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Mastering
3D Studio MAX R3 |
CHAPTER 3
The MAX Interface
Featuring
- Accessing Commands in the Menu Bar
- Accessing Features in the Shelf Area
- Expanding the Command Panel
- Navigating in Viewports
- Using the Time Control Area
- Using the Material Editor
- Using the Track View
This chapter will familiarize you with the 3D Studio
MAX R3 interface. Here you will learn where the modeling tools are, where
to modify objects, where to navigate your scene, where to apply textures
and render, and where to adjust your animation and customize the interface.
Accessing Commands in the
Menu Bar
Those of you who have used Microsoft Word or almost any other type of
software will feel very comfortable using the MAX pull-down menus. At
the top of the screen, running from left to right, is the menu bar with
11 pull-down menus, as shown in Figure 3.1. In the sections that follow
well take a look at these menus and many of the options found in
them.
FIGURE
3.1 The menu bar
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| TIP Many of the commands
in the menus also can be found elsewhere throughout the program. As
we go through the interface, you will see corresponding icons and
tabs.
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File Menu
The File menu contains some of the more common features for managing
your files. Some of the commands and options under this menu are described
in Table 3.1.
Table 3.1: KEY
COMMANDS ON THE FILE MENU
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Command
| Use
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New
| Clears the information of
the current scene without changing the system settings (such as viewport
configuration, snap settings, and Material Editor)
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Reset
| Clears the information of
the current scene and changes the system settings. (Using Reset is
like exiting the program and then opening it again.)
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Save As
| Saves your current MAX scene
as a new file
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Save Selected
| Saves the selected objects
in your current scene to a new file
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Xref Objects
| Xref objects allow you to
use objects to stand-in or substitute for geometry; these are also
called proxy objects. With this feature you can manage the
complexity of your scene easier.
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Xref Scenes
| Enables you to externally
reference a whole MAX file into your current scene. Xref scenes are
very useful with a large project with many people working on it. They
can allow other people access to files without disrupting the workflow
and without changing the files.
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Import
| Loads other types of files
that are not MAX scene files. 3DS, DXF, and DWG are common file types
that you may import.
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Export
| Converts the current MAX file
to other types of files
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Summary Info
| Displays information about
your current scene, such as mesh totals, memory usage, and rendering
time
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Properties
| Allows you to enter information
about your current scene that is saved with the file. This information
can be used to locate 3D Studio MAX files with the MAX File Finder
utility.
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Edit Menu
The Edit menu contains commands that are used to select and edit your
current MAX scene. Some of the options are summarized in Table 3.2.
Table 3.2: KEY
COMMANDS ON THE EDIT MENU
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Command
| Use
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Undo/Redo
| Undo reverses the last command
in MAX; Redo recommits the last Undone command.
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Hold
| Stores your current MAX scene
in a temporary state. Use Hold before you do something that may give
you unexpected results.
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Fetch
| Restores your scene to the
temporary state set by Hold
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Edit Named Selection
| Lets you edit Selection Sets
that you have created. See the section Main Toolbar later
in this chapter for more information on Selection Sets.
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Properties
| Displays the properties of
the selected object
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Tools Menu
The Tools menu holds commands that assist you in changing or managing
objects, especially collections of objects, in your scene (Table 3.3).
Many of the commands in the Tools menu can be found in other areas of
the interface. These commands use a modeless dialog box called a Floater,
which allows easy access to the commands as you continue to work on your
scene.
Table 3.3: KEY
COMMANDS ON THE TOOLS MENU
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Command
| Use
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Transform Type In
| Allows you to type in exact
values for moving, rotating, and scaling your objects. The term Transform
refers to either Move, Rotate, or Scale on the Main Toolbar, whichever
is selected at the time.
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Display Floater
| Contains commands for viewing,
hiding, and freezing objects in your scene. Holds the most common
features that are also found in the Display tab of the Command Panel.
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© 2000, Frol (selection,
edition, publication)
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