Datasheet

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.

Customizing the Max interface is covered in Chapter 4, “Customizing the Max Interface and

Setting Preferences.”

This chapter examines the latest incarnation of the Max interface and presents some tips that

make the interface feel comfortable, not cumbersome.

If you are an existing user, I’ve made liberal use of the New Feature icon throughout this

chapter to highlight what has changed with this edition. If you’re anxious to get to the new

stuff, I’d suggest that you quickly scan this chapter looking for the New Feature icons, which

refer you to the chapters where the new features are covered.

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.

If all the details of every interface command were covered in this chapter, it would be an

awfully long chapter. So I include a simple cross-reference to the chapter where more infor-

mation can be found about each command.

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 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 interface

edge.

✦ 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.

Note

Tip

Cross-

Reference

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