3D Studio Max: Chamfering

[Onimoto]

I've heard alot of people refer to chamfering, but I have to idea how to use it and I cant seem to find it in the help files, anyone able to explain or anyone know a tutorial that uses it?

[Goig!]

Chamfering is an exellent modelling tool, and quite simple to use.
Make a cube and turn and collapse it into a editable mesh or poly mesh.

Go to edge sub-level, select an edge and click on the Chamfer button, now when you move your cursor over an edge it will turn into a little rectangle with two arrows pointing up and down, click on an edge and drag to chamfer it. It splits the edge in two parallel edges, as in the picture bellow.

[Goig!]

Now select multiple connected edges, do the same as before and you´ll see how the chamfer tool splits those edges in two and how the new poligons in the intersection are created.

[Goig!]

You can chamfer vertices too, select one or more and do the same procedure as before.

[Goig!]

Here´s a real life application of the Chamfer tool, I´m working on a model for a commercial and the thing has some spikes/horns on it´s arms, so I chamfer a vertex to get a new poligon on the surface of the mesh, then I inset and extrude the poligon, voila!

[prithvi]

Excellent explanation and example there, Goig :)

Onimoto, would just like to add here.....
You can also use the Chamfer tool to blunt out sharp edges.

After converting your object to Editable Mesh or Poly,
select the particular edge(s) and then click on Chamfer............use a very low value and click on 'Apply' (to chamfer it twice)

Your object's edges will appear blunt now, when its seen from a reasonable distance.

[Onimoto]

thanks a ton for the help, especially you goig that was a great explanation. After a bit of testing with it I've found it unbelievably helpful in making my model, thanks again.

[scott99]

WOW!!!!!! you can chamfer a verticie? ROFL after almost 2 years of using 3dsmax, i just learned that :o guess the saying of "you learn something new every day" is true.... either that or im a slow learner hehe