3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [31]
FIGURE 2.1
Axonometric and Perspective views
Learning Orthographic and Isometric views
If you dig a little deeper into Axonometric views, you find two different types: Orthographic and Isometric. Orthographic views are displayed from the perspective of looking straight down an axis at an object. This reveals a view in only one plane. Because orthographic viewports are constrained to one plane, they show the actual height and width of the object, which is why the CAD world uses orthographic views extensively. Isometric views are not constrained to a single axis and can view the scene from any location, but all dimensions are still maintained.
Discovering the viewports in Max
Available orthographic viewports in Max include Front, Back, Top, Bottom, Left, and Right. Max starts up with the Top, Front, and Left orthographic viewports visible. The top-left corner of the viewport displays the viewport name. The fourth default viewport is a Perspective view. Only one viewport, known as the active viewport, is enabled at a time. A yellow border highlights the active viewport.
Figure 2.2 shows the viewports with a Viewpoint model of a PT-328 U.S. Torpedo boat. You can see the model from a different direction in each viewport. If you want to measure the boat's length from aft to stern, you could get an accurate measurement using the Top or Left viewport, whereas you can use the Front and Left viewports to measure its precise height. So, using these different viewports, you can accurately work with all object dimensions.
FIGURE 2.2
The Max interface includes four viewports, each with a different view.
Isometric views in Max are called Orthographic viewports. You can create an Orthographic viewport by rotating any of the default non-perspective views.
Tip
Max includes several keyboard shortcuts for quickly changing the view in the active viewport including T (Top view), B (Bottom view), F (Front view), L (Left view), C (Camera view), $ (Spotlight view), P (Perspective view), and U (Orthographic User view). Pressing the V key opens a quadmenu that lets you select a new view. •
Using the Navigation Gizmos
One of the key advantages of working in 3D is that you can view your models from an endless number of viewpoints, but you won't be able to switch to these endless viewpoints until you learn to navigate the viewports. Being able to quickly navigate the viewports is essential to working in Max and one of the first skills you should master.
To make the process of navigating within the viewports and switching among the various views easier, Max has some navigation gizmos that make this chore easy. These semitransparent gizmos hover in the upper-right corner of each viewport and provide a way to change the view without having to access a tool, select a menu, or even use a keyboard shortcut.
Working with the ViewCube
The ViewCube consists of a 3D cube that is labeled on each side and centered in a ring located on the ground plane. Its purpose is to show the current orientation of the viewport, but it is also interactive and provides a way to quickly move among the different views.
If you drag the cursor over the top of the ViewCube, shown in Figure 2.3, you'll notice that the cube's faces, corners, and edges are highlighted as the cursor moves over them. If you click when any of the cube's parts are highlighted, the viewport is animated and moves to the new view so it's positioned as if it's pointing at the selected part. By slowly animating the transition to the new view, you get a better idea of the size and shape of the model. It also makes it easy to reorient the model if it gets twisted around to an odd angle. For example, if you click the cube's face labeled Top, then the view moves from its current view until the Top view is assumed.
FIGURE 2.3
The ViewCube lets