3ds max for beginner

Touring the Interface

3ds max for beginner in this article i will be focusing on 3ds max for beginner  3ds Max offers a wealth of tools, and their sheer number can be overwhelming. To get a basic understanding of the 3ds Max window, we’ll present each of the window components individually,starting with the Menu Bar.

The Menu Bar

At the top of the screen is the Menu Bar. Here you’ll find the typical Windows commands for file maintenance, as well as commands specific to 3ds Max.

Standard to 3ds Max 2013 is the Application button (see Figure 1.3), which replaced the traditional File menu in the 2010 release. The Application button is a graphical representation of the tools from the traditional File menu, including opening and saving files, importing, exporting,and referencing files. The Application button is also where you can set a project folder, access the Asset Tracking tool, and check statistics about the current fi le. If you are more comfortable using the traditional File menu, you can restore it to the 3ds Max interface using the dialog box,

that appears when you select Customize ‚ Customize User Interface.

The options in the Menu Bar are organized the same way as they are in most Windows

applications. Clicking an option issues a command, and you’re expected to take some action. An option that’s followed by three periods, called an ellipsis, opens a dialog box, usually to allow you to make changes to settings related to the option. An option with a right-pointing arrow displays more options in what is called a cascading menu, as shown in Figure 1.4. Depending on your version of Windows, user settings, and if you have a pen tablet attached to you system,your menus may cascade to the left or to the right.

Try out the Menu Bar by taking a look at the Units Setup dialog box:

1. Choose Customize ‚ Units Setup. The Units Setup dialog box displays.

2. Select the US Standard radio button, and make sure that Feet w/Decimal Inches is

selected below it and that the Inches radio button is selected for Default Units, as shown

in Figure 1.5.

3. Click the System Unit Setup button at the top of the dialog box, and you will see the

System Unit Setup dialog box shown in Figure 1.6. Make sure 1 Unit is set to 1.0 Inches.

Do not change anything else in the System Unit Setup dialog box, and click OK twice to

close both dialog boxes.

 

 

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Reverting to the Startup Layout

3ds Max 2013 is something of a chameleon. It can change its appearance depending on the focus of your modeling needs. Users of 3ds Max 2013 will see tools designed more for the game and entertainment industries, while users of 3ds Max Design 2013 will see an interface and defaults geared more toward architectural and design visualization. If your 3ds Max 2013 window doesn’t look the way it does in the figures in this book, choose Customize ‚ Revert To Startup Layout. You’ll see a warning message telling you that any user interface (UI) changes you have made will be lost. Click