Wiley 3ds Max 2008 Bible
Contents
1. 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 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 Bias If all the details of every interface command were covered in this chapter it would be an tee 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 tures These toolbars can float independently or can be docked to an interface edge The main toolbar is the only toolbar that is vis2. Quick Render Production O Quick Render ActiveShade Using the Viewports Exploring the Max Interface aoo Description 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 Opens the Function Curves Editor Opens the Schematic View window Opens the Material Editor window Opens the Render Scene dialog box for setting rendering options Selects the area or objects to render Produces a quick test rendering of the current viewport without opening the Render Scene dialog box 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 EROSSYR eee T Configuring the Viewports Understanding how to work with the viewports is vital to accomplishing tasks with Max so Ei viewports have an entire chapter dedicated just to them Chapter 2 Controlling and 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
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 UD 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 acc
4. 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 the active viewport opens these quadmenus The contents of the menus depend on the object selected 28 Exploring the Max Interface Many of the real pros use quadmenus extensively One reason is that they can access the com 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 CURE ccc Quadmenus contain a host of commands in an easily accessible location Wiew Align Mave Senet Lighting and Shacensb ee SSE Freeza Selection 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 Ani
5. 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 aoo All menus feature visual clues Disabled command Keyboard shortcut Undo Create Hold Alt Ctrl H tc Ctrl F Delete Delete Clone E Move w Rotate E Scale Transform Type In F12 Select All Ctrl A Select None Ctrl D Select Invert Ctrl I Select Similar Ctrl Q Select By 7 Selection Region Edit Named Selection Sets Object Properties Opens dialog box Submenu exists 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 under the menus at the top of the Max window Using too
6. 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 You can customize the Command Panel like the other toolbars Customizing the Command amp Panel is covered in Chapter 4 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 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
7. that was undone v a Select and Link Establishes links between objects P g Ch Unlink Selection Breaks links between objects Clim Bind to Space Warp Assigns objects to be modified by a space warp Selection Filter drop down list Limits the type of objects that can be selected 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 continued 21 Getting Started with 3ds Max TABLE 1 1 continued Toolbar Button Name Select and Move W Description 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 Reference Coordinate System drop down list Specifies the coordinate system used for transforms Use Pivot Point Center Use Selection Center Use Transform Coordinate Center Specifies the center about which rotations are compl
8. title bar and select Dock gt Left from the pop up menu Figure 1 8 shows the rearranged interface ready for all you southpaws To save the interface changes use the Customize Save Custom UI Scheme menu The maxs tart cui file is loaded by default when Max is started 26 Exploring the Max Interface Left handed users can move the Command Panel to the left side H Untitled Project Folder C23dsmax Projects Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 pre release Not for Resale Gouda with PDBs MAX_GU64 08 1 2 E3 File Edit Tools Group Views Create Modifiers reactor Animation Graph Editors Rendering Customize MAXScnpt Help PVE EM ARR Tito al Je Ge desl N ia NISET Dargar Standard Parties 10 4 En 70 a 190 Neesacea a A J fo a m1 ba E E a Set Key h S KeyFtes to 0 iBS 7 A T Click or clickand drag to selest objects ID Ade Tine Tag 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 a
9. 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 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 w JE The Adaptive Degradation button on the Prompt Line is new to 3ds Max 2008 Right clicking ist this button opens the Adaptive Degradation settings panel in the Viewport Configuration dia The Lower Interface Bar includes several sets of controls Time Slider Track Bar Ee g W ity j PUTT 1 uH T ELLI 1 1y WT yl mg I Sb Status Bar a SS eee Viewport Navigation Prompt Line Key Controls Time Controls Controls l MAES m aE 2FRA CEET EN 2 Rate OT ean IY Koti f 12 Tib 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
10. Obe F Creating Copies and Anaye E Hodis 2 The 3d Mex window 2 Special Controls E Sutia Modeling d Denning Aide ard Paise Systema E resso lE character studio i Lights and Cameras E Masis Edler Matasials end Maps ae Fienceina lw Image by Michael McCarthy Before using this reference mate nial we high A recommend you get to s Max firsthand t tutonals You can access the tutorials using the Help menu gt Tutoria als command orin the 32 Exploring the Max Interface 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 Summary You should now be familiar with the interface elements for M
11. agging 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 eich REF Chapter 33 Animating with the Expression Controller and Wiring Parameters covers the AS ul Numeric Expression Evaluator in more detail x Ste 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
12. ane ___Namp and Color SphereO1 Hierarchy Utilities 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 E You cannot reposition some of the rollouts such as the Object Type and the Name and Color amp rollouts found in the Create panel 24 Exploring the Max Interface Open and close rollouts by clicking on the rollout title Command Panel B amp T Opened rollout eyboard Enty Closed rollout e Parameters 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
13. ax 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 E 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 were going to hit the viewports head on 33
14. e is the Material Editor which has enough controls to keep you busy for a while cE O Max includes five main interface elements Menus amp le Project Fold ct i File Edit Tools Group reste Modifiers reactor Animation Greph Editors Rendering Customize M xScript Help Main Toolbar 1 EE T Bie Sear E Viewports Command Panel AAA T O a t a n a razorne el Lower Interface Bar mam I Farag TTT CEE ETT LALN AAA ULLE N TTT T Lt Hore Sekei ok a Sepa Bid 100 ox ion tn sell ge isk or ha aned ding in select abjacts aed Tme Tag Sel key JT wp gt Hee 17 Getting Started with 3ds Max 18 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 whe
15. ens 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 20 Exploring the Max Interface scroll also works in the Command Panel Material Editor and any other place where the panel exceeds the given space E The easiest way to scroll the main toolbar is to drag with the middle mouse button ANWAR 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 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 Table 1 1 lists the controls found in the main toolbar Buttons with flyouts are separated with commas MSR Main Toolbar Buttons Toolbar Button Name Undo Ctrl Z Description Removes the last performed command You can set the a gt V levels of Undo in the Preferences dialog box A Redo Ctrl Y Brings back the last command
16. erface Overview S Modifying Objects Se Viewport Navigation Z Materials Creating Objects D Animation k Transforming Objects Access the R E I 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 Max 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 31 Getting Started with 3ds Max he Hotkey Map displays an interactive interface for learning all the keyboard shortcuts Additional Help resents help systems for any external plug ins that are loaded The 3ds max on the Web options Online upport Updates Resources Partners and Training automatically open a Web browser and load the utodesk Support Web pages or look for updates DUTH he Activate 3ds Max command lets you enter an activation number to authorize the software The License orrowing option lets you borrow and return the current Max license for use on another computer The bout 3ds Max command opens the About dialog box This dialog box displays the serial number and cur rent display driver w gt Browser based reference guides The New Features Guide User Reference MAXScript Reference and Tuto
17. ess 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 15 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 Getting Started with 3ds Max 16 NOT 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 Customizing the Max interface is covered in Chapter 4 Customizing the Max Interface and Setting Preferences
18. eted Select and Manipulate Selects an object and allows parameter manipulation via a manipulator Keyboard Shortcut Allows keyboard shortcuts for the main interface and the 2 Override Toggle active dialog box or feature set to be used when enabled Only main interface shortcuts are available when disabled 2 Snap Toggle 2D Specifies the snap mode 2D snaps only to the active e 3 construction grid 2 5D snaps to the construction grid or to g Snap Toggle 2 5D geometry projected from the grid and 3D snaps to 4 anywhere in 3D space 3 Snap Toggle 3D S Angle Snap Toggle A Causes rotations to snap to specified angles Ro Percent Snap Shift Ctrl P Causes scaling to snap to specified percentages P Spinner Snap Toggle Determines the amount a spinner value changes with S each click t Edit Named Selection Sets Opens a dialog box for creating and managing hy ABC selection sets New Set Named Selection Sets drop down list Lists and allows you to select a set of named objects VN Mirror Selected Objects Creates a mirrored copy of the selected object 22 Toolbar Button Name Align Alt A A i Ya Quick Align bA 2 Normal Align Alt N Place Highlight Ctrl H v Align to Camera Align to View Layer Manager Open Curve Editor Open Schematic View B Material Editor M oa 5 Render Scene Dialog F10 Co View gt Render Type drop down list
19. ghlighted 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 H All interface colors can be customized using the Customize User Interface dialog box which is amp discussed in Chapter 4 Customizing the Max Interface and Setting Preferences 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 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 Dr
20. ible by default E Viewports 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 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 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 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 interface element typ
21. is where all the specific parameters 23 Getting Started with 3ds Max 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 ESAE ccc The Command Panel includes six separate panels accessed via tab icons Create Motion Modify Display Command Panel A Q T O o H Sa sh Standard Prifnitives k F AiftoGid Box Cone Sphere GeoSphere Cylinder Tube Torus Pyramid Teapot Pl
22. it to be friendly to lefties 25 Getting Started with 3ds Max Increase the width of the Command Panel by dragging its left edge Xylophone max Project Folder CA3dsmax Projects Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 pre release Not for Resale Gouda with PDBs MAX_G T E3 File Edit Tools Group Views Create Modifiers reactor Animation Graph Editers Rendering Customize MAXSenpt Help PORE JRA itua Ier Ge deAM n HAAD T joa GO S Standaid Primtives x Radue U0 3 oo Semeniz 22 I Smeeth Hemisphere 00 hp Squash F Size On SiceFom TT 3 Slice Tor TO 3 I Bate To Pinot 7 Generate Mapping Coors I Realwodd Map Size S ROR RRRIAR GA ANAT HEAR ARLE ALE MIRANDE z A Ee a BAR 1 Object Selected Pat tt al Gu t0c Auto Key Setected a lt u E aP Cickanddiagtopananoncameaview D Ss Ad Tine Tag OT serkey Ut _KeyFher 0 12 gt eS 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 Panels
23. lbars 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 19 Getting Started with 3ds Max The main toolbar includes buttons and drop down lists for controlling many of the most popular Max functions Main Toolbar PR Qy A X N of v page CAE 7 A 8 UI JP eem AR Sl se ick REF You can customize the buttons that appear on any of the toolbars See Chapter 4 SASS Customizing the Max Interface and Setting Preferences If you se
24. lect 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 EOE ccc Flyout menus bundle several toolbar buttons together P13 MP Th RC e O al ey Sd amp o h JN CSB ees se The General panel of the Preference Settings dialog box contains an option for setting the number of milliseconds to wait before the flyout appears Learning the main toolbar On smaller resolution scre
25. mation commands 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 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 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 Right clicking in the active viewport exits any Viewport Navigation mode that has control and saan returns control to the most recent transform tool Right clicking in one of the inactive view ports keeps the focus where it is and makes that clicked viewport active 29 Getting Started with 3ds Max 30 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 hi
26. n you need them Ifa 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 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 i menu commands even if the menu command doesn t have an assigned keyboard shortcut And because you don t need to stretch for the Y key while holding down the Ctrl key
27. nimation 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 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 27 O Partl Getting Started with 3ds Max E 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 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 enabling Adaptive Degradation accessing Communication Center and adding and editing Time Tags which are used to name specific ani mation frames E Key Controls These controls are for creating animation keys and include
28. 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 Exploring the Max Interface 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 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 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 The Area Web site is another excellent resource for help After viewing the videos you can disable the Show this dialog at startup option to pre vent 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 2008 The Welcome Screen includes video clips that show the basic skills for working with Max Welcome Screen Essential Skills Movies Autodesk D User Int
29. rials 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 information in the right pane and the Options button displays a pop up menu of options CURE a ccc The User Reference includes panels for viewing the index of commands and searching the reference CY Autodesk 3ds Max User Reference EEn onez A e a amp Hie Back Home Pirk Qoverse Conteris Index Seach Favorites EOE amp Inwoduclion OB RRS Autodesk 3ds Max User Reference gt aE Project Warktlow eri Getting Started with 3ds Max f odsing Dbjecis E 2 Using Materiak A Placro Lights and Cameras 3 Arimating You ie You use 3ds Max to quickly create professional quality 3D models 2 Rendering You Scere photorealistic still images and film quality animation on your PC 3 Managing Files 2 Importing Merging Replacing Using the Asset Browser 7 Startup Fies end Deleuks 2 dsm ii Fie 2 Backing Up and Archiving Scet 2 Crash Recovery System E Viewing end Navigsing 3D Space E Seleciing Objects FD Obit Propels E Cresing Geoneuy F Movrg Rotating and Scaling
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