D Max 3.0. It consists in creating isolated asteroid or asteroid field in a space zone defined by the user. Thanks to Stéphane Vandenbogarde for the advices. 2. COPYRIGHT This program is supplied as freeware with its uncrypted source code. Therefore it can not be the subject of any commercial transactions. Thanks to indicate the author's name of the original code in case of modifications. 3. INSTALLATION A) Package Asteroid Generator 3.0 is delivered in French and English version. Here is the detailed contents of the package: Astre30.ms French version of the program Astre30us.ms English version of the program Astro.jpg image of the logo Readme.txt information Doc.zip full documentation B) Directory To install the program, just copy Astre30.ms or Astre30us.ms according to the chosen version, as well as Astro.jpg in the directory of your scripts. By default, this directory is: c:\3dsmax3\scripts C) Loading To load the program, choose the Utilities tab of the command panel. Press the Maxscript button. Press the Run Script Button. A dialog invites you to load a script. You can choose Asteroid Generator. D) Version The program can not be loaded from a 3D Studio Max version 2.x.It is exclusively dedicated to version 3.0 4. CREATING AN ASTEROID A) Shape Distortion : this parameter determines the dimension of the surface stretching of the Asteroid. The values go from 0 to 40. Asperities : this parameter determines the physical aspect of the surface. The values go from 0 to 600. Size : this parameter determines the dimension of the asteroid. Values go from 10 to 40. Vary Size : If Vary Size option is checked, the Vary spinner is activated to allow the calculation of heavenly bodies of various size according to the value. Pebble/Stone : The Pebble or Stone choice corresponds either to rounded or angular shapes. Space : Space gives the dimension of the field area bound by a dummy called Asone. The values are calibrated from 300 to 2000. Density : allows to determine the density of the mesh. The values go from 1 to 16. The higher the number, the more the effects of distortion and asperities are accurate. Note that the use of memory is important and can saturate the system when an asteroid field is produced. The highest resolutions are reserved to create an isolated asteroid for which a particularly fine surface is needed. B) Paramètres de surface Color : allocates a colour to the mesh or materials. Vary : calculates a hue nuance for every heavenly body of a field from the color according to the Amplitude value. Amplitude : The Amplitude spinner is only active when Vary is checked, the values going from 0 to 60. Materials : allocates a building material to every heavenly body of a field. When this option is checked, the Splash and Size spinners are activated, allowing to modify the aspect of the building material. Splash : corresponds to the amount of dark zones on the heavenly body, values going from 50 to 100. Size : corresponds to the dimension of the dark zones, values going from 1 to 40. C) Creating Name : allows to name the object. In the case of an asteroid field, the names are automatically increased. Creation : runs the creation of an asteroid field. Quantity : determines the number of asteroids in a field, from 1 to 100.  ? : A documentation is available clicking the "?" button close to the Creation button. d) Space area When opening the program, the blue dummy determines the space area in which the field will be contained. The user can move it where he wants to locate the field. When this dummy is erased, it is at once recreated with a new field. It is not calculated in the rendering and disappears when the program is closed. e) Practical proceeding Choose possible values for the Asperities, Distortion and Size parameters. Give the resolution of the mesh with the Density parameter. Choose the kind of asteroid: Stone or Pebble. Activate the Vary Size checkbox, and choose the size amplitude of the heavenly bodies with the Vary spinner. Give a dimension to the field space area with the Space spinner. Give a color and check if needed the option Vary; give a value to Amplitude to determine the hue variations of the celestial bodies of the field. Activate Materials and choose the Splash and Size values, allowing to obtain more or less large spots. Give a name in the Name box. Move in space the blue dummy where you wish to create an asteroid field. Give the amount of heavenly bodies in the field. Click the Creation button. Click the button several times to fill the space area. Change the location of the space area (blue dummy) and click the button heavenly bodies Creation of as many time as necessary. 5. CREATION D'UN BANC La création d'un banc ne pose aucun problème lorsqu'on tient compte de la consommation de mémoire liée au paramètre de Résolution. Il n'est pas gênant de le maintenir sur des valeurs très faibles car les détails d'un astre ont peu de chance d'être visibles dans un banc. 6. SUMMARY The starting up of this project goes back to August 30, 1998. Version 1.0 was posted on the Maxscript forum of the Kinetix site. Until October 20, the work changed to a 1.6 version. Version 2.0 of December 5, 1998 shows important changes. Version 3 is dedicated to Max 3, totally rewritten for the new release. No preview, but material addition, variable size for the heavenly bodies in a field, simplier and more functional interface are the main lines of this version change. August 12,1999. 7. CONTACT You can get in touch with the author of this program for bug report, or suggestions with regard to a future version. François Mourlevat - Contact for bug report : Email: mourlevat@mail.dotcom.fr Http: www.chez.com/mourl/ The Web site contains other freeware programs from the author in free downloading.