Abstract Background
In this tutorial we’re going to create an abstract background image in 3ds Max. It seems that bokeh backgrounds have been extremely popular during the last few years so we’re going to create one as well. There are many Photoshop tutorials available, but here I’m going to show you how to create bokeh background in 3ds Max. I think 3ds Max is perfect for creating abstract backgrounds because of it’s parametric nature. It’s really easy to change everything with parameters. I’m using 3ds Max 2011, but many older versions should work as well.
Step 1 Scanline Renderer
We’re going to render the bokeh effect with Scanline Renderer. If you are using mental ray renderer you have to change that ().
Step 2 Particle Cloud
Our abstract background will consist of two elements: particles and background. First, we’ll create the particles. I’m using Particle Cloud, but feel free to use Particle Flow if you want to. I think it’s just a little easier / faster to use Particle Cloud for our purpose here, because we don’t need any of those advanced features that Particle Flow has to offer. So let’s create a particle cloud in the front viewport ( ). Select the particle cloud, go to the modify panel and apply the following settings:
- Basic Parameters
- Display Icon
- Rad/len: 670
- Width: 1200
- Height: 900
- Viewport Display
- Mesh
- Display Icon
- Particle Generation
- Particle Quantity
- Use total: 500
- Particle Timing ( )
- Emit Start: -29
- Emit Stop: 0
- Display Until: 0
- Life: 30
- Variation: 0
- Particle Size
- Particle Size: 20
- Variation: 100
- Grow for: 0
- Fade for: 0
- Uniqueness
- Seed: 704 ( )
- Particle Quantity
- Particle Type
- Standard Particles: Facing ( )
Create a target camera ( ) in the top viewport. Right-click on the Perspective view and press ‘c’ in the keyboard to change it to a camera view. Position the camera target in to the middle of the particle cloud and the camera itself like in picture below.
Render your scene to make sure you get something like the picture below. I rendered with 700 x 438 px dimensions.
Step 3 The Particle Material
Next we’re going to create the material for the particles. This is the most complicated part of this tutorial, but don’t worry, nothing really hard here. Open Material Editor ( ) and create the material for the particles:
- Select the Particle Cluod and assign the first standard material to it
- Face Map: YES ( )
- Diffuse: Light gray ( RGB 230, 230, 230) ( )
- Opacity: 0
- Advanced Transparency: Type: Additive
Apply an opacity map:
- Opacity Amount: 40 ( )
- Opacity Map: Gradient Ramp ( )
- Gradient Ramp Flags:
Flag #1: Color: RGB 44, 44, 44 Position: 0
Flag #2: Color: RGB 44, 44, 44 Position: 88
Flag #3: Color: RGB 64, 64, 64 Position: 92
Flag #4: Color: RGB 64, 64, 64 Position: 96
Flag #5: Color: RGB 0, 0, 0 Position: 100
( )
- Gradient Type: Radial
Let’s utilize Particle Age map to add some variation to the opacity of individual particles:
- In the Maps rollout, click on the ‘Gradient Ramp’ Map
- Click on the ‘Gradient Ramp’ again. ( )
- Double-click on the ‘Particle Age’ map ( )
- Select ‘Keep old map as sub-map?’ and click ‘OK’. ( )
- Drag and drop the Gradient Ramp map from ‘Color #1 Map’ slot to ,Color #2 Map’ slot. Select ‘Copy’ when asked.
- Drag and drop the Gradient Ramp map from ‘Color #1 Map’ slot to ,Color #3 Map’ slot. Select ‘Copy’ when asked.
- Adjust the Gradient Ramp Flags in Color #2 slot:
Flag #1: Color: RGB 66, 66, 66 Position: 0
Flag #2: Color: RGB 66, 66, 66 Position: 88
Flag #3: Color: RGB 96, 96, 96 Position: 92
Flag #4: Color: RGB 96, 96, 96 Position: 96
Flag #5: Color: RGB 0, 0, 0 Position: 100
( )
- Adjust the Gradient Ramp Flags in Color #3 slot:
Flag #1: Color: RGB 99, 99, 99 Position: 0
Flag #2: Color: RGB 99, 99, 99 Position: 88
Flag #3: Color: RGB 144, 144, 144 Position: 92
Flag #4: Color: RGB 144, 144, 144 Position: 96
Flag #5: Color: RGB 0, 0, 0 Position: 100
( )
Now infant particles are darker / more transparent than particles that have some age. The effect of the Particle age map is not drastic but in my opinion necessary to get some variation to the opacity and brightness of individual particles. Render your scene to make sure it looks similar to picture below.
Our abstract bokeh background doesn’t look like much yet.
Step 4 Abstract Background Material
The next step is to create the environment (background) map for our image. Open Material Editor ( ) and create the environment map:
- Select the second material slot
- Click on ‘Get Material’ button and select Composite map from the Map list ( ). Make sure you select Composite map and not Composite material!
- Click ‘Add a new layer’ to add a second layer to the composite map
- Add Gradient Ramp map to the first layer of the Composite Map:
Coordinates rollout
Environ: Selected
Mapping: Screen
Angle: W: 90
Gradient Ramp Parameters rollout
Flag #1 Color: RGB 139, 84, 5 Position: 0
Flag #2 Color: RGB 255, 229, 192 Position: 100
- Add Noise map to the second layer of the Composite Map:
Noise Parameters rollout
Noise Type: Fractal
Levels: 10
Size: 20
Color #1: RGB 100, 100, 100
Color #2: RGB 255, 255, 255
- In the Composite Map, change the blending mode of the ‘Layer 2′ to ‘Color Burn’
Let’s apply the map to the environment:
- Open environment settings ( )
- Drag and drop the environment map from the material editor slot to the Environment Map slot. Select ‘Instance’ when asked and click ‘OK’.
Render your scene to see how your abstract background looks.
As you see the environment background brings a lot of life and color to the image. Feel free to change the color in the background map.
Step 5 Depth of Field
As a last thing, we’re going to make the image more interesting by adding real depth of field effect to it. Select the camera and go to the Modify Panel to apply the depth of field effect:
- Parameters rollout
- Multi-Pass Effect
- Enable: YES ( )
- Multi-Pass Effect
- Depth of Field Parameters
- Focal Depth
- Use Target Distance: YES ( )
- Sampling
- Display Passes: YES
- Use Original Location: YES
- Total Passes: 100 ( )
- Sample Radius: 30
- Sample Bias: 0,5
- Focal Depth
Render your image to see the difference.
Finally, do some color correction in Photoshop if you like:
- Brightness: 40
If you liked this, you might be interested in my other bokeh tutorial. That’s it. Thanks for reading!
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50 Responses to “Abstract Background”
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Polygon Blog is devoted to unique 3ds Max tutorials. All tutorials on this site are about 3ds Max. Furthermore, these tutorials don't require any plugins. They are doable with just 3d Max. If you have a good idea for a new 3d Studio Max tutorial, please let us know!
Another great tut, thank you so much, the final image was awsome, thank you!
What kind of units are you using for this tutorial?
Generic units.
Thanks very much!
AWESOME!! will try it!! thanks you so much!
Good tutorial. Are the circles grey and are getting the colour from the enviroment?
Yes, that’s right.
awesome tutorial as usual keep up the good work!
its amazing,i didnt know about particles and… so much
great tut…. is there any other useful tuts on particles,you may offer me ??
thanks again,keep goin on honey
great!
When are circles being created instead of the rectangles?
Thanks for the above reply
I haven’t had a chance to express my gratitude for making these tutorials available to all of us. I’ve been coming to your site now for the past 6 months now, following a lot of your tutorials. I’ve had this nagging feeling that I at least owe you a ‘Thank You!’
First, I love your site layout(usability and design) but most of all the fact that you make your tutorials attractive and easy to understand.
The final image results are simply amazing and artistic, and yet it boggles my mind how simple it is to create them. I strongly believe it’s because you give such clear and concise steps in recreating them.
As a side note, I’ve been doing 3D modeling for about a year now, and their seems to be 2 areas in 3d that have continued to baffle me… proper Mental Ray lighting setup using Image-Based Lighting(HDR) and how to implement Gamma Correction. Perhaps sometime in the distant future these may make great tuts?
Again, I’m glad you are sharing some techniques that would be otherwise be very hard to find elsewhere.
Thanks Antti !
Thank you Paul for your kind words. Very nice to hear! Tutorial on HDR lighting is a very good idea. I’ll think about it.
Great tut, will try to use it in a project of mine!
Thank you!
Thank you for another great step-by-step tutorial. It has been a longtime since you didn’t post a tutorial, please don’t give up on us!
Pretty nice tutorial i really liked how simple it is to create that amazing effect. 100 passes may be a bit much so i just kept it at 12 and so far the only other renderer to be able to render this other then scanline is vray. (Never tried final render but im sure it would do fine)
I found your old website, it had many good tutorials. Why don’t you post them here? They are awesome!
Thanks for your suggestion. I have actually thought about posting some tutorials from http://www.secondpicture.com/ here, but I think I should rewrite them first. They are so old.
Wooowww! Coooool…
This tutorial was fun.. I loved it and applied it.. Thank you =)..
You’re welcome! Nice to hear it worked!
Could u say when are circles being created instead of the rectangles?
Thanks!!;)
It’s the Gradient Ramp applied as Face Map in Step 3.
Thanks polygonblog for answering this question. I asked it above, but you overlooked it, so I didn’t want to ask again.
Good and detailed tut. Thanks.
AWESOME TUTORIAL!! I’M ANXIOUSLY AWAITING YOUR NEXT GREAT JOB!!! =D
Great tutorial – I never thought of doing this sort of bokeh image in anything but Photoshop before, but this has given such an effective result.
Really good tutorial – can you please add the file of this lesson so I can better understand it.
This is a really helpful tutorial! Thank you for the help.
long time since your last tutorial. I know it sounds selfish but pls make another tut, pls !
You’re the best. As always, thanks for sharing. I find so much useful stuff in every one of your tutorials.
How about 3ds max 9? I can’t find layer styles anywhere, so I can’t get the background right.
Awesome tutorial! so creative!
can’t wait your next tutorial
Excellent yaarrrrr
Hello! I just wanted to say I love your tutorials and I hope you can find the time/inspiration to continue to make them. You’ve definitely helped me out quite a bit with my 3D skills and my texturing as greatly improved! I’ll still keep checking hoping for an update!
Thanks!
well, i started to learn 3ds max about a week ago and after i see your tutorials, I found my way
your tutorials are really interesting and useful.
I’ve to say thank you for them
Uow.
Where are you ?
Very very long time since your last rep.
Pls come back.
thanks 4 this type of tutorials
it’s nice
Nice, but why to use 3DsMax if you can use Photoshop
But to be honest, i didnt know that this is possible in 3DsMax, thx for sharing 
where is new tutorials?
very Nice tut.
PS: Your old site “secondpicture.com” is prety interesting …I also liked the website theme…specially that smoky explosion at the end of every page …very Artistic…I want to do it soooo bad…I wonder how ! lol
No more posts? :O me be a sad panda
I tried this tutorial on 3d max 2012 and I can’t get the circles only get squares I fallowed everything. I don’t know what I did wrong can u help?
Please check step 3.2 and the opacity map settings.
I looked it looks the same it renders white.
I’ve stumbled across your tutorials and they are the best yet. Really appreciate all the effort that must go into these, you make me want to practise 3ds max work for fun! Please make more tutorials if you have time, they’ve been really helpful
Great idea for a tutorial. I’ve been making abstract art in Photoshop and using Max in the images on occasion, and was thinking about using particles. This article is a nudge in that direction. Thanks!
Merry christmas and happy new year, uhm, i have expected your new tutorials for months but no sign of you yet,and i dont really sure if you’re still working at the site or not. So, if you have time or just feel like doing some more tutorials, please do, we all appreciate you and your work very much.
I’ll still keep checking hoping for an update!
Thank you for all your help so far!
I’ll post a new tutorial this week!
It brings me great joy to hear that, thank you so much, cant wait to see it