Q: HI, every one . I am new to 3dS , i come a problem , can i load an object in other file - suppose i load a 3ds file books.3ds , while i also want to include the object in an other file pen.3ds so i can have both book and pen in screen ?

A: YES!!!

There is a command called Merge (Ctrl+M) that does this with .3DS files, and Merge Project (Ctrl+G) for .PRJ files. You can select what you want to import:

  • Objects
  • Lights
  • Cameras
  • Animation.

    If the Amination button is OFF, no tracks for the Keyframer will be imported. 3DS automatically compares the materials in both files and asks you if the imported material differs from the existing.

    If an imported object already exists in the scene, you can delete the old and get the new, skip the object, or rename the incoming object to have both in the scene.

    There is also a function called Replace Mesh that lets you do what it says. If you already have a book object in the scene and you have another file with a better mesh of a book, you can replace the old with the new. This will let you animate low resolution meshes and replace them later with the high-detailed meshes for the final renderings.

    This lets you work like in Lightwave. You can have many .3DS files with the objects you need, then you start a new Project and load all the objects you need from the exisitng files to create a scene.