3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [33]
• Walk: Moves you forward through the scene as if you were walking through it. Holding down the Shift key lets you move up and down.
• Look: Causes the camera to rotate side to side as if looking to the side.
• Up/Down: Moves the view up and down from the current location.
FIGURE 2.6
Rewind mode lets you move back and forth through recent views.
Note
It is covered later in the chapter, but you can maximize the active viewport by clicking the Maximize Viewport Toggle button (the button in the lower-left corner of the interface) or by pressing Alt+W. •
In the upper-right corner of the wheel is a small X icon. This icon is used to close the SteeringWheel gizmo. In the lower-right corner of the wheel is a small down arrow. This icon opens a pop-up menu. Using the pop-up menu, you can select a different wheel type, go to the home view as defined by the ViewCube, increase or decrease the walk speed, restore the original center, or open the SteeringWheels panel in the Viewport Configuration dialog box, as shown in Figure 2.7. These same options are also available in the Views⇒SteeringWheels menu, along with an option to Toggle the SteeringWheels on and off (Shift+W).
Using the SteeringWheels panel in the Viewport Configuration dialog box, you can set the size and opacity of the SteeringWheels. There are also settings for controlling many of the different modes.
FIGURE 2.7
The SteeringWheels panel in the Viewport Configuration dialog box includes settings for the various wheels.
Tutorial: Navigating the active viewport
Over time, navigating the viewports becomes second nature to you, but you need to practice to get to that point. In this tutorial, you get a chance to take the viewports for a spin—literally.
To practice navigating a viewport, follow these steps:
1. Open the Bruce the dog.max file from the Chap 02 directory on the CD.
This file includes a model of a dog (affectionately named Bruce) created by Viewpoint. It provides a reference as you navigate the viewport. The active viewport is the Perspective viewport.
2. Click the Maximize Viewport Toggle button (or press Alt+W) to make the Perspective viewport fill the space of all four viewports.
3. Click the Front face in the ViewCube to transition the view to the front view. Then move the cursor over the upper-right corner of the ViewCube and click to set the view to a perspective view.
4. Select the Views⇒SteeringWheels⇒Toggle SteeringWheels (or press Shift+W); then hold down the Ctrl key and click Bruce's head to set the pivot. Then move the cursor over the Zoom button and drag until Bruce's head fills the viewport.
5. With the Steering Wheel still active, move the cursor over the Pan button and drag the window until Bruce's head is centered evenly in the viewport, as shown in Figure 2.8. Right-click in the viewport to toggle the SteeringWheel gizmo off.
FIGURE 2.8
The Perspective viewport is zoomed in on the dog's head using the Zoom and Pan controls.
Controlling Viewports with a Scroll Wheel Mouse
Now that I've explained the viewport navigation gizmos, I'll explain another easy way to control the viewports. Often, the quickest way to control the viewports is with the mouse. To really get the benefit of the mouse, you need to use a mouse with a scroll wheel (which also acts as a middle mouse button).
Rolling the scroll wheel in the active viewport zooms in to and out of the viewport by steps just like the bracket keys ([ and ]). You can zoom precisely by holding down the Ctrl and Alt keys while dragging the scroll wheel.
Clicking and dragging the scroll wheel button pans the active viewport. Clicking and dragging with the Alt button held down rotates the active viewport. If the scroll wheel isn't working, check the Viewports panel in the Preference Settings dialog box. You can select to use the scroll wheel control to pan and zoom in the viewports or to define and use Strokes.
Caution
Be careful when zooming in with the scroll wheel. If you zoom in too far, the internal field of width