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Finally, to the far left at the bottom of the 3ds Max window is the MAXScript Mini-Listener.
MAXScript is a programming language that allows you to create custom applications or macros
in 3ds Max. A macro is like a prerecorded series of instructions. The MAXScript Mini-Listener
serves two functions: the pink area displays your activity when the MAXScript MacroRecord
function is turned on, and the white area provides a space where you can enter commands
using the keyboard.
Getting to Know the Command Panel
You’ll be using the Command panel for most of your work in 3ds Max. If you’re an experienced
AutoCAD user, you might think of the Command panel as the equivalent of the AutoCAD com-
mand line; it’s a single entry point for most of the program’s functions. The Command panel
offers nearly all the tools for creating and editing in 3ds Max.
Across the top of the Command panel, you’ll see a set of six tabs, each displaying an icon.
From left to right, the tabs are Create, Modify, Hierarchy, Motion, Display, and Utilities. If
you place the cursor on a tab, you’ll see a tooltip displaying the name of the tab. When you click
a tab, the functions relating to the tab appear in the rest of the Command panel. Here’s a brief
rundown of what each tab offers:
Create This tab allows you to create two- and three-dimensional objects. You can also cre-
ate light sources, cameras, and helper objects that are used to determine distance and rela-
tionships between objects. Light sources, cameras, and helpers are objects that don’t appear
when your view is rendered.
Modify This tab gives you control over the dimension, shape, and parameters of your
objects. On it, you’ll find tools to extrude, twist, and bend your objects. You can also control
methods for applying material definitions to objects (called mapping coordinates) on this tab.
Hierarchy This tab offers a set of tools aimed primarily at animation. The options on this
tab let you build relationships between objects to simulate joint movement or to constrain
motion of one object in relation to another. It also offers a way to control the location of an
object’s pivot point.
Motion This tab also gives you control over animation. Here, you can control the actual
motion or parameter change of objects over time and view the objects’ trajectories.
Display This tab lets you turn the visibility of objects on or off in your model. There may be
times when you don’t want a particular object visible while you render your model or while
you’re editing a complex model full of objects. Display lets you temporarily hide objects from
view or lock them out from being selected. Objects can be hidden individually or by category.
Utilities This is a kind of catchall tab that provides access to special features and plug-ins.
Here you find the Camera Match utility that lets you match your model view to a photo-
graph. You can also get access to the MAXScript customization features on this tab.
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