Wiley 3ds Max 9 Bible
Contents
1. Layer Manager Opens the Layer Manager interface where you can work with layers ac Open Curve Editor Opens the Function Curves Editor Open Schematic View Opens the Schematic View window co eu Material Editor M Opens the Material Editor window 26 Exploring the Max Interface aio Toolbar Button Name Description 5 Render Scene Dialog F10 Opens the Render Scene dialog box for setting rendering oe options view z Render Type drop down Selects the area or objects to render View list oe i Quick Render Production Produces a quick test rendering of the current viewport Quick Render ActiveShade without opening the Render Scene dialog box The main toolbar has some slight changes in 3ds Max 9 The Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle has been moved to the main toolbar TURE Using the Viewports The four viewports make up the largest area of the entire interface and provide a way of viewing the objects within the scene Each of the viewports is configurable and can be unique from the others Understanding how to work with the viewports is vital to accomplishing tasks with Max so esp SS oN viewports have an entire chapter dedicated just to them Chapter 2 Controlling and Configuring the Viewports Using the Command Panel If there is one place in Max besides the viewports where you ll spend all your time it s the Command Panel at least until you re comf2. 36 Above the left navigation pane are five tabs that open separate panels when selected The Contents panel displays a list of topics the Index panel lists all topics alphabetically the Search panel includes a text field where you can search for specific keywords the Favorites panel keeps a list of bookmarks to topics you add to the list and the Query panel lets you type a question and query for answers Throughout the textual descriptions keywords linked to other related topics are highlighted in blue and underlined Online help The Web offers many sites that can also help and Max links to the Online Support Updates Resources Partners and Training pages on the Autodesk site from the Help 3ds max on the Web menu Selecting either of these menu commands automatically opens a Web browser and loads the Autodesk Web pages Exploring the Max Interface aio Summary You should now be familiar with the interface elements for Max Understanding the interface is one of the keys to success in using 3ds Max Max includes a variety of different interface elements Among the menus toolbars and keyboard shortcuts several ways to perform the same command exist Discover the method that works best for you This chapter covered the following topics m The interface elements Viewing and using the pull down menus Working with toolbars Accessing the Command Panel Learning the lower interface controls Interacting with the M
3. ell here we are again with a new version of Max and the first ques tion on the minds of existing users is Did the interface change The answer is a happy very little Most serious users would rather go through root canal surgery than have their user interface UI change and Autodesk has learned and respected this valued opinion by keeping the interface changes to a minimum As you look around the new interface you ll see that everything is still there but that Max has a few new additions You may find yourself saying as you navigate the interface where did that come from But just like encountering a new house in your neighborhood over time you ll become accustomed to the addi tion and may even meet some new friends Why is the software interface so important Well consider this The interface is the set of controls that enable you to access the program s features Without a good interface you may never use many of the best features of the software or spend a frustrating bit of time locating those features A piece of software can have all the greatest features but if the user can t find or access them then the software won t be used to its full potential Max is a powerful piece of software with some amazing features and luckily the interface makes these amazing fea tures easy to find and use The interface s purpose is to make the software features accessible and in Max you have many different ways to ac
4. Also new is the additional information added to the title bar including the filename Project If a keyboard command is available for a menu command it is shown to the right of the menu item If an ellipsis three dots appears after a menu item that menu command causes a separate dialog box to open A small black arrow to the right of a menu item indicates that a submenu exists Clicking the menu item or holding the mouse over the top of a menu item makes the submenu appear Toggle menu options such as Views Show Ghosting change state each time they are selected If a toggle menu option is enabled a small check mark appears to its left if disabled no check mark appears EF A complete list of keyboard shortcuts can be found in Appendix C Max Keyboard Shortcuts You can also navigate the menus using the keyboard by pressing the Alt key by itself Doing so selects the File menu and then you can use the arrow keys to move up and down and between menus With a menu selected you can press the keyboard letter that is underlined to select and execute a menu command For example pressing Alt and then F for File and N for New executes the File gt New command or you can press Alt use the down arrow to select the New command and press the Enter key By learning the underlined letters in the menu you can use the keyboard to quickly access menu commands even if the menu command doesn t have an assigned keyboard shortcut And bec
5. K AA O TH Utilities loa a Suave Hierarchy Standard Primitives AvoGid M it AGN 2 linder Torus Sapo Working with rollouts Most of the controls buttons and parameters in the Command Panel are contained within sections called rollouts A rollout is a grouping of controls positioned under a gray boxed title as shown in Figure 1 6 Each rollout title bar includes a plus or minus sign a minus sign indicates that the rollout is open a plus sign shows closed rollouts Clicking the rollout title opens or closes the rollout You can also reposition the order of the rollouts by dragging the rollout title and dropping it above or below the other rollouts You cannot reposition some of the rollouts such as the Object Type and the Name and Color rollouts found in the Create panel Right clicking away from the buttons in a rollout presents a pop up menu where you can select to close the rollout you ve clicked in Close All Open All or Reset Rollout Order The pop up menu also lists all avail able rollouts within the current panel with a check mark next to the ones that are open Expanding all the rollouts often exceeds the screen space allotted to the Command Panel If the rollouts exceed the given space then a small vertical scroll bar appears at the right edge of the Command Panel You can drag this scroll bar to access the rollouts at the bottom of the Command Panel or you can click
6. For example you can set a spinner value by adding numbers together as you would using a calculator An expression of 30 40 35 sets the value to 105 i Chapter 32 Animating with Constraints and Controllers covers the Numeric Expression Evaluator in more detail Understanding modeless and persistent dialog boxes Many dialog boxes in Max are modeless which means that the dialog box doesn t need to be closed before you can work with objects in the background viewports The Material Editor is an example of a modeless dialog box With the Material Editor open you can create select and transform objects in the background Other modeless dialog boxes include the Material Map Browser the Render Scene dialog box the Video Post dialog box the Transform Type In dialog box the Display and Selection Floaters and the various graph editors Pressing the Ctrl keyboard shortcut closes all open dialog boxes Pressing the same key board shortcut again reopens the dialog boxes that were previously closed Another feature of many but not all dialog boxes is persistence which means that values added to a dialog box remain set when the dialog box is reopened This feature applies only within a given Max session Choosing the File Reset command button or exiting and restarting Max resets all the dialog boxes Getting Help If you get stuck Max won t leave you stranded You can turn to several places in Max to get help The Help menu is a
7. under the menus at the top of the Max window Using toolbars is one of the most conven ient ways to execute commands because most commands require only a single click Docking and floating toolbars By default the main toolbar is docked along the top edge of the interface above the viewport but you can make any docked toolbar including the main toolbar a floating toolbar by clicking and dragging the two vertical lines on the left or top end of the toolbar away from the interface edge After you separate it from the window you can resize the floating toolbar by dragging on its edges or corners You can then drag and dock it to any of the window edges or double click on the toolbar title bar to automatically dock the toolbar to its latest location Figure 1 3 shows the main toolbar as a floating panel If you right click on any floating toolbar away from the buttons you can access a pop up menu that includes options to dock or float the current toolbar access the Customize UI window or show or hide any of the toolbars or the Command Panel The main toolbar can be hidden with the Alt 6 keyboard shortcut CURE s ccc The main toolbar includes buttons and drop down lists for controlling many of the most popular Max functions Main Toolbar 26 PO 5 AGI lh EL Tol O Baler I ae cy Fh o amp HOS JIN ASA 23 O Patil Learning the Max Interface T You can customize the buttons that appear on any of the toolbars See Chap
8. valuable resource that provides access to references and tutorials The User Reference and MAXScript Reference are comprehensive help systems that work like a Web browser The Tutorial command loads the tutorials which offer a chance to gain valuable experience Exploring the Max Interface aio When Max first loads users are greeted with a Welcome Screen shown in Figure 1 11 that includes seven Essential Skills Movies These simple movies explain the basics of working with Max The Welcome Screen includes a link to Area which is the Autodesk community site After viewing the videos you can disable the Show this dialog at startup option to prevent the Welcome Screen from appearing next time you start Max You can access the Welcome Screen at any time using the Help menu The Welcome Screen with its helpful video clips is new to 3ds Max 9 FIGURE 1 11 ccc The Welcome Screen includes video clips that show the basic skills for working with Max Welcome Screen ssential Skills Movies Autodesk Ly User Interface Overview B Modifying Objects 6 Viewport Navigation Materials gt Creating Objects Animation s Transforming Objects Access the A R E IV Show this dialog at startup Close The Help Data Exchange Solutions menu opens a Web page that explains how to use the FBX format to exchange files with other software packages The next set of help menu commands applies to users with 3ds M
9. Brings back the last command that was undone Select and Link Establishes links between objects Unlink Selection Breaks links between objects Bind to Space Warp Assigns objects to be modified by a space warp He ee Selection Filter drop down list Limits the type of objects that can be selected a Select Object Q Chooses an object Select by Name H Opens a dialog box for selecting objects by name Rectangular Selection Region Circular Selection Region Fence Selection Region Lasso Selection Region Paint Selection Region Ctrl F to cycle Determines the shape used for selecting objects with the mouse Window Crossing Toggle Specifies whether an object must be crossed or windowed to be selected Select and Move W Selects an object and allows positional translations Select and Rotate E Selects an object and allows rotational transforms Select and Uniform Scale Select and Non Uniform Scale Select and Squash R to cycle Selects an object and allows scaling transforms using different methods continued 25 O Patil Learning the Max Interface E Al J l 3 E continued Toolbar Button View Name Reference Coordinate System drop down list Description Specifies the coordinate system used for transforms ae go go Use Pivot Point Center Use Selection Center Use Transform Coordinate Center Spe
10. E Time Controls Resembling the controls on an audio or video device the Time Controls offer an easy way to move through the various animation frames and keys Based on the selected mode keys or frames the Time Controls can move among the first previous next and last frames or keys E Viewport Navigation Controls In the lower right corner of the interface are the controls for manipulating the viewports They enable you to zoom pan and rotate the active viewport s view oe The Communication Center button on the Prompt Line is new to 3ds Max 9 It sets how often ass Max polls for updates via the Web 31 O Patil Learning the Max Interface The Lower Interface Bar includes several sets of controls Track Bar Time Slider EL mg TIT TTT ammm m mmg p tt w Mina Shit CCE Yf a eo lube jena Chek a ckch ard daa lo akea cbyoatse Er r 2m bens Prompt Line Status Bar Key Controls Time Controls Viewpoint Navigation Controls Interacting with the Interface Knowing where all the interface elements are located is only the start Max includes several interactive fea tures that make the interface work Learning these features makes the difference between an interface that works for you and one that doesn t Gaining quick access with the right click quadmenus Quadmenus are pop up menus with up to four separate sections that surround the cursor as shown in Figure 1 10 Right clicking in t
11. Track Bar displays animation keys as color coded rectangles with red for posi tional keys green for rotational keys and blue for scale keys Parameter change keys are denoted by gray rectangles Using the Track Bar you can select move and delete keys The button at the left end of the Track Bar is the Open Mini Curve Editor button It provides access to the anima tion function curves E Status Bar The Status Bar is below the Track Bar It provides valuable information such as the number and type of objects selected transformation values and grid size It also includes the Selection Lock Toggle Transform Type In fields and the value of the current Grid size m Prompt Line The Prompt Line is text located at the bottom of the window If yow re stuck as to what to do next look at the Prompt Line for information on what Max expects To the right of the Prompt Line is the Communication Center button for setting how often Max looks for updates The Prompt Line also includes buttons for adding and editing Time Tags which are used to name specific animation frames E Key Controls These controls are for creating animation keys and include two different modes Auto Key keyboard shortcut N and Set Key keyboard shortcut Auto Key mode sets keys for any changes made to the scene objects Set Key mode gives you more precise control and sets keys for the selected filters only when you click the Set Keys button keyboard shortcut K
12. ace For example if one of the select buttons on the main toolbar is selected it turns yellow and any dragging in the viewport affects the object however if one of the Viewport Navigation Control buttons is selected it turns yellow and dragging the viewport changes the view Knowing what the current mode is at all times can keep you out of trouble Right clicking in the active viewport exits any Viewport Navigation mode that has control and Sian returns control to the most recent transform tool Right clicking in one of the inactive view poris keeps the focus where it is and makes that clicked viewport active Another common button color is red When either the Auto Key or Set Key buttons are depressed they turn red The edge of the active viewport being animated along with the Time Slider also turns red This reminds you that any modifications will be saved as a key Toggle buttons are buttons that can be turned on and off Example toggle buttons include the Snap buttons When a toggle button is enabled it also turns yellow Toggle buttons highlighted in blue are non exclusive but they notify you of a mode that is enabled such as the Key Mode Toggle or the Affect Pivot Only button REF All interface colors can be customized using the Customize User Interface dialog box that is A discussed in Chapter 5 Customizing the Max Interface and Setting Preferences 33 O Patil Learning the Max Interface 34 Using drag and
13. ause you don t need to stretch for the Y key while holding down the Ctrl key underlined menu letters can be faster For example by pressing Alt G and U successively you can access the Group Ungroup menu command The keyboard buffer remembers the order of the letters you type regardless of how fast they are keyed making it possible to quickly access menu commands using the keyboard Over time you can learn patterns to help you remember how to access certain menu commands such as Alt C H E for creating an ellipse Not all menu commands are available at all times If a menu command is unavailable then it is grayed out as shown in Figure 1 2 and you cannot select it For example the Clone command is available only when an object is selected so if no objects are selected the Clone command is grayed out and unavailable After you select an object this command becomes available Exploring the Max Interface i All menus feature visual clues Disabled command Undo Create Ctrl Z Keyboard shortcut Hold Alt Ctrl H Delete Delete Move w Rotate E Scale Transform Type In F12 Select All CuleA Select None Ctrl D Select Invert Ctl l i Select By Submenu exists Region Edit Named Selection Sets Object Properties __j_ Opens dialog box Using the Toolbars Now that you ve learned the menu two step it is time for the toolbar one step The main toolbar appears by default directly
14. away from the controls when a hand cursor appears With the hand cursor click and drag in either direction to scroll the Command Panel You can also scroll the Command Panel with the scroll wheel on the mouse P ER You can customize the Command Panel like the other toolbars Customizing the Command d Panel is covered in Chapter 5 Customizing the Max Interface and Setting Preferences Increasing the Command Panel s width The Command Panel can also be doubled or tripled or any multiple as long as you have room in width by dragging its left edge toward the center of the interface The width of the Command Panel is increased at the expense of the viewports Figure 1 7 shows the Command Panel double its normal size 28 Exploring the Max Interface aio Open and close rollouts by clicking on the rollout title JARETTI poran x Opened rollout Closed rollout Increase the width of the Command Panel by dragging its left edge Gvp19830 max Project Folder Ci3dsmax Projects Autodesk 3ds Max License Stand alone Display Direct 3D ies File Edit Tools Group Views Create Modifiers reactor Animation Graph Editors Rendering Customize MAXScript Help j Kade LAAN IRORI Oam ABs Git eA AIM 3 4 ALAT Dar a na a s EEE e a F Smosh Hemsphse IT gt amp Chop C Scusch F Sice On StreFien foo a Shatsfit iaj J Base To Pivot F Generate Mapping J ResbwoikdMap Ses 07709 gt
15. ax interface Getting additional help In this chapter we ve skirted about the viewports covering all the other interface elements but in the next chapter were going to hit the viewports head on 37
16. ax subscriptions They let you access various e Learning lessons submit and view support requests and edit your subscription profiles All of these commands require that you enter your subscription contract number The Hotkey Map displays an interactive interface for learning all the keyboard shortcuts Additional Help presents help systems for any external plug ins that are loaded The 3ds max on the Web options Online Support Updates Resources Partners and Training automatically open a Web browser and load the Autodesk Support Web pages or look for updates The Activate 3ds Max command lets you enter an activation number to authorize the software The License Borrowing option lets you borrow and return the current Max license for use on another computer The About 3ds Max command opens the About dialog box This dialog box displays the serial number and cur rent display driver 35 Learning the Max Interface Browser based reference guides The New Features Guide User Reference MAXScript Reference and Tutorials are Web browser based help interfaces An organized list of topics is available in the left navigation pane as shown in Figure 1 12 and the right includes a pane where the details on the selected topic are displayed Across the top are five tool bar buttons used to control the interface The Hide button hides the left navigation pane the Back and Forward buttons move between visited pages the Print button prints the in
17. cess the features Some of these access meth ods are faster than others This design is intentional because it gives beginning users an intuitive command and advanced users direct access For example to undo a command you can choose Edit Undo requiring two mouse clicks but as you gain more experience you can simply click the Undo icon on the toolbar only one click an expert with his hands on the keyboard can press Ctrl Z without having to reach for the mouse at all All three of these methods have the same result but you can use the one that is easiest for you 19 Learning the interface elements Previewing the menu commands Becoming familiar with the toolbars Using the Command Panel Examining the Lower Interface Bar Interacting with the interface Getting help O Patil Learning the Max Interface 20 Has the Max interface succeeded Yes to a degree but like most interfaces it always has room for improve ment and we hope that each new version takes us closer to the perfect interface but I m still looking for the read my thoughts feature Autodesk has built a loophole into the program to cover anyone who com plains about the interface customization If you don t like the current interface you can change it to be exactly what you want Yaa Customizing the Max interface is covered in Chapter 5 Customizing the Max Interface and Setting Preferences This chapte
18. cifies the center about which rotations are completed Select and Manipulate Selects an object and allows parameter manipulation via a manipulator Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle Snap Toggle 2D Snap Toggle 2 5D Snap Toggle 3D S Allows keyboard shortcuts for the main interface and the active dialog box or feature set to be used when enabled Only main interface shortcuts are available when disabled Specifies the snap mode 2D snaps only to the active construction grid 2 5D snaps to the construction grid or to geometry projected from the grid and 3D snaps to anywhere in 3D space Angle Snap Toggle A Causes rotations to snap to specified angles Percent Snap Shift Ctrl P Causes scaling to snap to specified percentages Spinner Snap Toggle Determines the amount a spinner value changes with each click Edit Named Selection Sets Opens a dialog box for creating and managing selection sets Named Selection Sets drop down list Lists and allows you to select a set of named objects Mirror Selected Objects Creates a mirrored copy of the selected object pK e oe a P Align Alt A Quick Align Normal Align Alt N Place Highlight Ctrl H Align to Camera Align to View Opens the alignment dialog box for positioning objects allows objects to be aligned by their normals determines the location of highlights and aligns objects to a camera or view
19. drop features Dialog boxes that work with files benefit greatly from Max s drag and drop features The Material Editor Background Image View File and Environmental Settings dialog boxes all use drag and drop These dialog boxes let you select a file or a material and drag it on top of where you want to apply it For example with the Maps rollout in the Material Editor open you can drag a texture image filename from Windows Explorer or the Asset Manager and drop it on the Map button You can even drag and drop Max files from Windows Explorer into the Max interface to open them Controlling spinners Spinners are those little controls throughout the interface with a value field and two small arrows to its right As you would expect clicking the up arrow increases the value and clicking the down arrow decreases the value The amount of the increase or decrease depends on the setting in the General tab of the Preference Settings dialog box Right clicking on the spinner resets the value to its lowest acceptable value Another way to control the spinner value is to click the arrows and drag with the mouse Dragging up increases the value and dragging down decreases it The effect of the spinner drag is shown in the viewport if the Update During Spinner Drag menu option is enabled in the Views menu If the cursor is located within a spinner you can press Ctrl N to open the Numeric Expression Evaluator which lets you set the value using an expression
20. ee MRT TA a ajae tee an E om foot O GE E Cick and dag to begin csalion process atime Key TY _kepFiles 11 fp BD eS 29 Learning the Max Interface Tutorial Rearranging the interface for lefties I used to work for a company that required that all computers have the mouse to the left of the keyboard We swapped computers often and the boss hated having to move the mouse to the other side of the key board and you thought your work environment was weird The reality is that some people like it on the left and others prefer it on the right and Max can accommodate both With the Command Panel on the right side of the interface the default Max interface obviously favors right handers but with the docking panels you can quickly change it to be friendly to lefties To rearrange the interface for lefties follow these steps 1 Click the Command Panel on the empty space to the right of the Utilities tab and drag toward the center of the interface As you drag the Command Panel away from the right edge the cursor changes 2 Continue to drag the Command Panel to the left edge and the cursor changes again to indicate that it will be docked when released Release the mouse button and the Command Panel docks to the left side 3 For an even easier method you can right click on the Command Panel title bar and select Dock Left from the pop up menu Figure 1 8 shows the rearranged interface ready for all you sou
21. formation in the right pane and the Options button displays a pop up menu of options FIGURE 1 12 ccc The User Reference includes panels for viewing the index of commands and searching the reference 3 3ds Max Reference S Bock gt Hide Foward Print Conteris Index Search Feveites 2 3ds Max Reference Doala Oy 3ds Max 9 Reference E QQ Introduction E What s Newin 3ds Me 2 Copyrights and Trade 3 3ds Max Documentati About MAXScript Gani 2 Project Workfiaw E Setting Up Your Scans 2 Modeling Objects 3 Using Materials 2 Placing Lights ond Co Animating Your Scene 2 Rendering Your Scen The 3ds Max Window 2 Special Controls 2 Managing Files 3 Importing Merging Br F Using the Asset Brows Startup Files and Dete 3 Sdsmsxini File F Backing Up and Archi Crash Recovery Syste Sax a Options Welcome to the 3ds Mex Getting Started with 3ds Max You use 3ds Max to quickly create professional quality 3D models photorealistic still images and film quality animation on your PC Image by Michael McCarthy Before using this reference material we highly recommend you get to know 3ds Max firsthand by following the included tutorials You can access the tutorials using the Help menu gt Tutorials command or in the printed version This section presents these brief topics designed to help you quickly start za using 3ds Max
22. g the main toolbar On smaller resolution screens the main toolbar is too long to be entirely visible To see the entire main tool bar you need to set your monitor resolution to be at least 1280 pixels wide To scroll the toolbar to see the end position the cursor on the toolbar away from the buttons such as below one of the drop down lists the cursor changes to a hand then click and drag the toolbar in either direction Using the hand cursor to scroll also works in the Command Panel Material Editor and any other place where the panel exceeds the given space Sea The easiest way to scroll the main toolbar is to drag with the middle mouse button Toolbar buttons that open dialog boxes such as the Layer Manager Material Editor and Render Scene but tons are toggle buttons When the dialog box is open the button is highlighted yellow indicating that the dialog box is open Clicking on a highlighted toggle button closes the dialog box Corresponding menus and keyboard shortcuts work the same way with a small check mark appearing to the left of the menu command when a dialog box is opened 24 Exploring the Max Interface aio Table 1 1 lists the controls found in the main toolbar Buttons with flyouts are separated with commas MS Main Toolbar Buttons Toolbar Button Name Undo Ctrl Z Description Removes the last performed command You can set the levels of Undo in the Preferences dialog box Redo Ctrl Y
23. he active viewport opens these quadmenus The contents of the menus depend on the object selected ial TE Many of the real pros use quadmenus extensively One reason is that they can access the com l Le SSS mands from the mouse s current location using a couple of clicks without having to go all the way to the Command Panel to click a button Clicking with the left mouse button away from the quadmenu closes it For each menu the last menu item selected is displayed in blue To quickly access the blue menu item again simply click the gray shaded bar for the quadrant that contains the blue menu item Using Customize Customize User Interface you can specify which commands appear on the quadmenus but the default options have just about everything you need If you press and hold the Alt Ctrl and Shift keys while right clicking in the active viewport you can access specific sets of commands Shift right click opens the Snap options Alt right click opens Animation com mands Ctrl right click opens a menu of primitives Shift Alt right click opens a menu of reactor commands and Ctrl Alt right click opens a menu of rendering commands 32 Exploring the Max Interface Quadmenus contain a host of commands in an easily accessible location eN om Understanding the button color cues Maxs interface uses color cues to help remind you of the current mode When a button is yellow it warns that it has control of the interf
24. itor which has enough controls to keep you busy for a while EOE O Max includes five main interface elements Main Toolbar Fear oanet oa Ie epi dee wl e Viewports Command Panel T barana 4 eh Ea Cow _ Shere _GeoSshere Onder Te EOS E Teea _ Plne Lower Interface Bar LELLE E meai an E w o 9 E T E ta fo 2B gt 18 3 D t AE Seky J Key Fites 21 O Patil Learning the Max Interface 22 FEATURE Folder License and Display method Using the Menus The pull down menus at the top of the Max interface include most of the features available in Max and are a great place for beginners to start Several of the menu commands have corresponding toolbar buttons and keyboard shortcuts To execute a menu command you can choose it from the menu with the mouse cursor click its corresponding toolbar button if it has one or press its keyboard shortcut You can also select com mands using the keyboard arrows and press the Enter key to execute them The main menu includes the following options File Edit Tools Group Views Create Modifiers reactor Animation Graph Editors Rendering Customize MAXScript and Help Unlike some other programs these menu options do not disappear if not needed The list is set and they are always there when you need them The menu bar is a little shorter in version 9 because the Character menu has been removed
25. ortable enough with the quadmenus The Command Panel is located to the right of the viewports along the right edge of the interface This is where all the specific parameters set tings and controls are located The Command Panel is split into six panels each accessed via a tab icon located at its top These six tabs are Create Modify Hierarchy Motion Display and Utilities You can pull away the Command Panel from the right window edge as a floating dialog box as shown in Figure 1 5 by clicking on the open space to the right of the tabbed icons at the top of the Command Panel and dragging away from the interface edge You can also dock it to the left window edge which is really handy if you re left handed While it s a floating panel you can resize the Command Panel by dragging on its edges or corners but its width remains constant After you ve pulled the Command Panel or any of the toolbars away from the interface you can re dock them to their last position by double clicking on their title bar You can also right click on the title bar to access the pop up menu of floating toolbars but the pop up menu also includes options to Dock either Left or Right for the Command Panel or Left Right Top or Bottom for toolbars and Float 27 O Patil Learning the Max Interface CURE 5 ccc The Command Panel includes six separate panels accessed via tab icons Create Modify Motion m Display 7 Cofpmartd Panel x
26. r examines the latest incarnation of the Max interface and presents some tips that make the interface feel comfortable not cumbersome The Interface Elements If you re new to the Max interface the first order of business is to take a stroll around the block and meet the neighbors The Max interface has a number of interface elements that neatly group all the similar com mands together For example all the commands for controlling the viewports are grouped together in the Viewport Navigation Controls found in the lower right corner of the interface ey If all the details of every interface command were covered in this chapter it would be an SS awfully long chapter So for those commands that are covered in more detail elsewhere I include a cross reference to the chapter where you can find their coverage The entire interface can be divided into five easy elements Each of these interface elements in turn has groupings of sub elements The five main interface elements are listed here and shown separated in Figure 1 1 m Menus This is the default source for most commands but also one of the most time consuming interface methods The menus are found along the top edge of the Max window Toolbars Max includes several toolbars of icon buttons that provide single click access to fea ures These toolbars can float independently or can be docked to an interface edge The main oolbar is the only toolbar that is visible by default E Vie
27. ter 5 amp Customizing the Max Interface and Setting Preferences If you select the Customize Show UI Show Floating Toolbars menu command several additional tool bars appear These are floating toolbars You also can make them appear by selecting them individually from the toolbar right click pop up menu These floating toolbars include Axis Constraints Layers reactor Extras Render Shortcuts Snaps Animation Layers and Brush Presets Using tooltips and flyouts All icon buttons including those found in toolbars the Command Panel and other dialog boxes and win dows include tooltips which are identifying text labels If you hold the mouse cursor over an icon button the tooltip label appears This feature is useful for identifying buttons If you can t remember what a specific button does hold the cursor over the top of it and the tooltip gives you its name All toolbar buttons with a small triangle in the lower right corner are flyouts A flyout is a single toolbar but ton that expands to reveal additional buttons Click and hold on the flyout to reveal the additional icons and drag to select one Figure 1 4 shows the flyout for the Align button on the main toolbar FIGURE 1 4 ccc Flyout menus bundle several toolbar buttons together The General panel of the Preference Settings dialog box contains an option for setting the number of milliseconds to wait before the flyout appears Learnin
28. thpaws To save the interface changes use the Customize gt Save Custom UI Scheme menu The maxstart cui file is loaded by default when Max is started Ma Left handed users can move the Command Panel to the left side Untitled Project Folder C 3dsmax Projects Autodesk 3ds Max 9 License Standalone Display Direct 3D iat File Edit Tools Group Views Create Modifiers reactor Animation Graph Editors Rendering a MAXScript Help PRIDE Tphse soar Je rFekea ni ihe la RA T foaneass NowSeeted S St tail mie Ker T m fo 2 B D gt ed Cek or chck erdkdkag lo sect objects Add Time Teg 30 Exploring the Max Interface aio Using the Lower Interface Bar Controls The last major interface element isn t really an interface element but just a collection of several sets of con trols located along the bottom edge of the interface window These controls cannot be pulled away from the interface like the main toolbar but you can hide them using Expert Mode Ctrl X These controls shown in Figure 1 9 include the following from left to right E Time Slider The Time Slider located under the viewports enables you to quickly locate a spe cific frame It spans the number of frames included in the current animation Dragging the Time Slider can move you quickly between frames Clicking the arrow buttons on either side of the Time Slider moves to the previous or next frame or key E Track Bar The
29. wports Four separate views into the scene show the Top Front Left and Perspective view points E Command Panel The major control panel located to the right of the four viewports it has six abbed icons at its top that you can click to open the various panels Each panel includes rollouts containing parameters and settings These rollouts change depending on the object and tab that is selected E Lower Interface Bar Along the bottom edge of the interface window is a collection of miscella neous controls In addition to these default elements are several additional interface elements that aren t initially visible when Max is first loaded These additional interface elements include the following E Floating toolbars Several additional toolbars are available as floating toolbars You access them by choosing Customize Show UI Show Floating Toolbars or by selecting them from the tool bars right click pop up menu Exploring the Max Interface aio E Quadmenus Right clicking on the active viewport reveals a pop up menu with up to four panes referred to as a quadmenu Quadmenus offer context sensitive commands based on the object or location being clicked and provide one of the quickest ways to access commands E Dialog boxes and editors Some commands open a separate window of controls These dialog boxes may contain their own menus toolbars and interface elements A good example of this inter face element type is the Material Ed
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