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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.
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. This reminds you
that any modifications will be saved as a key.
Toggle buttons are buttons that can be turned on or off. Example toggle buttons include the
Snap buttons. When a toggle button is enabled, it also turns yellow. Toggle buttons high-
lighted in blue are non-exclusive, but they notify you of a mode that is enabled, such as the
Key Mode Toggle or the Affect Pivot Only button.
All interface colors can be customized using the Customize User Interface dialog box that is
discussed in Chapter 4, “Customizing the Max Interface and Setting Preferences.”
Using drag-and-drop features
Dialog boxes that work with files benefit greatly from Max’s drag-and-drop features. The
Material Editor, Background Image, View File, and Environmental Settings dialog boxes all use
drag and drop. These dialog boxes let you select a file or a material and drag it on top of where
you want to apply it. For example, with the Maps rollout in the Material Editor open, you can
drag a texture image filename from Windows Explorer or the Asset Manager and drop it on the
Map button. You can even drag and drop Max files into the Max interface to open them.
Controlling spinners
Spinners are those little controls throughout the interface with a value field and two small
arrows to its right. As you would expect, clicking the up arrow increases the value and click-
ing the down arrow decreases the value. The amount of the increase or decrease depends on
the setting in the General tab of the Preference Settings dialog box. Right-clicking on the spin-
ner resets the value to its lowest acceptable value. Another way to control the spinner value
is to click the arrows and drag with the mouse. Dragging up increases the value and dragging
down decreases it.
The effect of the spinner drag is shown in the viewport if the Update During Spinner Drag
menu option is enabled in the Views menu. If the cursor is located within a spinner, you can
press Ctrl+N to open the Numeric Expression Evaluator, which lets you set the value using an
expression. For example, you can set a spinner value by adding numbers together like you
would using a calculator. An expression of 30+40+35 sets the value to 105.
Chapter 32, “Using the Expression Controller,” covers the Numeric Expression Evaluator in
more detail.
Finding keyboard shortcuts
Many features include keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts can give you direct access to a
command without moving the mouse. The default shortcuts for the menu commands are
listed to the right of the command. You can use the Keyboard panel of the Customize User
Interface dialog box to view and change the keyboard shortcut for any feature.
Cross-
Reference
Cross-
Reference
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