LEVEL 01

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TITLE BAR
At the very top of the 3DS MAX interface is a title bar. Like any standard Windows program, it shows you the name of the file you are working on. If you start a new file, it is named Untitled until you save it with a new name.

MANU BAR
Directly beneath the title bar is the menu bar. The menu bar has 11 different menus, each offering a path to different tools and controls. The menu commands can also be accessed with the keyboard shortcuts
displayed to the right of the menu item. If no keyboard shortcut is listed, you can access any menu command using ALT + the underlined letter in the menu name. If a menu item has ellipses (three dots) following it, that means there are more choices on a secondary menu.

The menu bar can be repositioned to be at the bottom of the viewports, or you can float and resize it.

Directly beneath the menu bar is the tab panel. This is a collection of tools on a sequence of indexed tabs. The tools are represented as icons or text buttons. Clicking any of the tool buttons starts the tool and makes it ready to work in the viewport.Any tab on the tab panel can be floated into an individual toolbar. The tabs and toolbars can be customized. Tools can be moved from one toolbar to the next.Once you're familiar with using 3D Studio MAX, take some time to explore the tab panel. You'll find some tools hidden there that you won't find anywhere else.

MAIN TOOLBAR
The first tab in the tab panel is the main toolbar. The main toolbar has over 30 tools you will use constantly while you are working. Some of the tools on this toolbar can also be started using menu commands or keyboard shortcuts.


	To the right of the viewports are the *command panels* with tabs for
	Create, Modify, Hierarchy, Motion, Display, and Utilities. The command panels scroll to
	give more room for controls. This area changes what is displayed in it based on the
	selection in the viewport.

Customizing the User Interface

Most of the layout of the User Interface is customizable so that after you are familiar with the product you can move tools as you see fit. The toolbars, menu bar, and command panels can float or dock or disappear. The tab panel can be hidden or displayed with a keyboard shortcut (2). Custom toolbars let you make your own toolbars with shortcuts and scripts. Your own customized user interface can be saved and loaded so you can take it with you from machine to machine.

The Customize command on the Customize menu is where you'll find the tools to create your own toolbars and tabs. Here you can take scripts and commands and set them on the toolbars as icons or text buttons.

Try loading some other CUI files that ship with 3DS MAX to see some other UI configurations. Choose Load Custom UI from the Customize menu.

Expert Mode

Expert mode lets you hide pieces of the interface, so more of your screen can be devoted to the viewports. CTRL+X turns on Expert Mode, which hides the tab panel and the command panels instantly. When you want to get to the tab panel, press 2. When you want the command panel back, press 3. Use the right-click menu on whatever your working on and you should be all set.

Preferences and Keyboard Shortcuts

As you develop techniques and practices, you'll want to customize your keyboard shortcuts. There are lots of things in 3D Studio MAX you are going to do over and over again and it's nice to be able to just press a key and have it happen. You'll find that, instead of clicking with a mouse, using the keyboard shortcuts will increase your productivity and make you a happier 3DS MAX user.

Keyboard Shortcuts are found in Customize menu > Preferences > Keyboard. There, you will find a huge list of commands available for you to assign. Some are already defined, some are not. Create your own and save them here.

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