3D Money – Million Dollars
This 3ds Max tutorial covers the modeling and texturing of one million dollars. We’re going to create pack of 3d money, make many clones of it, and create huge pile of money with the help of reactor. I am using 3ds Max 2010 but this should be doable with many older versions as well.
Step 1 Ten Thousand Dollar Label
Create a Box ( ) in the left viewport and apply () the following parameters to it:
- Length: 7,9
- Width: 31
- Height: 15,3
Step 2 Modify the Box with Edit Poly
Add Edit Poly modifier to the box (). Activate Polygon sub-object level and delete two polygons according to picture below.
Step 3 Geometry for the 3D Money Itself
Create a Box ( ) in the top viewport and apply ( ) the following parameters :
- Length: 30,8
- Width: 73,44
- Height: 7.7
- Length Segs: 10
- Width Segs: 24
- Height Segs: 8
( We need lots of segments to the money object to be able to deform it later )
Step 4 Align the Money with the Label
Select the box you just created and use the Align tool ( ) to place the box into the center of the first box like in picture below. In the Align tool, just select all axis and click ok. The center of the selected object will be placed to the center of the target object.
Step 5 Money Textures
Now the geometry of the 3d money pack is complete and we need some textures to the surface. We need front and back sides of a hundred dollar bill and some bump maps to the sides. Fortunately there are high resolution money textures available at Wikipedia.
Step 6 Create the Bump Map in Photoshop or Click Here to Download
To make believable render we also need a bump map to the sides of the money pack. Bump map for this purpose is really easy to create in Photoshop:
- Create a new image with 1×100 pixel dimensions.
- Apply Noise filter ():
- Amount: 60%
- Distribution: Uniform
- Monochromatic: On
- Apply another Noise filter ():
- Amount: 75%
- Distribution: Uniform
- Monochromatic: On
The bump map is ready. Save the file in png format.
Step 7 Label texture
The last texture we need is for the label surrounding the money pack. Just create something like this in Photoshop or just use my texture.
Step 8 Texturing the Money
Now we have all the textures we need. Open Material Editor () and create material for the money:
- Select the 3d money object and click ‘Assign the material to selection’
- Material Type: Multi/Sub-Object
- Click ‘Set Number’ and set the number of materials to 4
- Material 1
- Diffuse Map: Bitmap: 100 dollar bill front texture here
- Material 2
- Diffuse Map: Bitmap: 100 dollar bill back texture here
- Material 3
- Bump Map: Bitmap: Bump texture here
- Material 4
- Bump Map: Bitmap: Bump texture here
- Coordinates > Angle > W: 180 ( )
- Bump Map: Bitmap: Bump texture here
Notice that we aren’t t using diffuse maps in the materials number 3 and 4. Therefore the color of these materials will be gray ( ). It’s just a pure coincidence that the default gray is close enough to what we need. In fact, changing the Diffuse color of these materials might produce a tad more realistic material.
Step 9 Apply Material IDs to the 3D Money Pack
Add Edit Poly modifier to the pack of money ( ), activate Polygon sub-object level, and apply Material IDs according to picture below. ( ).
Step 10 Activate Super Sampling and Render a Test Image
Change the background color to white ( ) and render a test image. Pay special attention to the bump maps. They are not that pretty. A good rule of thumb is to activate SuperSampling whenever there are reflections or bump maps in use. SuperSampling is an antialiasing technique that enhances the rendering quality. So let’s turn it on:
- Rendering > Render Setup… > Renderer > Global SuperSampling
- Disable all Samplers: OFF
- Enable Global SuperSampler: ON, Adaptive Halton
- Quality: 1,0
Now render another test image to see how the bump map quality ( ) increases.
Step 11 Texture for the Money Label
Next we’ll create a material for the the label:
- Select the label object and assign material to it
- Click ‘Show map in viewport’
- 2-Sided: ON
- Diffuse Color: Bitmap: money label texture here
Step 12 Adjusting UVW Mapping of the Label
Now we can see the label texture in the viewport but there are some problems. The text is squeezed and repeated on each side. Let’s fix those issues with the help of a UVW Map modifier.
- Add UVW Map modifier ()
- Mapping: Cylindrical
- Alignment: Fit
- Activate Gizmo level in UVW Map modifier and rotate the gizmo 180 degrees
Step 13 Render a Money Picture
It’s time to render another test image to make sure texturing is good.
Step 14 Increase the Realism by Deformations
At the moment the geometry of money pack looks too perfect ( ). Let’s deform it a little to make it more believable. Select the 3d money and add Wave modifier to it ( ). Apply the following parameters to the Wave modifier:
- Amplitude 1: 0,5
- Amplitude 2: 0,5
- Wave Length: 15,2
- Activate Gizmo level in the Wave modifier. Rotate and move the gizmo to get the result in picture below.
Step 15 Deform the 3D Money Pack Even More
Let’s add yet another modifier to the 3d money pack. Add FFD 3x3x3 modifier to it (). Activate the Control Points sub-object level in the FFD 3x3x3 modifier and move the control points in the front viewport according to the picture below.
Render the image to see the result. The effect of FFD 3x3x3 modifier is subtle, but still important step of the process.
Step 16 Render Digital Money
Now the $10,000 money pack is complete. Let’s make a proper render:
- Create a big white Plane under the 3d money pack ( )
- Create a Skylight ()
- Change the SkyColor to pure white ( )
- Activate Light Tracer ( ) and apply the following settings:
Render the money image and this is what you get:
Step 17 Create Million Dollars
Now we have $10,000 and next we’re going to turn it into a million dollars.
- Select the money object, add Edit Poly modifier to it, and use the ‘Attach’ function to attach the money object to the label object.
- Make a 99 copies of the money pack. You can clone an object by moving it while pressing shift in keyboard.
- Place the million dollars according to picture below. Avoid overlapping. Make sure to rotate half of the money about 180 degrees. We want to final money pile to be as random as possible.
- Create RBCollection ( ) and add all the money packs and the plane object to it. ( This is just a helper object that tells which objects are included in physics simulation as rigid bodies. )
Step 18 Make Time for Simulation
Go to Time Configuration and increase the animation length to 300.
Step 19 Define Physical Properties
Next step is to define some physical properties for the 3d money objects and make the simulation.
- Choose Havok 3 as reactor solver ( )
- Set Col. Tolerance to 0,05. ( )
In Properties section you can define physical properties of your objects. First you select object(s) and then you define the properties. It’s like the Modify panel.
- Select the plane and turn Unyielding on ()
- Select all the money packs and apply the following properties ()
Step 20 Calculate the Simulation and Render Million Dollars
Save your scene. Change the end time of the simulation to 300 and click ‘Create Animation’ to calculate the simulation ()! After the calculation is done there are only two things left to do:
- Choose the frame you want to render
- There is most probably some overlapping between objects, so fix that by moving the objects.
- Render the million dollars and your are done!
That’s it for today! Happy rendering!
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50 Responses to “3D Money – Million Dollars”
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Awesome! Thanks!
Nice works, Thank u!!!
Very, very cool!!… combo tutorial xD. thanks!
Very interesting tutorial ! Lots of money you have here
Great tutorial and nice website! I will try to use reactor for something similar at home.
Thanks a lot & really cool.I like your tutorials lot man
We need more & more
All the Best
it’s really gud …………..!
i don’t understand material of 3 and for ID. thanks
Assalamoalaikum
Great Work thanx….
Very economical tutorial. Thanks for sharing
I am really enjoying your tutorials. I am a beginner myself. Do you think you could do something on character design. Your explanations are wonderful.
Thank you for your positive feedback! In the future, I might do tutorials about character design as well.
Im having some trouble, when i do step 9 it wont select the whole face it just selects the small box i click. then i render it and the picture looks too big for the face. What do i do?
You just have to select polygons according to the image and apply the correct material ID (Set ID). The tutorial doesn’t explain how to use selection tools but for example you can select multiple polygons by pressing CTRL in keyboard. You can also select polygons by clicking, holding, and moving the mouse, but if you do that you must first turn ‘Ignore Backfacing’ on in the Edit Poly modifier.
Ok thanks for that, it worked and i got the layers to select but I still get the pattern where 1/2 of the bill is placed on the other side of where its supposed to be, so I don’t know what I’m doing wrong with that.
i am still awaiting a response to the problem i have been having above.
I’m not sure what the problem is. Please send me your file and I’ll help. I’ll contact you by email.
When I do steps 17., 19, and 20,an error in reactor pops up saying “There are no entity collections, or they are all empty.”
See the picture in step 17. You must create an RBCollection and add all the money and the plane to it.
I need your email because i don’t have a Twitter account
hi brother this is great tutorial and i have already done this work but can you give texture of dollar from profil view?…..sorry for my bad english….
Do you mean the texture that is used as bump map?
Here it is http://www.polygonblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/bump.png Just right click and save the file.
thanks…
i cant animate this tutorial…
where is the side texture
Here it is http://www.polygonblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/bump.png
Just right click and save the file.
Great tutorial! I really learned alot and the results were execellent! Very well done!
tutorial very good, excellent, your blog would be even better if you post more tutorials, maybe even with vray.
obs. am poor in english.
oh i see the bump map is very small on upper left of link look carefully and (ctrl+) to enlarge and be able to click it.
I just seen that someone has made a video tutorial of this..
I will still read your instructions thou, F*cking thief’s.. (not you)
Anyway, can I request a modeling tutorial on either a fantasy sword, armour, axe or horse ><
Thanks again for your amazing tutorials!
Me encanta este blog, jajajja me encanta
Thanks for the tutorial, …
I’ve followed the steps and it worked, but why the object of dollars each other do not stick together.
Is there a parameter to adjust the distance between these objects?
Hey… its a nice tut and love the site and all… i am a begginner, but i have problems with the attaching part… were i need to put the dollars together with the slip… i have tried to select both objects and press attach, and i have tried to select one of the objects and press attach and then point/click on the other object but nothing happens… well something happens, but when i press in a empty area and then press on the objects they aren’t attached to each other … Hope for a reply/help on this one… this is my 2nd tut i have followed so i would like to finish this one off… thanks…
Hey again…sorry for duel posting but i figured it out my self… but thanks anyway…
2 Problems:
1. There are 2 “Step 20″‘s
2. On the first Step 20, 18 :/, I can’t find “Time Configuration” window. I’ve looked everywhere in Render and View bars but I got nuffin.. Please tell meh wherez its iz.
1. Thanks Kelly I fixed that.
2. The button for time configuration is highlighted with red border in the image in step 18.
Hi!.
Thanks for the tutorial, One quesiton.Which font using on the label texture? I want great my own texture but i wanna know font. Can you help me?
The font is Khmer UI.
thanks dude, thats a grea tutorial (like all/mosh of youre tutorial) but i have a problam at spem 20, i just cant find the Global SuperSampling under RENDERER
thanks in advence
If you can’t find it you have probably selected mental ray as renderer. SuperSampling is a scanline only feature. If you use Mental Ray, just increase the sampling quality.
Hi.Tutorial is very good.can you take the subject of ancient war in your site?thank you.
what units are you using?meters?feet?because i can’t get the value as 7,9 in length.
sample:
* Length: 7,9
* Width: 31
* Height: 15,3
my units set-up under customize is in meter.I’m using 3ds max 2011.
Tnx
I used generic units.
actually my default setup is generic units.but your value is different because your units defines in comma not in dot or point.so when i put manually the given parameters e.g above 7,9 it gives me 7.0.(length)
sorry i’m just new in this stuff and i want to learn.
hope you can give me a clear advise,tnx.
7,9 = 7.9
Some people like a comma instead of a full stop because it’s a little easier to see… I think
Hi! thanks for great tutorial!
But i have a problem: when i calculate animation and play it, all the money go through the plane. plz help.
thx!
and it says: density looks very low(0,673823 kg/m3)- what it means?
wonderful,nice one.
Thanks for this fun tutorial, will be checking back often for more!!
Nice tutorial. I had to stop at step 17 though, 3ds max 2012 doesn’t include reactor but something else called massfx. I just wish I knew how to use it to make the money fall.