Wiley 3ds max 7 Bible
Contents
1. 44 Part 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 keyboard 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 obvi ously 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 s title bar and select Dock Left from the pop up menu 4 Next dock the reactor toolbar on the right side by dragging it from the left to the right Figure 1 8 shows the rearranged interface ready for all you southpaws Untitled 3ds2. Finding Your Way Exploring the Max Interface Wi here we are 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 gleeful not much Most serious users would rather go through root canal surgery than have their user interface UD change and although Discreet has learned and respected this valued opinion you ll find some minor changes As you look around the new interface you ll see that everything is still there but that Max has several clever 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 neigh borhood over time you ll become accustomed to the addition and might even meet some new friends Why is the software interface so important Well consider this The interface is the set of controls that enables you to access the pro gram 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 it 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 features easy to find and use The interface is all about making the features accessibl
3. View z Region Circular Selection Region Fence Selection Region Lasso Selection Region Paint Selection Region Ctrl F to cycle Window Crossing Toggle Select and Move W Select and Rotate E Select and Uniform Scale Select and Non Uniform Scale Select and Squash R to cycle Reference Coordinate System drop down list Description Removes the last performed command You can set the levels of Undo in the Preferences dialog box Brings back the last command that was undone Establishes links between objects Breaks links between objects Assigns objects to be modified by a space warp Limits the type of objects that can be selected Chooses an object Opens a dialog box for selecting objects by name Determines the shape used for selecting objects Specifies whether an object must be crossed or windowed to be selected Selects an object and allows positional translations Selects an object and allows rotational transforms Selects an object and allows scaling transforms using different methods Specifies the coordinate system used for transforms Continued 30 Part Learning the Max Interface Table 1 1 continued Toolbar Button pa F H JS Ca Set i se H i N
4. give you direct access to a command without moving the mouse The default shortcuts for the menu commands are listed to the right of the command You can use the Keyboard panel of the Customize User Interface dialog box to view and change the keyboard shortcut for any feature Appendix C Max Keyboard Shortcuts lists all the default keyboard shortcuts A Reference a f Cross Using strokes Strokes are similar to the keyboard shortcuts except they allow you to draw a predefined shape using the middle mouse button as a shortcut to a command For example you can set up a stroke to undo the last action using a shape that looks like the letter U Then you can undo the last action by clicking the middle button and dragging in the shape of the letter U Strokes are convenient because they use the mouse and you don t need to reach for the key board The Strokes feature requires a three button mouse or a mouse with a scroll wheel Setting up and using strokes is covered in more detail in Chapter 4 Customizing the Max Reference Interface and Setting Preferences _ 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 tran
5. Corresponding menus and keyboard shortcuts work the same way with a small checkmark appearing to the left of the menu command when a dialog box is opened Toolbar toggle buttons are new to 3ds max 7 Feature Tip Learning the main toolbar On smaller resolution screens the main toolbar is too long to be entirely visible To see the entire main toolbar 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 The easiest way to scroll the main toolbar is to drag with the middle mouse button Table 1 1 lists the controls found in the main toolbar Buttons with flyouts are separated with commas Chapter 1 Finding Your Way Exploring the Max Interface 29 Table 1 1 Main Toolbar Buttons Toolbar Button 4 Name Undo Ctrl Z Redo Ctrl Y Select and Link Unlink Selection Bind to Space Warp Selection Filter drop down list Select Object Q Select by Name H Rectangular Selection
6. Opens the Function Curves Editor Opens the Schematic View window Opens the Material Editor window Chapter 1 Finding Your Way Exploring the Max Interface 41 Toolbar Button Name Description Render Scene Dialog F10 Opens the Render Scene O dialog box for setting rendering options View z Render Type drop down Selects the area or objects to oy list render _ Quick Render Production Produces a quick test G we Quick Render ActiveShade rendering of the current viewport without opening the Render Scene dialog box Viewing the floating toolbars If you select the Customize Show UI Show Floating Toolbars menu command several additional toolbars appear These are floating toolbars You can also make them appear by selecting them from the toolbar right click pop up menu The floating toolbars are Axis Constraints Layers reactor Extras Render Shortcuts and Snaps but the reactor toolbar is docked to the left side of the interface by default Using the Viewports The four viewports make up the largest area of the entire interface and provide a way of view ing the objects within the scene Each of the viewports is configurable and can be unique from the others p Cross Understanding how to work with the viewports is vital to accomplishing tasks with Max so Reference yiewports have an entire chapter dedicated just to them Chapter 2 Seeing It All Working
7. Right clicking in the active viewport exits any mode that has control and returns control to i the Select Object mode Right clicking in one of the inactive viewports keeps the focus 4 where it is and makes that clicked viewport active Another common button color is red When the Auto Keys or Set Keys buttons are depressed they turn red The edge of the active viewport being animated 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 high lighted 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 p Cross All interface colors can be customized using the Customize User Interface dialog box that is ee GAN discussed in Chapter 4 Customizing the Max Interface and Setting Preferences o Using drag and 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 M
8. Views Create Modifiers Character 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 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 sepa rate dialog box to open A small black arrow to the right of a menu item indicates that a sub menu for this item 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 gt Show Ghosting change state every 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 p Cross A complete list of keyboard shortcuts can be found in Appendix C Max Keyboard Shortcuts Reference N 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 then F for File and N for New executes the Files New command or you can press Alt use the down arrow to select the New command and p
9. ag oii f tm _ tari ef a Prompt Line Status Bar Key Controls Time Controls Viewport Navigation Controls Figure 1 9 The Lower Interface Bar includes several sets of controls 46 Part Learning the Max Interface Interacting with the Interface Knowing where all the interface elements are located is only the start Max includes several interactive features that make the interface work Learning these features makes the differ ence 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 the active viewport opens these quadmenus The con tents of the menus depend on the object selected Tip Many of the real pros use quadmenus extensively One of the reasons they do is that they gt can access the commands from the mouse s current location using a couple of clicks without 4 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
10. ame Use Pivot Point Center Use Selection Center Use Transform Coordinate Center Select and Manipulate Snap Toggle 2D Snap Toggle 2 5D Snap Toggle 3D S Angle Snap Toggle A Percent Snap Shift Ctrl P Spinner Snap Toggle Edit Named Selection Sets Named Selection Sets drop down list Mirror Selected Objects Align AIt A Quick Align Normal Align Alt N Place Highlight Ctrl H Align to Camera Align to View Layer Manager Open Curve Editor Open Schematic View Material Editor M Description Specifies the center about which rotations are completed Selects an object and allows parameter manipulation via a manipulator 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 Causes rotations to snap to specified angles Causes scaling to snap to specified percentages Determines the amount a spinner value changes with each click Opens a dialog box for creating and managing selection sets Lists and allows you to select a set of named objects Creates a mirrored copy of the selected object 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 Opens the Layer Manager interface where you can work with layers
11. anager 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 click ing 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 spin ner 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 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 p Cross Chapter 33 Using the Expression Controller covers the Numeric Expression Evaluator in Reference more detail _ 38 Part Learning the Max Interface r Cross Finding keyboard shortcuts Many features include keyboard shortcuts These shortcuts can
12. ble information such as the number and type of objects selected transformation values and grid size It also includes the Transform Type In fields Prompt Line The Prompt Line is text located at the bottom of the window If you re stuck as to what to do next look at the Prompt Line for information on what Max expects Key Controls These controls are for creating animation keys and include two different modes Auto Key keyboard shortcut N or 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 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 between the first previous next and last frames or keys Viewport Navigation Controls In the lower right corner of the interface are the con trols for manipulating the viewports They enable you to zoom pan and rotate the active viewport s view Track Bar Time Slider Fala gt TUTTI TTT THIN WITT r r TTT PITT Tt i E w ps wo a a 2 EH x 10 Hes aber CCE A A eee futon Seccied fee an E i gt ve ie oe sietan slesi ckise FT me
13. ce _ Note New oe You can customize the buttons that appear on any of the toolbars See Chapter 4 Customizing Reference the Max Interface and Setting Preferences Aa g All icon buttons including those found in toolbars the Command Panel and other dialog boxes and windows 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 but tons 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 sin gle toolbar button 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 Flyout menus bundle several toolbar buttons together MECA The General panel of the Preference Settings dialog box contains an option for setting the a number of milliseconds to wait before the flyout appears Toolbar buttons that open dialog boxes such as the Layer Manager Material Editor and Render Scene buttons are toggle buttons When the dialog box is open the button is high lighted yellow indicating that the dialog box is open Clicking on a highlighted toggle button closes the dialog box
14. e and in Max you have many different ways to access the same command Some of these access methods 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 experi ence you can simply click the Undo icon on the toolbar only one click an expert with his hands on the keyboard will press Ctrl Z with out 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 Has the Max interface succeeded Yes to a degree but like most interfaces it always has room for improvement and we hope that each new version takes us closer to the perfect interface but I m still In This Chapter 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 24 Part Learning the Max Interface looking for the read my thoughts feature Discreet has built a loophole into the program to cover anyone who complains about the interface customization If you don t like the cur rent interface you can change it to be exactly what you want m p Cross Customizing the Max interface is covered in Chapter 4 Customizing
15. earning the Max Interface Create Modify Motion wu ad ee S Display Comand Panel x Figure 1 5 The Command Panel includes six 4 AlO E H Utilities separate panels accessed via tab icons i OSt eure Hierarchy Standard Primitives l AutoGrid M Box Cone _ Sphere _GeoSphere __ Cylinder Tube Torus Pyramid Teapot Plane Sphere E 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 Note You cannot reposition some of the rollouts such as the Object Type and the Name and Color a 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 available 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 Pane
16. ect or location being clicked and provide one of the quick ways to access commands 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 element is the Material Editor which has enough controls to keep you busy for a while Toolbars Menus Viewports Command Panel 3ds max File Edit Tools Group Views Create Modifiers Character reactor Anijnation Graph Editors Rendering Customize MAXScript Help 3 E ale Ae et A 8 GT JAEN 2 ABATI 0 A t a o a Eaman Pivare Anei ENANA TAE au gt zaf HET E T mn upan ANT ay WI or stele wa Be Qa a Sako koren Pe I Ye Lower Interface Bar Figure 1 1 Max includes five main interface elements 26 Part Learning the Max Interface 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 corre sponding 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 commands using the keyboard arrows and press the Enter key to execute them The main menu includes the following options File Edit Tools Group
17. erface edge By default the main toolbar and the reactor toolbar are visible Viewports Four separate views into the scene show the Top Front Left and Perspective viewpoints Command Panel The major control panel located to the right of the four viewports it has six tabbed 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 Lower Interface Bar Along the bottom edge of the interface window is a collection of miscellaneous controls In addition to these default elements are several additional interface elements that you will find useful These controls aren t initially visible when Max is first loaded but they can be accessed by working with the interface These additional interface elements include the following Floating toolbars Several additional toolbars are available as floating toolbars You access them by choosing Customize Show UI Show Floating Toolbars or by select ing them from the toolbar s right click pop up menu These floating toolbars include Layers Axis Constraints Render Shortcuts Snaps and Extras Chapter 1 Finding Your Way Exploring the Max Interface 25 Quadmenus Right clicking on the active viewport makes a pop up menu with up to four panes appear This is called a quaadmenu Quadmenus offer context sensitive com mands based on the obj
18. ic Animation Welcome to the 3ds max User eference a Chore p gt Lights and Cameres This reference contains detailed information about all the features and Ons rial Editor Met capabilities of ads max 3ds max brings 2D modeling and animation to a Materia Editor Materials ARS EEN 4 Rendering m ple a gil gt Figure 1 11 The User Reference includes panels for viewing the index of commands and searching the reference 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 Discreet site from the Help 3ds max on the Web menu Selecting either of these menu commands automatically opens a Web browser and loads the Discreet Web pages 40 Part Learning the Max Interface Summary You should now be familiar with the interface elements for Max Understanding the interface is one of the
19. 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 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 Max interface Getting additional help In this chapter we ve skirted about the viewports covering all the other interface elements but in the next chapter we re going to hit the viewports head on
20. l 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 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 m p Cross You can customize the Command Panel like the other toolbars Customizing the Command Reference Panel is covered in Chapter 4 Customizing the Max Interface and Setting Preferences el 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 Chapter 1 Finding Your Way Exploring the Max Interface 43 Command Panel x Figure 1 6 Open and close rollouts by clicking JARIT on the rollout title portar 4 Opened rollout Closed rollout MAXScript Help J Sice 0n Sicer fT al Shetofic a J Bere To Pivot F Generate Mapping Selected ia a 0 om fot OH Cick and crag to begn crsalion process 1 m f 2B gt a D a Figure 1 7 Increase the width of the Command Panel by dragging its left edge
21. look for updates Chapter 1 Finding Your Way Exploring the Max Interface 49 The Authorize 3ds max command lets you enter an authorization number to authorize the software The About 3ds max command opens the About dialog box This dialog box displays the serial number and current display driver 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 11 and the right includes a pane where the details on the selected topic are displayed Across the top are five toolbar buttons used to control the interface The Hide button hides the left navigation pane the Back and Forward buttons move between vis ited pages the Print button prints the information in the right pane and the Options button displays a pop up menu of options 3 3ds max Reference wots z e amp th Hide Back Prnt Opbons Conteris Index Seach Favorites 3 QQ Introduction 3 y 2ds max Reference W Inroducion 2 Welcome 2 Copyrights ond Trade ax Documentati 3 About MAXScript What s New in 3ds mex Cotting Started with 3ds r 8 Viewing and Navigaling a Se acting Objacts Object Properties a Creating Geometry z Tronstorms Moving Ratt 4 Creating Copies ond Are Modifiers a Surface Modeling 4 Precision and Drawing Ai ae Space Wagos ond Port
22. max7 I File Edit Tools Group Views Create Modifiers Character reactor Animation Graph Editors Rendering Customize MAXScript Help IPRS rRe p On JB cic A Sag ino k NLA ODT TEPANA ap ay a a a ay Noss aa yf 2 Le aa manema BB Cik of chok erdebag to secl objects Add Time Tag Key Fikers fe 3b aon a Figure 1 8 Left handed users can move the Command Panel to the left side Chapter 1 Finding Your Way Exploring the Max Interface 45 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 controls 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 Time Slider The Time Slider located under the viewports enables you to quickly locate a specific frame It spans the number of frames included in the current anima tion Dragging the Time Slider can move you quickly between frames Track Bar The Track Bar displays animation keys as color coded rectangles with red for positional 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 Status Bar The Status Bar is below the Track Bar It provides valua
23. nu two step it is time for the toolbar one step The main tool bar appears by default directly under the menus at the top of the Max window and the reac tor toolbar appears docked to the left edge of the interface Using toolbars is one of the most convenient ways to execute commands because most commands require only a single click You can make any docked 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 toolbar away from the buttons you can access a pop up menu that includes options to Customize show or hide any of the toolbars or the Command Panel You can also show or hide all floating toolbars or the main toolbar with the Customize gt Show UI menu command The main toolbar can be hidden with the Alt 6 keyboard shortcut Main Toolbar x MARE oe ae Sh mel ea 6 OS Ls Morse pi ie 83 S ve ligy Figure 1 3 The main toolbar includes buttons and drop down lists for controlling many of the most popular Max functions 28 r Cross Part Learning the Max Interfa
24. ress the Enter key Tip By learning the underlined letters in the menu you can use the keyboard to quickly access N menu commands even if the menu command doesn t have an assigned keyboard shortcut J And because you don t need to stretch for the Y key while holding down the Ctrl key under lined menu letters can be faster For example 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 com mand 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 Chapter 1 Finding Your Way Exploring the Max Interface 27 Keyboard shortcut Disabled command Edit Hold Alt Ctrl H Delete Delete Select By Region Edit Named Selection Sets Opens dialog box Submenu exists Figure 1 2 All menus feature visual clues Using the Toolbars Now that you ve learned the me
25. sform 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 keyboard 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 restart ing 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 valuable resource that provides access to references and tutorials The New Features Guide 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 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 and Partners automatically open a Web browser and load the Discreet Support Web pages or
26. the Max Interface and Reference Setting Preferences This chapter 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 commands together For example all the commands for control ling the viewports are grouped together in the Viewport Navigation Controls found in the lower right corner of the interface Note If all the details of every interface command were covered in this chapter it would be an a awfully long chapter So for those commands that are covered in more detail elsewhere include a cross reference to the chapter where more information can be found 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 Menus This is the default source for most commands but also one of the most time consuming interface elements 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 features These toolbars can float independently or can be docked to an int
27. with 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 comfortable 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 the object parameters settings 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 52 Part L
28. you need Hl Untitled 3ds max7 File Edit Tools Group Views Create Modifiers Character reactor Animation Graph Editors Rendering Customize MAXScript Help Farar Rne TB 19 ot a zee sk eS Sphere Hecer List a ninale D a d I By Verse I Igone Rackfecing D Iganie Visth Edges Pener Thes E0 2 T Stross Hoinels Scarf S FE Beles teelates Vettions Wee Unice AT Named Selections Coy Paste hols Objacl Selected Eeey a Create Dekt Target waid Anach _Attachliat v Bresk Tun e f00 E REFERERA TERE 0 100 mlz i i I 1 H ij H EN 100 1 Obect Selected a M xfa vfs Gid 100 zm Selected ia a D om foot HE Cik of chck enddag to secl objacle aaa Tims Tag Sel kep Key Filters fo 2 b ey g Figure 1 10 Quadmenus contain a host of commands in an easily accessible location Chapter 1 Finding Your Way Exploring the Max Interface 4 Understanding the button color cues Max s 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 interface 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 Tip
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