3DS MAX

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This unit provides a look at the 3ds Max tools for selecting and organizing objects and manipulating the display.

Theory: User Interface Overview
When 3ds Max is used with Revit Architecture, the goal typically is to render still images, an animation sequence, or both. The workflow includes modeling, the application of materials, lighting, and defining camera motion. The process requires repeated selection of objects and manipulation of the scene viewports. This unit describes the tools for achieving that.

Object Selection
Arguably the most intuitive method for selecting specific objects is to simply click them in the viewports. This technique is fast and works fine in most cases. However, when working with complex scenes or when the location of an object is unknown, users must find alternative methods. 3ds Max provides many alternatives that enable users to select objects quickly and efficiently.
An important aspect of 3ds Max is that every object in the scene has a name. The object names are apparent in several areas of the user interface. These include tooltips that appear when the cursor is held over an object, the Name and Color rollout in the Command panels, the Select by Name dialog box, and the Layer Manager. The Select by Name dialog box and Layer Manager list all scene objects, and through these tools, you can select one or more specific objects by their name, regardless of where they are located in the scene or whether they are visible in the viewports.

Layer Manager
Layers in 3ds Max are analogous to those found in AutoCAD® or Revit Architecture software. Layers provide a method for organizing objects and adjusting their characteristics based on their layer associations. The Layer Manager dialog box lists all the layers within a scene. Furthermore, objects contained within each layer can be displayed directly in the Layer Manager.

The Layer Manager can be used to select objects within the scene. It may also be used to set the display or render characteristics of a layer. For example, a particular layer can be set to a frozen state. Objects on a frozen layer can be seen, but they cannot be selected. This capability is helpful to prevent objects on a layer from being inadvertently moved or modified.

A layer can also be set to a hidden state. Objects on a hidden layer remain in the file but are removed from viewport display. This capability can be useful to simplify the viewports and concentrate on other objects.
Objects contained on each layer appear when the layer hierarchy is opened. An object’s visibility, freeze, and render states can be set individually or by layer.

Select Objects by Name Dialog Box
The Select Objects by Name dialog box in 3ds Max lists all scene objects, independently of their layers. The listing may be filtered by object types such as geometry, lights, cameras, and a few other categories. The order in which objects are listed varies alphabetically, by object type, color, or size. The usefulness of the dialog box depends to some extent on the adopted naming convention, that is, how well a name associates with the object it represents. Objects coming from Revit Architecture are often duplicated or too generic to be of much use. Therefore, Revit Architecture users might find that selecting objects using layer tools is more convenient. Still, it is important to understand the Select by Name dialog box as it is normally a key tool for working with 3ds Max scenes.

Adjusting Viewport Sizes
The 3ds Max display area can contain single or multiple viewports. When multiple viewports are displayed, the relative sizes can be altered by dragging their interior borders. The layout can be restored by right-clicking a border and then clicking Reset Layout. Only one viewport is active at any given time. A viewport is made active with a simple right-click within its boundaries. The active viewport can be toggled full screen using the ALT+W key combination.

Zoom, Pan, and Arc Rotate
A common requirement of 3D graphics applications is the ability to manipulate the viewports so that the scene or 3D world can be seen from different vantage points. 3ds Max viewport navigation tools are located in the lower-right corner of the interface. The most commonly used tools are Zoom, Pan, and Arc Rotate. Zoom adjusts the display to show a larger or smaller view of the scene. The Pan tool controls the portion of the scene displayed in a viewport while keeping the same zoom setting. Finally, Arc Rotate enables the viewing point to be set to any point in 3D space so that you can view objects from any direction.
Note that the Zoom, Pan, and Arc Rotate tools alter only the display of scene objects. None of these tools actually modifies an object’s size or position in 3D space.

The viewport navigation tools vary slightly for different viewports. For example, the controls for an orthographic viewport (such as top, front, or left) are different from that of a perspective or camera viewport.
If a mouse with a wheel is used, you can zoom and pan using the wheel, eliminating the need to find and click a specific tool. Rolling the middle mouse wheel changes the zoom. Pressing and holding the middle mouse wheel while dragging pans the view. Arc rotate is achieved by holding the ALT key while clicking and dragging the left mouse button.

There are three Arc Rotate modes: gray, white, and yellow. They are accessed from the arc rotate flyout, which appears when the tool is clicked and held.

The gray mode is the basic Arc Rotate tool. It rotates the view about the current view center. The white mode is Arc Rotate Selected. It rotates about the geometric center of the selected object or objects. The yellow mode is Arc Rotate Sub-Object. It rotates the view about the geometric center of a selected subobject, such as a face or vertex. The name of each Arc Rotate mode appears in the status bar as you move the cursor over each button in the flyout.

Changing Views
3ds Max supports several viewport types. One such type is orthographic, also called a “flat” or “straight-on” view. This includes the top, front, and left viewports. These represent the scene using parallel projection and are useful for creating new objects on the three construction planes of the world coordinate system, or comparing object positions along the X, Y, or Z axes.

Another viewport type is perspective, which more closely matches the natural human visual system. Finally, any viewport can be set to a camera view. This provides an interactive display of the scene that updates as changes are made to the position of the camera or its parameters.
The active view can be saved on the View menu. This option is especially useful for a perspective view. The saved view can be recalled at any time during the editing session.
Viewports can display any type of view. Each view can be selected from within the viewport label shortcut menu. Keyboard shortcuts are provided for several of the common views, such as T for top, F for front, and P for perspective.

In addition to the viewport label shortcut menu, 3ds Max provides a Viewports menu accessible by pressing the V shortcut key.

The menu lets you quickly switch to any orthographic, perspective, or camera view and is especially useful if a view has not been assigned a shortcut.

In Viewport Shading mode, you can switch between Shaded, Wireframe, and Edged Faces using function keys. The F3 function key toggles between Shaded and Wireframe modes, and the F4 function key toggles Edged Faces mode on or off. Edged Faces mode highlights the underlying geometry when objects are shaded.

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