Manipulators

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3ds max 4 has a new method to manage object parameters and some modifiers — manipulators, which can be switched on by clicking the Select and Manipulate button on the main toolbar or by selecting the Manipulate command from the right-click menu (sub-menu of the Transform command). Not many are provided with a base installation; however, you can add more manipulated objects and modifiers by installing Bonus Scripts and then run the SuperManipulators.mzp script (Main menu à MaxScript à Run Script), located in the 3dsmax\scripts\MAXScriptTools\folder. After running the script, restart 3ds max. Borislav Petrov, one of the best-known 3ds max enthusiasts, developed this package of scripts.

To be honest, out of habit, we rarely used manipulators. However, in the course of preparing this lesson, we tried to use and tweak manipulators (both in a literal and figurative sense) and now advise everyone to use them, since they have proved extremely convenient and useful.

The Bonus Scripts package also includes the Toggle Manipulators script, which allows you to make specific manipulators visible or invisible (Fig. 12.9).

Figure 12.9: Toggle Manipulators window

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