Garment MakerIn this tutorial we are going to go over the use of the Garment Maker modifier in 3D Studio Max. This modifier works in conjunction with splines and the cloth modifier to create clothing that can be form fitted around a character which can be either animated or standing still.

To get started, download the starter file from here:http://tutorials.diclementi.com/start_files/garment_start.max

Inside you will find a simple human figure, you may recognize it as the default human figure from Mudbox. It will do nicely for the purpose of this demonstration.

To begin, we will need to go to our Create tab, and over to the shapes button. We will use splines to draw the shape panels of our clothing and then sew them together as pieces using the garment maker modifier.

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Select spline from the create panel menu, and begin to draw the front panel of a shirt in the front viewport using the human figure as a guide... like this:

Then draw a sleeve like so:

Be sure to notice where you draw your vertices, we want them to be close to the ones we drew for the front panel because we will sew them together later.

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Next select both panels, and use your Mirror tool to copy the front panels of the shirt over to the other arm.

Now select the very first panel you drew, and in the Edit Spline tools, find the Attach button and toggle it on.

With the attach button pressed, you will click on each of the other parts of the shirt we have created to attach them all into one editable spline shape.

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After clicking on each spline, they will highlight white to tell you that you have successfully joined them to the original spline.

Then turn the attach button off.

Then in your Side viewport, use the move tool to pull the spline forward so that it is in front of our human figure.

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Then hold down the Shift key on your keyboard, and with the move tool move the shirt over to the right creating a copy of our original panels.

Then grab your Rotate tool, and make sure the perspective viewport is selected.

With the new copy of our shirt panels selected, go down below the timeline and type 180 into the Z axis, and hit enter. This will flip the copy of our shirt around 180 degrees, which we will need to create the back of the shirt.

It will not look like much has happened, but you have turned this copy around completely.

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Now, select the first copy of your shirt panels, return to the Modify tab and turn on the Attach button once again and add the back panels of our shirt to the Spline.

This will make all of our splines we have created into one shape. Turn the Attach button off once they have been put together into one shape.

Next, before we add our modifier, we need to break up all the vertices in the shape. So Select all your vertices in both your front and back parts of your shirt.

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Then find and click the Break button in the Editable Spline tools.

Then deselect your vertex sub-object, and at the top of the modify tab under the Modifier List drop down, add the Garment Maker modifier.

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Your spline shapes will fill in with triangles becoming a mesh.

Now go into the sub-objects of the Garment Maker modifier by clicking on the small black + sign in the Modifier stack.

Open the sub-objects by clicking the + sign.

You can increase or decrease the density to add more or less polygons to your shirt, this will make your cloth react more naturally or less depending.

I have put my Density at 1.0 for this example, ... increase this if you want a smoother result in the end.

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Then select the Panels sub-object.

And in your front viewport select the panels for the back pieces of the shirt we made.

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Then move them over and behind the human figure, trying to match up the sides of the back of the shirt to the sides of the front of the shirt as best you can.

and behind

So the front of our shirt is in front of the model, and the back is behind him.

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Then go back to your modify tab and switch the sub-object selection from Panels to Seams.

We will sew the seams on our shirt together by selecting two matching seams between front and back and clicking the Create Seam button.

I will start with the top left forearm and work my way around. Select the matching seams on the front and back pieces of the forearm, and click the Create Seam button to sew them together.

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With only 2 of the seams selected, hit the Create Seam button on the Modify Tab.

You will see a bridge of edges leap from one seam to the next when you have done it right.

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You will do this for all the seams on your shirt, both from back to front, and from edge to edge. Between the small areas like from shirt panel to sleeve panel as well.

The only seams you will not sew together in this manner are the ones for the hole around the neck at the top of the shirt, the one at the bottom for the waist line, and depending on what shirt you are creating, the one between the lapels. I am leaving that one open myself, if you sew it shut you will get more of a T-Shirt design.

These are the areas I have not sewn together with the Create Seam button.

The rest of your shirt where you do want these pieces to attach to each other you will want to see the green seam lines.

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Including the seam between the two back halves and under the arms.

Once you are finished making seams, unselect the Seam sub-object under the Garment Maker modifier, and then add a Cloth modifier to the top of the stack.

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Under the cloth modifier settings scroll all the way to the bottom and make sure to check and uncheck the following boxes...

Put a check mark in the Self Collision, and Check Intersections boxes.

Uncheck the box marked Use Sewing Springs. (this will leave the spaces between our seams empty if we leave it marked, and we want our shirt to fill in.)

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Then go back to the top and click on the Object Properties button to open up the cloth properties dialogue menu.

This will open the cloth properties dialogue.

Select the Line001 object from the list on the left, then mark it Cloth by clicking on the Cloth radial button.

Then select a preset from the Presets drop down, I like to start with Satin as it usually behaves rather well.

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Then, Click on the Add Objects button, and select the HumanBody from the list.

To avoid confusion, unselect the humanBody from the list, and then re-select it so that it is highlighted.

Then mark it as a Collision Object via the radial button at the bottom.

When done, click the OK button.

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Then simply hit the "Simulate Local (Damped) button and watch your shirt get sucked together around the body.

The (damped) version of the Simulate button will do it a little slower and get less bounce and spring in the shirt as it snaps together. Less chance of the shirt flying open.

That's it! texture it and make some pants!

This is a very basic idea of how the Garment Maker modifier works, and can be put to use with much more complicated patterns and seams. See what you can come up with!

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Seam in front closed result

Garments of all kinds, can follow animated figures as well!

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