04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 23 1 C H A P T E R Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ In This Chapter Learning the interface elements W ell, here we are with a new version of Max, and the first question on the minds of existing users is “Did the interface change?” The answer is a gleeful “not much.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 24 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 24 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface each new version takes us closer to the perfect interface (but I’m still 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 current interface, you can change it to be exactly what you want.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 25 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface Main toolbar Docked toolbar Menus Lower Interface Bar Command Panel Viewports Figure 1-1: Max includes five main interface elements. 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.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 26 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 26 Part I ✦ 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 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.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 27 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface The File menu The File menu includes commands for working with Max files. These commands enable you to create a new scene, open and save scene files and objects, and work with externally referenced (XRefs) objects and scenes. You can also reset the scene, merge scenes and animation sequences, and replace objects in the current scene. The File menu also includes commands to import and export objects.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 28 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 28 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface Note A floater is a unique type of dialog box. It can stay open and active while you work in the viewports. Normal dialog boxes do not allow this and must be closed before you can continue. The Light Lister command opens a dialog box with details on all the lights in the scene. You can learn to use this helpful dialog box in Chapter 27, “Basic Lighting Techniques.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 29 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface The Group menu The Group menu commands let you control how objects are grouped together. Grouping objects together becomes key as you begin to move objects because grouped objects all move together. Selecting several objects and using the Group command opens a simple dialog box where you can type a name for the group. The Ungroup command disassembles the group and is active only if a group is selected.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 30 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 30 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface The Create Camera from View (replacing the Match Camera to View) command (Ctrl+C) creates a camera and positions it to match the current view. The Add Default Lights to Scene command converts the default lights to actual light objects in the scene. This feature lets you start with the default lights and modify them as needed.
04 557637 ch01.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 32 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 32 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface The Modifiers menu has two new categories in 3ds max 6 — Conversion and Cameras. You’ll also find a handful of new modifiers including the Select by Channel, UVW Mapping Add, UVW Mapping Clear, Shell, and Camera Correction. New Feature Selecting a modifier from the Modifiers menu automatically opens the Modify panel where you can adjust the Parameters for the applied modifier.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 33 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface The Character menu The Character menu lets you create and work with characters as separate entities. The Create and Destroy Character commands add characters to or delete characters from the scene. Characters can be locked or unlocked to allow free movement. Characters can also be saved as a separate entity and inserted into another scene.
04 557637 ch01.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 35 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface The Particle View interface (keyboard shortcut, 6) lets you control how particles interact with the scene. Using icons that can be linked into a workflow, you can specify how particles act with one another and with objects in the scene.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 36 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 36 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface CrossReference The basics of rendering are covered in Chapter 41, “Rendering Basics.” More advanced rendering topics, including Atmospheric Effects and Raytracing, are covered in the subsequent chapters found in Part X. The Material Editor is covered in Chapter 19, “Exploring the Material Editor,” and the Video Post dialog box is covered in Chapter 47, “Using the Video Post Interface.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 37 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface The Help menu The Help menu is a valuable resource that provides access to reference materials 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.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 38 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 38 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface 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 button that expands to reveal additional buttons.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 39 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface Toolbar Button Name Description 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. 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.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 40 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 40 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface Table 1-4 (continued) Toolbar Button Name Description Snap Toggle 2D, Snap Toggle 2.5D, Snap Toggle 3D (S) 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.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 41 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface The only change in the main toolbar was to move the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle button to the Extras floating toolbar and to add the Layer Manager button. The Selection Filter drop-down list and the Select and Manipulate buttons changed position and the Quick Render (Draft) button was dropped. Everything else is unchanged. Thanks, Discreet.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 42 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 42 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface 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.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 43 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface 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.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 44 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 44 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface Figure 1-7: Increase the width of the Command Panel by dragging its left edge. 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 felt that this would enable us to work the mouse and the keypad at the same time (and you thought your work environment was weird).
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 45 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface 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. Create panel The Create panel is the place you go to create objects for the scene.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 46 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 46 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface The Create panel includes several categories and subcategories of objects. The categories, shown in Figure 1-9, are displayed as icons directly under the Command Panel tabs. The categories include Geometry, Shapes, Lights, Cameras, Helpers, Space Warps, and Systems. Subcategories are displayed in the drop-down list under the category icons.
04 557637 ch01.
04 557637 ch01.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 49 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface Modify panel The parameters found in the Create panel are great for changing an object, but they are available only while you’re creating the object. If you select another object and then return to the Create panel with the first object selected, all its parameters are gone. Actually, they aren’t gone, but rather they’ve migrated to the Modify panel.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 50 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 50 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface Hierarchy panel The Hierarchy panel, shown in Figure 1-11, includes three different sets of controls. You access them by using the three buttons located at the top of the panel. These sets are Pivot, Inverse Kinematics (IK), and Link Info. Each of these buttons when selected presents several different rollouts of parameters. Figure 1-11: The Hierarchy panel offers controls for adjusting pivot points, among other things.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 51 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface Controllers affect the position, rotation, and scaling of objects in preset ways, and Constraints limit the motion of an object. You can access a list of Controllers by clicking the Assign Controller button positioned at the top of the Assign Controller rollout or by choosing one from the Animation menu.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 52 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 52 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface Figure 1-13: The Display panel includes settings for the color of the object. Utilities panel You can find an assortment of miscellaneous tools in the Utilities panel, shown in Figure 1-14. The default utilities include the Asset Browser, Camera Match, Collapse, Color Clipboard, Measure, Motion Capture, Reset XForm, MAXScript, and reactor.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 53 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface Using the Lower Interface Bar Controls The last major interface element isn’t really an interface element, but just a collection of several different 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).
04 557637 ch01.qxd 54 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 54 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface ✦ MAXScript Mini-Listener: This displays MAXScript commands as they are executed. You can open and close this control by dragging its left edge. ✦ Key Controls: These controls are for creating animation keys and include two different modes — Auto Key and Set Key. ✦ 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.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 55 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface Controlling the MAXScript Mini-Listener The MAXScript Mini-Listener consists of two simple text areas where you can enter MAXScript commands and immediately see the results. The pink area is where MAXScript commands are entered, and the white area is where the results are displayed. You can think of the MAXScript Mini-Listener as a calculator that is at your fingertips.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 56 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 56 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface 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 1-16. Right-clicking in the active viewport opens these quadmenus. The contents of the menus depend on the object selected. Tip Many of the real pros use quadmenus extensively.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 57 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface Right-clicking in the active viewport exits any mode that has control and returns control to the Select Object mode. Right-clicking in one of the inactive viewports keeps the focus where it is and makes that clicked viewport active. Tip Another common 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.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 58 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 58 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface CrossReference Appendix C, “Max Keyboard Shortcuts,” lists all the default keyboard shortcuts. Using strokes Strokes are similar to the keyboard shortcuts, except they allow you to draw a pre-defined 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.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 59 Chapter 1 ✦ Finding Your Way — Exploring the Max Interface Above the left navigation pane are five tabs that open separate panels when selected.
04 557637 ch01.qxd 60 3/4/04 2:31 PM Page 60 Part I ✦ Learning the Max Interface 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.
