3D Birthday Balloons in 3ds Max
In this 3ds Max tutorial we’re going to create colorful 3d birthday balloons and render them with Mental Ray. This is a fine example of the power of 3ds Max. With just a few standard primitives and modifiers you can get believable results fast. I am using 3ds Max 2010 but this should be doable with many older versions as well.
Step 1 The Basic Geometry for the 3D Balloon
Create a Sphere ( ) in the top viewport . Modify the Sphere () according to the following parameters :
- Radius: 100
- Segments: 100 ( )
Step 2 Make the Sphere Look Like a Balloon
Add FFD 3x3x3 modifier to the sphere () and activate the Control Points sub-object level. Select the bottom middle control point and move it 160 units downwards like in the picture below ( ). Check both front and left views to make sure you really select the middle control point.
Step 3 The Knot of the 3D Balloon
Next we’re going to create the balloon knot. Again, we can create it fast by using just standard primitives and a few modifiers. First create a Torus Knot () in the top viewport and apply () the following parameters:
- Base Curve
- Radius: 1.3
- Segments: 120
- P: 3.0
- Q: 1.5
- Cross Section
- Radius: 1.2
- Sides: 12
Place the knot to the base of the balloon like in picture below.
Step 4
Create Cone and Torus () in the top viewport. Use the modify panel ( ) to modify them according to the following parameters:
- Cone
- Radius 1: 6.0
- Radius 2: 1.0
- Height: 8.5
- Height Segments: 20
- Cap Segments: 1
- Sides: 50
- Torus
- Radius 1: 6.4
- Radius 2: 0.8
- Segments: 50
- Sides: 40
Place the new objects according to picture below and combine them into a group ( ).
Step 5 Finalizing the Geometry of the Birthday Balloon
Add Noise modifier ( ) to the group you just created and apply the following parameters to it:
- Noise
- Scale: 60
- Fractal: YES
- Roughness: 0
- Iterations: 6.0
- Strength
- X: 10
- Y: 10
- Z: 4
Fix the placement of the group ( ) and your model should look like in the picture below. Combine all objects into a group ( ). Now the geometry of the birthday balloon is complete.
Step 6 Activate Mental Ray Renderer
Next we’re going to create material for the balloon and render it with Mental Ray. By default 3ds Max uses Scanline renderer so we have to change that. Change the renderer to Mental Ray ().
Step 7 Arch & Design Material for the Balloon
Let’s open the Material Editor ( ) and create the balloon material :
- Select the whole balloon and assign material to it
- Material type: Arch & Design
- Template from the drop-down list: Translucent Plastic Film, Light
- Color: bright red (R0,9 G0,0 B0,0)
- Transparency: 0.6
- Glossiness: 0.6
- Glossy Samples: 32 ( )
Step 8 First Test Render in 3ds Max
Change the background color to white () and make the first test render. The render should look like picture below. It’s nothing special, but stay tuned. We’ll make it shine really soon!
Step 9 Window Reflections
Next we’re going to create more interesting reflections. Let’s create geometry and material for window reflections. Create four huge boxes in the top viewport with the following parameters.
- Length: 2700
- Width: 2800
- Height: 1
Combine the boxes into a group named ‘Window reflections’ ( ). Assign a new standard material to the group and make the following adjustments to the material:
- Color: pure white
- Specular Level: 999
Your boxes should look like in picture below:
Step 10 The Illumination
Create Skylight () with the following parameters:
- Sky Color: pure white
When you work with Skylight you have to turn Final Gather on. In 3ds Max 2010 Final Gather is on by default but in older versions you have to turn it on ().
Create Omni light (). Adjust the Omni light so that it affects only the Window reflections:
- Click ‘Exclude…’ button
- Select ‘Include’ in the top of the new dialog
- Select ‘Window reflections’ from the list
- Click the right arrow in the middle of the dialog
- Click ‘OK’
The include parameter makes the Omni light affect only the Window reflections. This way you can adjust the intensity of the reflections by adjusting the Multiplier of the Omni light.
Rotate Window reflections 45 degrees and place the objects according to picture below.
Step 11 Rendering a Test Image
Render a test image to see if it looks like picture below. If the reflection appears in the wrong location, just move the Window reflections group.
Step 12 Finalize the 3D Balloon
If you look closely you might see minor aliasing problems in the edges. To fix this, just increase antialiasing quality by increasing sampling values ():
- Samples per pixel:
- Minimum: 1
- Maximum: 16
Render the image again and that’s it for a single 3d balloon. Just make some color correction in Photoshop.
- Saturation +15
- Brightness -20
- Contrast +40
Step 13 Multiple 3D Balloons
Our transparent and reflective material really shines when multiple balloons are rendered so let’s try that. Make several copies of the balloon material by drag and drop. Just change the name and color of the new materials. Next make many instance copies ( ) of the balloon , apply materials, and move them around. I have 92 balloons in my final scene.
Step 14 Rendering 92 Birthday Balloons
Render the final image. The rendering might take some time because of the reflections, blurry transparency, and antialiasing. I bumped up the quality settings and made a very high resolution ( ) render for a stock agency and it took about a week to render it ; )
Step 15 Making the Image Pop !
Do some color correction in Photoshop to make your image pop!
- Brightness +50
- Contrast +40
( )
I hope you enjoyed this! I’d love to hear how this tutorial is working for you!
Click to share if you like it!
82 Responses to “3D Birthday Balloons in 3ds Max”
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Superb attempt and got the exact result…
great result! i really like the lighting and texturing!
Yout tutorials are awesome !!!
I really like your blog and i hope your will post new tutorials soon. Can’t wait
Amazing!!! cool render… thanks bro.
More tuts. xD
great tutorial, i used the baloons in a 3d living room scenary and i got realy good resout.
I can’t get the Step 11 result as above.Without lights I can get the above result but when I put lights the balloon will get black
(reflection is also there)Can u please help me on this
Thnxs
Please check two things:
1. You really have created a skylight (Create panel > Lights > Standard > Skylight)
2. Make sure there is no exposure control (Rendering > Environment… Exposure Control > no exposure control)
If you still have problem with the lights, send me the file and I’ll check it. I’ll contact you by mail.
I checked what U say, but still having the problem.
Can I please have UR mail ID 2 send the file
Thanks a lot
Ok, I got the file. The problem was Final Gather which was turned off. Just turn it on and it works (Rendering > Render Setup… > Indirect Illumination > Final Gather > Enable Final Gather). Thanks for reporting the problem!
Now it really worked for older versions also (I’m using 3d max 9)
Thanks a lot
Hi, changing the materials and color for each balloon may be tedious. Can’t we use particles(PFlow) and shape instances to block them out quickly? Really nice tutorial!
Yes, absolutely. Thanks for the good tip Naveen!
Hy Naveen can u please teach me how 2 do that?
Ya, Please tel me hw to do that!
Nice Tutorial. I also run a 3dsmax tutorial site. I’ll host a link to yours if you like.contact me.
y0ur tutorial was s0 very awes0me…
i like it.. i was very amazed of its result..
n0w, i can make it with0ut teaching by s0me0ne.
http://twitpic.com/1i0xq4 tnx
漂亮！
Thx, very good tutorial, now I’m starting to see what rendering is all about.
really good work….but i could not understand lighting part.
To tell you frankly I learnd mental ray rendering only from your tutorial. Thanks a lot.
Great tutorial
simple explanations..
keep it up…
Muito Bom, Parabéns!!! Very Good!!!
I love your tutorial!
add oil!
I hate 3dS Max! But your tutorial works. I just had problems getting the window reflection.
Wonderful lesson. thank bro! LOL
Thank you for this tutorial.
Pros: Clear
Concise
Easy to follow
Cons: Explain why you chose particular modifiers.
One more thing! By any chance do you have any tips or great sites to refer to with regards to rendering faster?
I made about 8 balloons and the quick render (f9) is taking quite awhile =/.
-Thanks! Your tut has been very helpful.
Actually, it depends of your computer. The better the computer, the less rendering time. Specially processor.
Great tutorial!I just had problems getting the window reflection.Please help!… thanks a lot!…
Thanks 4 the tutorial, mate. this is really good
I resolved my problem
add a small blur to the reflections and it’ll look even more realistic
Hey. Thank You. That`s Very Good.
I`m From Iran. But This Country Don’t Like Our 3d max Art.
HI SAEED.Im Milad from iran.
can i have your email to have a contact with you?
Hi everyone ..
Its very nice of you all .. all who made these 3d max tutorials in very simple and easy way ..
Thanks to you all ..
Nice and clear tut!
Thank you very much
Dude,
You’re the best. I’ve learned SO much from these tuts. By far, the most comprehensive and clearly explained 3DS lessons I’ve ever explored. Thank you very very much! Keep it up. Share your knowledge. My work is getting better every day thanks to you.
J
Awesome Tutorial Ur way of explaining is nice, Could u write tutorials in human modelling in your way of step by step work flow, Then it would be a great post!!!
Thanks in Advance,
Keep Rocking!
Sir, can you post the render presets you used?
I used the default settings except for the sampling values (see step 12).
Thanks to you for this tutorial. It is very helpful for everyone.
It’s Fantastic. Can you teach me sir. It’s really really cool.
hey this is magnificent tutorial.i am really suprised that this things can be done on 3d max.can you release more tutorials?and please contact me.
Hi! Nice to hear you like it! I’ll definitely write new tutorials.
Great Tutorial as usual. Question: I have been able to get a single balloon look exactly as the tutorial. When I make multiple balloons, I getting extremely bright and colorful refections in each of the balloons the effect which does not like natural. Each of the balloons themselves look fine, the the reflexions of the other balloons in each other looks as if the colors are turning up 10 times and mixing very strangely. I’m using max2011. Thx.
الف شكر يا باشا ربنا يكرمك thanks alot
This reminds me of the balloon scene from “UP”. Speaking of which how would you animate this? add script or something else?
well nice tut but the final render i can’t do it on my poor computer but thak’s
Nice!