Geometric primitives are basic shapes that 3ds Max provides as parametric objects. Primitives are divided into two categories: standard primitives and extended primitives.
You can create most geometric primitives from your keyboard using the Keyboard Entry rollout. In a single operation, you define both the initial size of an object and its three-dimensional position. 3ds Max automatically assigns the object's name and color. See Object Name and Wireframe Color.
Geometric primitives are familiar as objects in the real world such as beach balls, pipes, boxes, doughnuts, and ice cream cones. In 3ds Max, you can model many such objects using a single primitive. You can also combine primitives into more complex objects, and further refine them with modifiers.
Extended Primitives are a collection of complex primitives for 3ds Max. The topics that follow describe each type of extended primitive and its creation parameters.
