In this lesson, you'll create a primitive object, then modify its parameters so it takes on the appearance of a rock.
Set up the scene:
- Continue from the previous lesson or open battlefield_camera.max.
Create a rock:
- On the
Create panel, activate
(Geometry), then in the Object Type rollout, click to activate Sphere.
The button highlights to show that it is active and ready to use.
- Create a sphere in the Top viewport by holding down the left mouse button anywhere to the front and left of the cannon (see the next illustration) and dragging away from where you started. As long as you hold the mouse button down, you can adjust the size of the sphere. When you release the mouse button, the sphere is complete.
Tip: Your sphere might be a different color from the one in the illustration.
Create a sphere.
The sphere in the camera viewport
- On the
Modify panel 
Parameters rollout, change the Radius setting to
25 and press
Enter.
The sphere changes size in the viewport. In 3ds Max, it’s typical practice to rough out an object with the mouse, then refine it on a rollout.
- Click the Modifier List drop-down menu and choose the Noise modifier.
- In the Noise group, turn on Fractal, and in the Strength group, set X, Y, and Z to
30.0.
The rock is taking shape, but it could be flatter.
- On the main toolbar, click to activate
(Select and Uniform Scale).
- In the Camera001 view, drag the gizmo Z axis downward until the rock object is about two-thirds its original height.
Change the name of the sphere:
- In the Modify panel object name field, double-click the name
Sphere001 to highlight it.
- Type in
rock to change the name of the sphere. Press
Enter to set the new name.
Note: Pressing Enter is an explicit way to change a parameter. 3ds Max also accepts a parameter change as soon as you click anywhere else in the 3ds Max window.
Next, you'll apply a material to your rock using the Material Editor.