3D Studio Max Primer - Page 5

Tools - Nos. 1 to 10

1. Help Mode - When you click on an object or menu it will open up the help files pertaining to that item.

2. Undo - This will undo the last change you made.

3. Redo - This will redo the last change you undid.

4. Select and Link - This will link a selected object with another object you select.

5. Unlink Selection - This will unlink a something that was previously linked.

6. Bind to Spacewarp - This will bind a selected object to a spacewarp. We will go over spacewarps in tutorial 8.

7. Select Object - This will be your most commonly used tool. You will use this to select objects without moving them.

8. Rectangular Selection Region - This will allow you to make a rectangular selection.

Circular Selection Region - This will allow you to make a circular selection . Fence Selection Region - This will allow you to draw your selection with a series of straight lines.

9. Selection Filter - The Selection Filter list lets you restrict to specific types and combinations the objects that can be selected by the selection tools.

10. Select by name - This will allow you to select your objects by name. When you create an object you can name it in the text toolbar.

Tools - No.s 11 to 20

11. Select and Move - Use this to select an object and move it.

12. Select and Rotate - Use this to select an object and rotate it.

13. Select and Scale - Use this to select an object and uniform scale, non-uniform scale and squash it.

14. Reference Coordinate System - The Reference Coordinate System list lets you specify the coordinate system used for a transformation (Move, Rotate, Scale).

15. Use Pivot Point Center - This button lets you enable rotation or scaling of one or more objects around their respective pivot points.

16. Restrict to X Axis - Restricts movement to X axis only.

17. Restrict to Y Axis - Restricts movement to Y axis only.

18. Restrict to Z Axis - Restricts movement to Z axis only.

19. Restrict to XY Plane - Restricts movement to X and Y axis only.

Restrict to YZ Plane - Restricts movement to Y and Z axis only. Restrict to ZX Plane - Restricts movement to Z and X axis only.

20. Inverse Kinematics on/off Toggle - This will turn on and off Inverse Kinematics. Inverse kinematics (IK) is a method of manipulating linked structures where the animator positions objects at the end of the linkage and the program calculates the positions and orientations of all other objects in the linkage. With inverse kinematics you can quickly set up and animate complex motions.