Datasheet

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. You can also reposition the order of the rollouts by dragging the

rollout title and dropping it above or below the other rollouts.

You cannot reposition some of the rollouts, such as the Object Type and the Name and Color

rollouts found in the Create panel.

Figure 1-6: Open and close rollouts

by clicking on the rollout title.

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 available 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 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.

You can customize the Command Panel like the other toolbars. Customizing the Command

Panel is covered in Chapter 4, “Customizing the Max Interface and Setting Preferences.”

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.

Cross-

Reference

Opened rollout

Closed rollout

Note

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