by: Kevin Pazirandeh
 

This tutorial assumes that you have some general knowlege of 3DStudio Max and it's tools. Don't be scared off by this, it is still very simple.

First, reset MAX. Then in the create pannel select Tube. Go down to keyboard entry and enter the fallowing:

After you have done this check to see if the tube has 5 height segment 1 cap segment and 18 sides. These are MAX defaults but check anyway. Now select and rightclick on the tube and convert it to an editable mesh. Press F3 to turn on wireframe. Once you have done this go into the sub-object polygon. This is tricky for me to explain but the illustration should help. Select groups of 4 polygons that form a rectange 3 times. Each with 4 polygons(sides) between them skipping the top row. That seems really confusing so just look at the picture.

You cannot see the third one but you can see it's tranform gismo. Can you see the group of 4 with 4 sides between them skipping the top row? If you can's send we a commment in the contact section. Once you have done this, go down to extrude in the edit geometry tab of the modify panel. From here, while the polys are selected type in 20. Now select and right click on the Uniform scale tool to bring up the type in box. In the one box under offset world enter 50. Now, while the polys are still selected, go back to extrude and type in 65 this time.

Your rim should look like this. If it does not try redoing the last few steps. Ok next step. Go to the create pannel, and select shapes. Then select the star and go down to the keyboard entry. Leave everything how it is unless I ask you to change it.Under the Z coordinate enter 50. For radius 1 enter 21 and for radius 2 enter 12.5. Good. Select and rotate the shape 29.5 degrees along the z axis.

Now go to the modify pannel and under modifyiers select extrude. Give extrude the following properties:

Now the shape should fill the hole in the rim.

Now deselect and select the tube. scroll down the modify pannel and select attack, then click on the extuded star. Good. First enter the sub-object edges and check ignore backfacing so yo udon't accidently delete something you can't see. Now another hard to explian part. Select all the diagonal edges on the end of the spokes and the sides of the star, the illustration should help:

You can see the selected diagonals. Then delete them. If it askys you if you want to remove isolated verticies say yes. The arrow is there to remind you to delete bothe the spoke ends and the sides of the star. One can only see either the spokes' or the star sides' diagonals at onece due to how the normals are aligned. If you don't understand send me a comment and i'll explain it more thoroughly and give bigger pictures. Now go to the sub-object vertecies. Select all the vertecies in that middle area.

Now scroll down the modigy pannel until you see weld. Give it the fallowing properties and then press the button.

Ok now select all the outer most vertecies on the top and the bottom of the tube. Then go select and right click on non-uniform scale. In the X and Y boxes enter 110 (either world).

Ok, now on the create pannel go to shapes and select line. Make sure you are in a user or perspective viewport. Go to keyboard entry and enter the fallowing points. do not close it. Just finish it after you have finished entering these points.

Now right click on the spline and convert it to an editable spline. Then under the sub-object vertecies. Select all the vertecies. From here right click on one and select smooth from the popup menu.

The line should look like this

Now go up to modefiers and select lathe. Click on sub-object for this modifier. The axis should show. make sure that it is pointing staight up. If not, just rotate it to be. Now select and right click on move. Make the x and y values 0 in the transform type in. In the modify pannel change the degrees to 360 and the segments to 30. Apply a meshsmooth to it and two interlations to the rim and we have a tire and rim