2016

Chapter 1: Learning the Maya Interface
2
One of the quickest ways to access advanced-user commands is with the Secret menus. These context-specific
pop-up menus appear when you right-click in the interface. Another quick way to access commands is with
keyboard shortcuts, known as hotkeys.
Maya gives users the option to customize the interface. Using the customization features, you can create a
custom set of command icons, define keyboard shortcuts, and even alter menus. Many of the customization
options are included in the Window, Settings/Preferences menu.
Lesson 1.1: Work with Menus
The main menu commands are the first place you should look for commands when you’re new to Maya. The
commands are listed as text, making them easier to find until you learn what the various buttons do. Each menu
can include several submenus. Submenus are identified by a small, right-pointing arrow at the right end of the
menu.
Changing Menu Sets
The menus are dynamic and change depending on the menu set that is selected. You can change between the
menu sets using the drop-down list that is to the very left of the Status Line, as shown in Figure 1-1. The options
include Modeling, Rigging, Animation, FX, Rendering and an option to Customize the menu set drop-down list.
Tip
Each of the menu sets has an associated hotkey. These hotkeys are F2 for
Modeling, F3 for Rigging, F4 for Animation, F5 for FX, and F6 for
Rendering.
The first six menu commands, File, Edit, Modify, Create, Display, and Window, are available in all menu sets.
FIGURE 1-1
Menu set selection list
Viewing Keyboard Hotkeys
Several menu commands have a keyboard hotkey listed to the right of the menu, as shown in Figure 1-2.
Pressing these hotkeys on the keyboard executes the command. Hotkeys provide a quick and easy way to
execute a command, and learning to use them will make you much more efficient. You can customize hotkeys
using the Hotkey Editor, which you open with the Window, Settings/Preferences, Hotkeys menu command.