Using the View Menu


The View menu offers a number of additional camera tools and settings. In this chapter we'll cover only the options that relate to navigation. We'll go into more depth about the camera settings that are used for rendering in Chapter 16.

The ability to bookmark your current panel's viewpoint can be useful when navigating your scene. This option lets you preserve the specific camera position and angle in your view so that you can return to that precise point later.

Even without creating a bookmark, you can navigate back through recent viewpoints by selecting Previous View from a panel's View menu; you can use the Next View menu option to go forward again. Alternatively, you can use the square bracket keys, and.

The View menu also includes the Frame All and Frame Selection options, but you may find it more convenient to use the equivalent keyboard shortcuts. Framing automatically positions the camera to give the user the best view of one or more objects in a scene. The frame option can be particularly useful when you'd like to quickly zoom in on a small or distant object.

To bookmark a view:

1.

From the View menu in the panel displaying the view you wish to bookmark, select the Bookmarks > Edit Bookmarks menu item (Figure 2.6).

Figure 2.6. The Bookmark Editor lets you create bookmarks of your view.


2.

In the Bookmark Editor, click the New Bookmark button.

3.

In the Name field, type a new name for your bookmark (Figure 2.7).

Figure 2.7. The new bookmark's name changes to the name you enter.


4.

Click Apply, and then click Close to complete the bookmark.

To access a bookmarked view:

  • From the View menu of the panel for which you created the bookmark, select the Bookmarks > (bookmark name) menu item (Figure 2.8).

    Figure 2.8. You can return to the bookmarked view at any time by selecting it from the View > Bookmarks menu.


The view returns to the bookmarked viewpoint.

To frame selected objects in a view:

1.

Select an object or objects (Figure 2.9).

Figure 2.9. Framing an object lets you focus on it. Here we've selected an apple to frame.


2.

Hold your mouse over the view you want to change.

3.

Press .

The view changes to frame your selection (Figure 2.10).

Figure 2.10. Pressing frames the apple, centering it in the view and zooming in.


To frame all objects in a view:

1.

Hold your mouse over the view you want to change.

2.

Press .

The view frames all of the objects in the scene (Figure 2.11).

Figure 2.11. Pressing frames all of the objects in the scene.


Tip

  • When using a multi-view layout, the commands above will only change the selected view. You can make all of the view panels frame your object or objects by pressing plus or .





Maya 7 for Windows and Macintosh(c) Visual Quickstart Guide
Maya 7 for Windows & Macintosh
ISBN: 0321348990
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 185

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