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• Time Slider: The Time Slider, located under the viewports, enables you to quickly locate a specific animation frame. It spans the number of frames included in the current animation. Dragging the Time Slider moves you quickly between frames. Clicking the arrow buttons on either side of the Time Slider moves to the previous or next frame (or key).

FIGURE 1.11

Left-handed users can move the Command Panel to the left side.

• Track Bar: The Track Bar displays animation keys as color-coded rectangles with red for positional keys, green for rotational keys, and blue for scale keys. Parameter change keys are denoted by gray rectangles. Using the Track Bar, you can select, move, and delete animation keys. The button at the left end of the Track Bar is the Open Mini Curve Editor button. It provides access to the animation function curves.

• Status Bar: The Status Bar is below the Track Bar. It provides valuable information, such as the number and type of objects selected, transformation values, and grid size. It also includes the Selection Lock Toggle, Transform Type-In fields, and the value of the current Grid size.

• Prompt Line: The Prompt Line is text located at the bottom of the window. If you're stuck as to what to do next, look at the Prompt Line for information on what Max expects. The Prompt Line also includes buttons for enabling Adaptive Degradation and adding and editing Time Tags, which are used to name specific animation frames.

• Key Controls: These controls are for creating animation keys and include two different modes—Auto Key (keyboard shortcut, N) and Set Key (keyboard shortcut, '). Auto Key mode sets keys for any changes made to the scene objects. Set Key mode gives you more precise control and sets keys for the selected filters only when you click the Set Keys button (keyboard shortcut, K).

• Time Controls: Resembling the controls on an audio or video device, the Time Controls offer an easy way to move through the various animation frames and keys. Based on the selected mode (keys or frames), the Time Controls can move among the first, previous, next, and last frames or keys.

• Viewport Navigation Controls: In the lower-right corner of the interface are the controls for manipulating the viewports. They enable you to zoom, pan, and rotate the active viewport's view.

Cross-Reference

Most of the controls on the lower interface bar—including the Time Slider, the Track Bar, and the Key and Time Controls—deal with animation. You can learn more about these controls in Chapter 21, “Understanding Animation and Keyframes.” The Viewport Navigation Controls are covered in Chapter 2, “Controlling and Configuring the Viewports.” •

FIGURE 1.12

The Lower Interface Bar includes several sets of controls.

Interacting with the Interface

Knowing where all the interface elements are located is only the start. Max includes several interactive features that make the interface work. Learning these features makes the difference between an interface that works for you and one that doesn't.

Gaining quick access with the right-click quadmenus

Quadmenus are pop-up menus with up to four separate sections that surround the cursor, as shown in Figure 1.13. Right-clicking in the active viewport opens these quadmenus. The contents of the menus depend on the object selected.

Tip

Many of the real pros use quadmenus extensively. One reason is that they can access the commands from the mouse's current location using a couple of clicks without having to go all the way to the Command Panel to click a button. •

FIGURE 1.13

Quadmenus contain a host of commands in an easily accessible location.

Clicking with the left mouse button away from the quadmenu closes it. For each menu, the text of the last menu item selected is displayed in blue. To quickly access the blue menu item again, simply click the gray-shaded bar for the quadrant that contains the blue menu item. Using Customize⇒Customize User Interface, you can specify which commands appear