The interface elements
There are eight main screen interfaces through which to communicate with 3ds Max and get your work done, as shown in Figure 1-1. They include the Menu bar, toolbar, Command panel, viewport, Lower Interface bar, quad menu, floater, and dialog box. But before you can even use them, you have to work through at least one of two other interfaces: the keyboard and the mouse. Most users rely almost completely on the mouse—at least at first—and although using the mouse is a must in many ways, you should never overlook the power and usefulness of the keyboard.
Figure 1-1. The eight main screen interfaces of 3ds Max
Most commands in 3ds Max can be executed with shortcut keystrokes. For example, to change the active viewport from Top view to Left view, simply press L. Keyboard shortcuts make using the key- board a fast and efficient way of executing commands. If you find yourself using the screen interfaces to execute the same commands over and over again, it would be wise to invest a small amount of time learning the keyboard shortcuts for those commands and try using them for a while to see how ben- eficial they can be. Refer to Appendix D to see a list of all of the keyboard shortcuts relevant to archi- tectural visualizations. If a shortcut doesn’t exist for a particular command, Appendix C will show you how to create your own.
The mouse is also a critical interface through which you work. One feature on a mouse that’s an absolute must, as any serious user would agree, is the scroll button (often in the form of a wheel between the left and right buttons). This additional feature allows you to pan and zoom, which are probably the two most frequently used commands in 3ds Max. Without the scroll button, you have to interrupt other commands to execute a zoom or pan.
A scroll button gives you two additional benefits. First, you can easily rotate your view by dragging the mouse while holding the Alt key and the scroll button on your mouse. Second, if you press and hold both Ctrl and Alt, you can zoom in and out of your scene by dragging the mouse up or down.
Menus
Although most commands in 3ds Max can be executed through the use of menus, the time needed to execute this way is much greater than with other interfaces. With the exception of a few tools not found in any other interface, I don’t use the menus at all.
Notice the underlined letters in the default menus shown in Figure 1-2. You can use the keyboard to quickly open a menu by holding the Alt key and pressing the key of the letter that’s underlined. You can then execute a command by pressing the key for an underlined letter of a submenu command.
Holding the cursor over a submenu command that has an arrow to the right of it opens another sub- menu for that command. I dislike menus so much because it takes several keystrokes or precise and slow movements of the mouse to get to the command you want. There are better ways. For this rea- son, I avoid using menus whenever possible and won’t spend time covering them here. Certain fea- tures that can only be accessed through the menus, however, will be discussed in the chapters that cover those features.
Figure 1-2. The default 3ds Max menus
Toolbars
Toolbars contain groups of icons that require only a single click of the mouse for command execution.
However, with the exception of the Maintoolbar (shown in Figure 1-3), I avoid using toolbars almost entirely because they simply require more time to use than keyboard shortcuts. Icons require moving the mouse cursor and your eyes away from the object or Command panel feature that you’re working with, and making a precise selection over a small area of screen space. I prefer using keyboard short- cuts because I can keep my eyes on the object, and with one hand already resting on the keyboard, I can execute the command in a fraction of the time—without the risk of selecting the wrong command and having to spend time backing out of it when I do. Although the difference in time between the two interfaces may seem insignificant, when you consider that you may execute several thousand commands in one day, it becomes very significant.
Figure 1-3. The Main toolbar
The Command panel
The Command panel, shown in Figure 1-4, is an immense and complex interface with which to execute commands. It features six tabs at its top that you can click to access other panels. Each of these pan- els contains a vast array of features that sometimes are found only here. The Command panel, like toolbars, can be undocked and redocked—however, undocking results in a partial blockage of the viewports, and for that reason, I don’t recommend undocking the Command panel.
Viewports
Viewports are the windows through which you can view your creations. By default, 3ds Max loads with a Front, Left, Top, and Perspective viewport. The arrangement of viewports and what you see within them can be easily changed or customized, as you’ll learn later in this chapter.
The Lower Interface bar
Along the bottom of 3ds Max is a collection of some of the most important and frequently used controls in 3ds Max (Figure 1-5). These controls include the Time slider and the Track bar, as well as animation playback and viewport navigation controls.
Figure 1-5. The Lower Interface bar
Quad menus
Quad menus are quick-access menus that appear when you right-click within the active viewport. The menus change depending on what type of object (if any) is selected, as well as the cursor location. An example of a quad menu is shown in the right-hand side screenshot of Figure 1-6.
Figure 1-4. The Command panel
Floaters
Floaters are a type of interface that can remain open anywhere on the screen while you work. They’re only available for certain commands, but for those they apply to, the benefit is that they don’t take up too much screen space and you can continuously execute the same commands without having to leave other interfaces or open and close dialog boxes. An example of a floater is shown in the left- hand screenshot of Figure 1-6.
Dialog boxes
Many commands in 3ds Max open another type of interface, called a dialog box. Dialog boxes can contain their own menus, toolbars, spinners, or other means of user input. An example of a dialog box is shown in the center screenshot of Figure 1-6.
Figure 1-6. From left to right, an example of a floater, dialog box, and quad menu
Using the Command panel
With the exception of the viewports, you’ll find that there’s no area on the screen where you spend more time than the Command panel. Within the Command panel are six other panels that you access through tabs immediately under the Command panel header. The six tabs are Create, Modify, Hierarchy, Motion, Display, and Utilities. Each panel contains areas in which common controls are grouped together in what’s called a rollout. To access a rollout’s controls, the rollout must first be opened. Some rollouts are by default open, and some are closed. To the left of each rollout is a plus or minus sign—the plus sign indicates that the rollout is closed, and the minus sign indicates that the rollout is open. You can open or close a rollout by clicking on the rollout title. If the entire rollout exceeds the screen space available to the rollout, a small vertical scrollbar will appear to the right of the rollout—you can use this scrollbar to access the part of the rollout that can’t be seen.
Alternatively, if you move the cursor over an area of the rollout where no controls appear, a hand
The Create panel
When you click the Createpanel tab, seven other icons will appear below it, as shown in Figure 1-7.
Clicking these icons allows you to add all of the following categories of objects to your scene:
Geometry, Shapes, Lights, Cameras, Helpers, Space Warps, and Systems. Immediately under the cate- gory icons is a subcategory drop-down list. Each subcategory displays an Object Typerollout, as well as a Name and Colorrollout. Different subcategories display different objects available for creation.
Immediately under the Object Typerollout is the Name and Colorrollout, which allows you to change the default object name and color.
This exercise demonstrates use of the Createpanel by creating a simple teapot. The teapot is a special object type often used for demonstration purposes.
1. Reset 3ds Max by selecting Resetfrom the Filemenu.
2. In the Commandpanel, click Create ➤Geometry ➤Standard Primitives ➤Teapot.
3. Click and hold the left mouse button and drag anywhere in the Perspective view to place the teapot and increase its radius. Release the mouse button to complete the creation.
The Modify panel
There are several ways to modify an object, the most obvious of which is with the Modifypanel (see Figure 1-8). When you select an object and click the Modify panel tab, the object name appears immediately below. Below the name is the Modifierdrop-down list. Clicking this list opens all the available modifiers for the selected object. Modifiers are functions that contain parameters and change the appearance or structure of an object. Each type of object has a specific set of modifiers
Creating an object
Figure 1-7. The Create panel
that can be applied. Below the Modifierdrop-down list is the Modifier Stack, which contains the his- tory of all modifiers applied to an object. Once applied, you can change the parameters of the modi- fier using the controls found in the Parametersrollout, located directly below the Modifier Stack.
This exercise demonstrates use of the Modifypanel by adjusting the teapot’s radius parameter and then adding a simple modifier.
1. Continue from the previous exercise (or reset 3ds Max and create a teapot of any size in Perspective view).
2. Click the Modifytab.
3. With the teapot object still selected, click and hold the up arrow to the right of the Radiusfield to increase the radius of the teapot.
4. Click the Modifierdrop-down list, scroll down, and select Spherifyto add the Spherifymodi- fier to the teapot. The teapot becomes more spherically shaped.
5. Click the Undoicon to undo the command and remove the modifier. (The Undoicon is the leftmost icon in the Maintoolbar; it looks like a counterclockwise arrow).
The Hierarchy panel
The Hierarchypanel, shown in Figure 1-9, contains three buttons that give you access to several new rollouts and controls for an object. These buttons are Pivot, IK(Inverse Kinematics), and Link Info.
The Pivotbutton gives you access to an extremely vital set of tools for creating architectural visualiza- Modifying an object
Figure 1-8. The Modify panel
access to controls that create inverse kinematics, which is a term describing the way motion is inher- ited up the hierarchy of a linked system of a body of objects, from the extremity objects to the objects closer to the body. The use of IK in architectural visualizations is very limited and the only use I’ve ever found for it is to simulate the motion of trees swaying in a wind (as such, I won’t be covering IK in this book). Finally, the Link Infobutton gives you access to rollouts that contain locks, which simply pre- vent objects from being transformed (moved, scaled, or rotated) along a specific axis.
This exercise demonstrates use of the Hierarchypanel by changing an object’s pivot point.
1. Continue from the previous exercise (or reset 3ds Max and create a teapot of any size in Perspective view).
2. Select the teapot if it’s not already selected.
3. Click the Hierarchytab.
4. From the Adjust Pivotrollout, click the Affect Pivot Onlybutton.
5. Click the Center to Objectbutton. This moves the teapot’s pivot point from the bottom of the teapot to the center of the teapot.
Changing an object’s pivot point
Figure 1-9. The Hierarchy panel
The Motion panel
The Motionpanel, shown in Figure 1-10, simply provides access to tools that control the motion of objects or sub-objects. Within the panel are two buttons, Parametersand Trajectories. The Parameters button opens rollouts that allow you to assign controllers that affect the translation of objects in pre- set ways, or assign constraints that limit the translation in certain ways. The Trajectoriesbutton opens a single rollout that gives you access to parameters that govern animation paths. If this sounds con- fusing, don’t worry, it can be—and we won’t cover that until Chapter 12.
The Display panel
The Displaypanel (shown in Figure 1-11) is perhaps the simplest and most straightforward of the six panels that make up the Command panel. This panel controls how objects are displayed within the viewports. You can change the display of individual objects or change the display of all objects at once.
Clicking the Displaypanel takes you to six rollouts. The two that you’ll most often use are the Hide and Freezerollouts.
I’d also like to make brief mention of the Displayfloater, which is a handy feature (found in the Tools menu) that contains most of the same features found in the Displaypanel. It should be no surprise that the only things you see when you first open the Displayfloater are the Hideand Freezefeatures, which, as mentioned, you’ll be using often. Good use of the Hideand Freezefeatures are essential for efficient work in 3ds Max.
Figure 1-10. The Motion panel
This exercise demonstrates use of the Displaypanel by hiding all scene geometry, including the sim- ple teapot.
1. Continue from the previous exercise or reset 3ds Max and create a teapot of any size in Perspective view.
2. Click the Displaytab.
3. In the Hide by Categoryrollout, click the Geometryoption. All of the geometry in the scene will be hidden from view, including the teapot.
4. In the Hide by Categoryrollout, click the Geometryoption again. The teapot will reappear.
5. In the Hiderollout, click the Hide Unselectedbutton. All unselected objects will be hidden from view.
6. In the Hiderollout, click the Unhide Allbutton. All scene objects will be unhidden and once again visible.
The Utilities panel
The Utilitiespanel (shown in Figure 1-12) is the last of the six that make up the Command panel. It contains a large assortment of utilities that do many different things. If you ever add a plug-in to 3ds Max, access to that plug-in might only be found by clicking the Morebutton, which opens a dialog box with many other utilities. With the exception of specific plug-ins that I have installed, the only utility I’ve found useful on a regular basis is the Asset Browser, an extremely useful tool that allows you to scan your computer or the Internet for files. A couple of others tools will be discussed later, but for now, the Asset Browseris the only one you should concern yourself with. Almost all others require extensive knowledge of the program and only do very specific tasks that simply aren’t needed in archi- tectural visualizations.
Changing the display of an object
Figure 1-11. The Display panel
The Asset Browseropens to a display much like Windows Explorer; however, the Asset Browserhas many more features. It can display thumbnails of many file types related to graphics, such as files with the .tga extension. The Asset Browser also allows you to filter and display specific file types and choose from three different thumbnail sizes to display file content. You can double-click an image file to display it at full size, drag-and-drop files into your 3ds Max scene, and explore online content with many of the same types of buttons that you would find within Windows Explorer.
As you’ll soon start to realize, there’s an enormous portion of 3ds Max that you don’t need to spend time learning if you’re working strictly on architectural visualizations.
This exercise demonstrates use of the Utilitiespanel by utilizing the Asset Browserfeature.
1. Reset 3ds Max.
2. Click the Utilitiestab.
3. Click the Asset Browserbutton.
4. After a few seconds, a message will appear; when you see it, click OK.
5. Explore the directories within your computer to view thumbnails of your files.
6. Select File ➤Exitfrom the Asset Browsermenu to close the Asset Browser.
Using the viewports
There’s no other place in 3ds Max where you’ll spend more time than in the viewports. Viewports are Using the Asset Browser
Figure 1-12. The Utilities panel
have numerous settings that allow for customization; however, this section will focus on the funda- mentals of viewport usage. You can refer to Appendix C at any time to learn how to customize the 3ds Max interface.
If you find learning a 2D CAD program difficult, then you’ll probably find learning a 3D CAD program impossible. Adding that third dimension changes everything, and weeds out many 2D users who aren’t up to the challenge of conceptualizing their creations in a third dimension. Most 2D CAD users oper- ate through only one viewport, but in 3ds Max that’s not even an option. Luckily, 3ds Max has devel- oped a highly effective viewport interface that enables you to view your creations from four different perspectives at the same time. This section will show you how to work in viewports in ways that will maximize your efficiency in manipulating your creations.
Perspective and axonometric views
All viewports in 3ds Max show one of two types of views, perspective or axonometric. Perspective views mimic how your eyes perceive the real world, in which objects in the distance converge to a single point (as shown in the left pane of Figure 1-13). Axonometric views show objects from an infi- nitely distant perspective so that an object’s parallel lines remain parallel regardless of the distance from the observer (see the right pane of Figure 1-13). In a perspective view, for example, a street that an observer stands on would vanish in the distance with both sides of the street converging to a single point, whereas in an axonometric view, both sides would remain parallel all the way to the horizon. In 3ds Max, the only perspective views are the Perspective, Camera, and Target Light views. All others, including the default views of Top, Left, and Front, are axonometric views.
Figure 1-13. Perspective view (left) and axonometric view (right)
Learning the viewports
The default viewport layout shows four viewports, with the currently active viewport marked with a yellow border. In the top-left corner of each viewport is the viewport type, which you can right-click to bring up a menu, as shown in Figure 1-14. You can change the viewport type by selecting Views from this menu and selecting the view type from the flyout menu that appears.