3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [29]
Tip
Within the InfoCenter Settings dialog box is an option to disable those annoying balloon notifications that frequently pop up, or you can make them semitransparent. •
FIGURE 1.17
The InfoCenter Settings dialog box lets you specify which items are searchable.
Viewing the Essential Skills Movies
When Max first loads, users are greeted with a Welcome to 3ds Max dialog box, shown in Figure 1.18, that includes several Essential Skills Movies. These simple movies explain the basics of working with Max.
The Welcome to 3ds Max dialog box also includes links to What's New and to Learning Channel, which are pages where you can find more tutorials and resources. After viewing the Essential Skills Movies, you can disable the Show this dialog at startup option to prevent this dialog box from appearing the next time you start Max. You can access the Learning Movies dialog box at any time using the Help menu.
Note
The Essential Skills Movies require an installation of Flash. •
FIGURE 1.18
The Welcome to 3ds Max dialog box includes video clips showing the basic skills you need for working with Max.
Using the online reference guides
The Autodesk 3ds Max Help, What's New, MAXScript Help, and Tutorials are all loaded within a Web browser. An organized list of topics is available in the left navigation pane, as shown in Figure 1.19, and the right includes a pane where the details on the selected topic are displayed. Across the top are several toolbar buttons used to control the interface. The Show in Contents button opens the selected help page in the Contents navigation list. The Add to Favorites button adds the current help page to the Favorites drop-down list accessible in the InfoCenter toolbar at the top of the interface. The Home button returns to the first page of the Help file. The Back, Up, and Forward buttons move to the last, above, or previous page in the navigation.
Tip
You also can use the web browser buttons to move back and forth between the last-visited and next-visited pages. •
Above the left navigation pane are four tabs that open separate panels when selected. The Contents panel displays a list of topics; the Index panel lists all topics alphabetically, the Search panel includes a text field where you can search for specific keywords, and the Favorites panel keeps a list of bookmarks to topics you add to the list.
FIGURE 1.19
The 3ds Max Reference includes panels for viewing the index of commands and searching the reference.
Throughout the textual descriptions, keywords linked to other related topics are highlighted in blue and underlined.
Using the rest of the Help menu
The Keyboard Shortcut Map displays an interactive interface for learning all the keyboard shortcuts. The Help⇒Data Exchange Solutions menu opens a web page that explains how to use the FBX format to exchange files with other software packages. The Customer Involvement Program provides an interface where you can send feedback to Autodesk regarding 3ds Max. The program lets you send feedback anonymously or you can include your e-mail. If you notice a problem with the software, you can report it with the Report a Problem feature.
The 3ds Max on the Web options (The Area, Online Support, Updates, Resources, Partners, Training, and so on) automatically open a web browser and load the Autodesk Support web pages or look for updates. The Area website is another excellent resource for help. It is the community site for3ds Max users.
Tip
If you need help from something more personable than a Help file, the Area website is a Max community sponsored by Autodesk.