3ds Max® 2012 Bible

BONUS CHAPTER 22

Customizing the Max Interface

IN THIS CHAPTER

Using the Customize User Interface dialog box

Creating custom keyboard shortcuts, toolbars, quadmenus, menus, and colors

Customizing the Ribbon

Customizing the Command Panel buttons

Loading and saving custom interfaces

Setting system units

Setting preferences

When you get into a new car, one of the first things you do is to rearrange the seat and mirrors. You do this to make yourself comfortable. The same principle can apply to software packages: Arranging or customizing an interface makes it more comfortable to work with.

Early versions of Max allowed only minimal changes to the interface, but later versions enable significant customization. The Max interface can be customized to show only the icons and tools that you want to see.

Using the Customize User Interface Window

The Customize menu provides commands for customizing and setting up the Max interface. The first menu item is the Customize User Interface menu command. This command opens the Customize User Interface dialog box. This dialog box includes five panels: Keyboard, Toolbars, Quads, Menus, and Colors. You also can access this dialog box by right-clicking any toolbar away from the buttons and selecting Customize from the pop-up menu.

Customizing keyboard shortcuts

If used properly, keyboard shortcuts can increase your efficiency dramatically. Figure 1 shows the Keyboard panel of the Customize User Interface dialog box. In this panel, you can assign shortcuts ...