In this tutorial you will use 3D Studio Max 6 and reactor to set up a physics simulation. Using these animation tools you will create a wrecking ball (swinging chain with heavy ball on the end used to break things, see figure 1). This tutorial will touch on some of the key elements to remember when using reactor. After completing this tutorial you will be able to create chains and hopefully you will avoid common mistakes that often frustrate people when using these techniques. This tutorial will give you the knowledge to explore and experiment with most of the reactor tools. If used properly, reactor is a powerful tool.

To Get Started: It Only Takes One, Create the Chain-Link
Step 1. Open 3D Studio Max 6, or if it is already open, reset the scene.
Step 2. To start, draw a Torus in the front view-port. Radius 1 should be 60. Radius 2 should be 6. Use 26 segments and 15 sides. The parameter’s roll out should look like figure 2
Step 3. Now convert the torus into an editable poly and activate the vertex sub-object.
Step 4. Now drag-select the top half of the torus. This will select the vertices on the top of Torus01. Select the move tool. Move these vertices up to create the shape of a chain link. In the picture below the vertices were moved 72 units up. See Figure 3 for an example of this step.

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