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Creating a Walkthrough from an AutoCAD Drawing

A key feature of 3ds Max Design is its ability to let you work with drawings and models you've created with AutoCAD and AutoCAD Architecture, or drawings you've exported from Autodesk Revit. 3ds Max Design gives you the advantage of being able to improve on sound, precise drawings by letting you create realistic design visualization presentations.

In this tutorial, you use AutoCAD and 3ds Max Design to create a virtual visit to a room in a house. In it, you will learn production techniques used for creating a photorealistic animation sequence from a 2D house plan.

Skill Level: Beginner

Time to Complete: 1 1/2 to 2 hours

Features Covered in This Tutorial

- Link an AutoCAD file to 3ds Max Design
- Quickly create walls, ceilings, and floors in 3D
- Set up a camera for a walkthrough
- Create natural exterior light
- Use mental ray to create photorealistic rendering
- Prepare the scene for animation

Preparation for This Tutorial

- If you have not already downloaded the tutorial files (MAX scenes and other assets), download them now and unzip them into a project folder called \Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2012 tutorials. See Where to Find Tutorial Files.
- On the Quick Access toolbar, click (Project Folder) and set your current project to Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2012 Tutorials.

#### Topics in this section

- Preparing and Exporting the DWG File
- Importing the DWG File
- Constructing the Walls
- Establishing the Camera Shot
- Adjusting the Camera's Timing
- Constructing the Ceiling
- Constructing the Floor
- Texturing the Walls, Ceiling, and Floor
- Adding the Furniture and Decorative Elements
- Adding and Adjusting a Daylight System
- Adjusting the Environment
- Using the mental ray Renderer
- Rendering the Walkthrough Animation