Using the Command Panel


If there is one place in Max, besides the viewports, where you'll spend all your time, it's the Command Panel (at least until you're comfortable enough with the quadmenus). The Command Panel is located to the right of the viewports along the right edge of the interface. This is where all the specific parameters, settings, and controls are located. The Command Panel is split into six panels, each accessed via a tab icon located at its top. These six tabs are Create, Modify, Hierarchy, Motion, Display, and Utilities.

You can pull away the Command Panel from the right window edge as a floating dialog box, as shown in Figure 1.5, by clicking on the open space to the right of the tabbed icons at the top of the Command Panel and dragging away from the interface edge. You can also dock it to the left window edge, which is really handy if you're left-handed. While it's a floating panel, you can resize the Command Panel by dragging on its edges or corners (but its width remains constant).

image from book
Figure 1.5: The Command Panel includes six separate panels accessed via tab icons.

After you've pulled the Command Panel or any of the toolbars away from the interface, you can re-dock them to their last position by double-clicking on their title bar. You can also right-click on the title bar to access the pop-up menu of floating toolbars, but the pop-up menu also includes options to Dock (either Left or Right for the Command Panel or Left, Right, Top or Bottom for toolbars) and Float.

Working with rollouts

Most of the controls, buttons, and parameters in the Command Panel are contained within sections called rollouts. A rollout is a grouping of controls positioned under a gray, boxed title, as shown in Figure 1.6. Each rollout title bar includes a plus or minus sign (a minus sign indicates that the rollout is open; a plus sign shows closed rollouts). Clicking the rollout title opens or closes the rollout. You can also reposition the order of the rollouts by dragging the rollout title and dropping it above or below the other rollouts.

image from book
Figure 1.6: Open and close rollouts by clicking on the rollout title.

Note 

You cannot reposition some of the rollouts, such as the Object Type and the Name and Color rollouts found in the Create panel.

Right-clicking away from the buttons in a rollout presents a pop-up menu where you can select to close the rollout you've clicked in, Close All, Open All, or Reset Rollout Order. The pop-up menu also lists all available rollouts within the current panel with a check mark next to the ones that are open.

Expanding all the rollouts often exceeds the screen space allotted to the Command Panel. If the rollouts exceed the given space, then a small vertical scroll bar appears at the right edge of the Command Panel. You can drag this scroll bar to access the rollouts at the bottom of the Command Panel, or you can click away from the controls when a hand cursor appears. With the hand cursor, click and drag in either direction to scroll the Command Panel. You can also scroll the Command Panel with the scroll wheel on the mouse.

CROSS-REF 

You can customize the Command Panel like the other toolbars. Customizing the Command Panel is covered in Chapter 5, "Customizing the Max Interface and Setting Preferences."

Increasing the Command Panel's width

The Command Panel can also be doubled or tripled (or any multiple as long as you have room) in width by dragging its left edge toward the center of the interface. The width of the Command Panel is increased at the expense of the viewports. Figure 1.7 shows the Command Panel double its normal size.

image from book
Figure 1.7: Increase the width of the Command Panel by dragging its left edge.

Tutorial: Rearranging the interface for lefties

I used to work for a company that required that all computers have the mouse to the left of the keyboard. We swapped computers often, and the boss hated having to move the mouse to the other side of the keyboard (and you thought your work environment was weird). The reality is that some people like it on the left and others prefer it on the right, and Max can accommodate both.

With the Command Panel on the right side of the interface, the default Max interface obviously favors right-handers, but with the docking panels, you can quickly change it to be friendly to lefties.

To rearrange the interface for lefties, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Command Panel on the empty space to the right of the Utilities tab, and drag toward the center of the interface. As you drag the Command Panel away from the right edge, the cursor changes.

  2. Continue to drag the Command Panel to the left edge, and the cursor changes again to indicate that it will be docked when released. Release the mouse button, and the Command Panel docks to the left side.

  3. For an even easier method, you can right-click on the Command Panel's title bar and select Dock image from book Left from the pop-up menu.

Figure 1.8 shows the rearranged interface ready for all you southpaws.

image from book
Figure 1.8: Left-handed users can move the Command Panel to the left side.

Tip 

To save the interface changes, use the Customize image from book Save Custom UI Scheme menu. The maxstart.cui file is loaded by default when Max is started.




3ds Max 9 Bible
3ds Max 9 Bible
ISBN: 0470100893
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2007
Pages: 383

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