What is MacroModel 1.x?

Spline-based drawing tools — revolutionary in their time for flexibly articulating two-dimensional curves with a minimum of mathematical description — produced a similar revolution when they were adapted for three-dimensional illustration and design. Spline-based modelers introduce a third axis, along which an outline can be lathed or extruded to establish volume. They dramatically improved on polygonal modelers, and enabled object modeling to become more efficient and fluid.

Macromedia’s MacroModel — younger, stronger, smarter sibling of venerable Swivel 3D — incorporates many of the earlier program’s features, beginning with an elegantly simple interface. It supports hierarchical and variable object linking — essential for creating compound objects and interactive object relationships like those found in moving mechanical parts. But unlike polygon-based Swivel 3D, MacroModel uses Bezier-splines, whose malleable control points define curve tension. Retaining the 2-D profile for editing is an important MacroModel advantage. It allows for graceful, flowing shapes and permits fast global changes to the model.

After creating a profile using the standard 2-D drawing tools, you can refine it using the key profile-editing tools: the trim tool for cutting up sections of an outline to be reshaped; the fillet tool for rounding corners; the offset tool for duplicating and nesting shapes (great for creating tube shapes and beveled text); and the add/delete-control-point tool. A single working plane guides orientation and alignment of objects. Construction points, lines, grids, and axis — enable you to build a scaffolding (which you can later hide or delete) to help you plot an object’s shape, size, and structure.

Floating palettes called browsers let you control position, view, scale, lighting, and shading both numerically and graphically. Good dexterity with the view browser in is particularly essential because MacroModel displays only one view at a time. Moreover, the rendering resolution is a property of the view and not the object; instead of allowing some parts of the model to render as wire frames and others smoothly shaded (as other modelers do), the user must toggle globally between resolutions. This inconvenience is partially alleviated by MacroModel’s fast screen redrawing and the ability to hide objects. For large models, also try using coarser adaptive-smoothing settings, which you can modify independently for each object.

Beyond the basic profile-extrusion operations, MacroModel lets you nest profiles to extrude objects with holes. Note that these compound extrusions are not Boolean; that is, they do not employ the mathematics of constructive solid geometry (CSG). But these figures do work for most basic drilling needs.

Objects can also be swept along a path to construct elaborate extrusions, such as a coiled spring; can be lathed around an axis to make symmetrical shapes, as on a lathe or potter’s wheel; can be skinned over a set of profile ribs to make complex terrain or irregular surfaces; or can be made from cross sections that combine both lathing and skinning to build nonuniform symmetrical shapes.

For more precise sculpting, MacroModel can also discard the original defining geometry and drop to a patchmesh description. This converts the entire surface of the object to a matrix of editable spline control points, enabling the user to define more localized characteristics such as ridges and indentations without globally affecting the shape of the object. Simplifying the geometry further gets you to a polymesh description of the object more akin to what you see with the polygonal modelers mentioned earlier. Patchmesh geometry retains a lot of rubbery elasticity and tension between control points, while polymesh geometry is more like clay, with very localized reshaping properties. This editing level gives you individual control over all polygonal vertices, but the spline relationships no longer apply. Macromedia recommends duplicating objects before you change the level of geometry, since you cannot undo these operations.

The ability to manipulate control points together or separately gives the user a remarkable degree of control over object deformation. MacroModel gives you highly interactive squash and stretch capabilities that let you bend, twist, and warp models as though they were made of soft wax. The deformations are also quite useful for creating helical or spiral shapes, such as the threads of a screw.

Impressive as it is, MacroModel is not a 3-D panacea. The product was designed for a wide variety of modeling functions and is not tailored for the exacting specifications of architectural or mechanical design. It will, however, import EPS, RIB, DXF, and ClarisCAD files produced in other programs; MacroModel exports RIB, DXF, TIFF, and PICT file formats. And though MacroModel does not itself display surface texture, it sports a decent MacRenderMan interface for calling out and adjusting surface and lighting shaders. Models can then be exported as RIB files and photo-realistically rendered. Also, if you can get the hang of editing RIB files directly, you can add operations, such as putting holes in a bowling ball, and RenderMan can interpret them for final rendering.

MacroModel is also available bundled with MacRenderMan for $1795, and with the animation package Three-D (which has its own rendering engine, RenderWorks) for $2495.

So what was once a void has been paved with polymesh. While the search for the ultimate Macintosh modeler continues, MacroModel deserves a lot of credit for making the Mac’s inner space a more pleasant place to work. The potential of the MacroModel engine has not been fully tapped, and version 2.0 should see significant new controls not only for surface appearance but for physical attributes and behaviors as well (good news for animators). Despite some shortcomings, MacroModel is a solid resource to have along when you venture out into 3-D space.

Hoffer, Avi. (May 1994). MacroModel. Macworld. (pg. 59).

Download MacroModel 1.x for Mac

Architecture

Motorola 68K

Compatibility notes

Emulating this? It could probably run under: Basilisk II