3ds Max 2010: 4 Customizations
Jun 16, 2009 3DS MAX, Customization, latest
Not many software companies give you as much access to customize the user-interface as does Autodesk (although not as many as I’d like…that’s right Revit…I’m looking at you!). While AutoCAD gives you access to more of it than any other program I’ve scene, 3ds Max also lets you adjust some of its UI so your work process is more efficient. In this post I’ll talk about 4 of them:
1. There are several commands that I use very often and like to have access to in my right-click menu. Since I work in a lot of other applications, I frequently have to import files into 3ds Max. Additionally, when I import 2D work from AutoCAD, the first thing I like to do is group all of the objects I just imported. Here’s how to add the Import and Group commands:
a. Click Customize –> Customize User Interface.
b. When the CUI dialog box opens, click the Quads menu.
c. In the middle of the dialog box you’ll see four squares, one of which is yellow. You need to select the square of the quad where you want the new command to appear. For this example, I’ll click the top-left square. Within the window just below, you’ll see a list of all of the commands that will appear when you either right-click alone or right click while holding down Shift and/or Control and/or Alt:
d. To the top-left of the dialog box, you’ll notice that Group is set to Main UI and Category is set to All Commands. With this combination of settings, the Action list below shows all commands available in 3ds Max. Scroll down in this list until you see the Import File command. Drag and drop it from this list, into the list the right, underneath Sub-object Menu [FLAT] and above the separator line. If you right-click in gray space now, you’ll see where it appears:
e. This is a good time to name this quad. Within the dialog box, next to where it says Label: I usually like to type my initials.
f. Now, to separate the Import File command from the Group commands that we’ll add in a moment, drag and drop the Separator line below the Import File command.
g. Next, we’ll drag on a few of our frequently used Group commands (which, in my case, is all of them).
h. After finishing, click the X at the top-right of the dialog box. If you right-click now, you’ll see the following quad menu:
2. The next customization I like to set are Modifier Sets. This lets you create buttons for your frequently used modifiers. Here’s how to turn them on and set them:
a. On the Modify tab, click the Configure Modifier Sets button below and to the right of the Modifier Stack:
b. When the menu appears, select Show Buttons.
c. Click the icon again and, this time, click Configure Modifier Sets.
d. When the dialog box appears, for this example, change the number next to Total Buttons to 20.
e. To the left, you see a list of all available modifiers. Find the ones you want and drag and drop them onto the available buttons to the right.
f. When you’re finished click OK. Now, just above the Modifier Stack on the Modify tab, you’ll see all the modifiers you just selected:
3. Next, we’ll look at how to add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar. The only commands that can be added to it come from the Ribbon:
a. Simply right-click on the command you want to add and, when the menu appears, click Add to Quick Access Toolbar:
b. Once the command is added, if you want you can right-click on it and then remove it, or you can click Add Separator to add a vertical line between the commands.
4. Finally, you can create your own toolbars with not only frequently used commands but, as of release 2010, recorded scripts of frequently completed processes:
a. Once again, click Customize –> Customize User Interface.
b. When the dialog box appears, click the Toolbars tab.
c. To the top-right, click the New… button and name the new toolbar. An empty toolbar will now appear:
d. Within the long Action list to the left, drag and drop the command you want onto the toolbar.
e. If you see a large button with words on it (instead of an icon), you can right-click on it and select Edit Appearance. Then, select the Image Button radio icon and select the icon image you want.
f. Now lets add a recorded script to the new toolbar. Press F11 on your keyboard to launch the MAXScript Listener.
g. Next, we’ll go through the actions we’d like to record. Here’s a simple example:
* Create a box.
* Change it’s dimensions to 2′ x 2′ x 2′.
* Convert it to an editable poly.
h. If you expand the top section of the MAXScript Listener, you’ll see a script of what you just did. Highlight the code that should be added to the command icon:
i. Drag and drop this selection onto the toolbar:
j. As described in step e, you can customize the look of the icon.
I hope these customizations help and I would love to hear how you customize 3ds Max for your own use.
Tags: 3DS MAX, Customization
Adding Frequently Used Modifier Buttons in 3DS MAX
Dec 23, 2008 3DS MAX, Customization
This is kind of an easy, but useful tip. There are a handful of modifiers that I use frequently in 3DS MAX and I don’t like to hit the long list and then have to search for them. Instead, I turn on the Modifier Sets and customize the buttons. By default, however, these buttons are turned off. Here’s how to turn them on and add your most frequently used modifiers:
- 1. In MAX, click the Modify tab on the Command Panel:
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2. Under the Modifier Stack area, click the Configure Modifier Sets icon: 
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3. When the menu appears, click Show Buttons:
4. Now you’ll see at the top of the Command Panel, eight generic modifier buttons:
5. Click the Configure Modifier Sets icon again and this time, when the menu appears, click Configure Modifier Sets:
The Configure Modifier Sets dialog box will appear:
While there are 8 buttons by default, you can change that by adjusting the number next to Total Button. From the list of modifiers within the Modifiers group, drag and drop each one you use frequently onto a button. When you’re finished, click OK. You’ll now find that the Modify tab has all of your modifiers and you no longer have to search for them from the list.
Tags: 3DS MAX, Customization
Revit Needs Customization
Dec 15, 2008 Customization, Revit
I was just watching Arianna Huffington on The Daily Show talk about blogging and that one shouldn’t think too much before creating a post. So, with that in mind, I thought I’d write about something I was just thinking about RIGHT NOW (OK, yes, I was thinking, but I can’t not, so, whatever!). Revit needs more customization and I hope it gets implemented in version 2010. I’ve been building a new model in Revit for the past week and it’s (one of the) first I’ve built with any kind of detail. As someone with an AutoCAD background, I’m right-clicking non-stop and disappointingly finding that the tools I need are not in there. I’m modeling from an AutoCAD drawing and, since there are many different wall sizes, I have to use the tape measure command. Having that in the right-click menu would be great. The Move and Rotate commands would also be helpful. As I’ve been working, more and more things have come up that I’d like Revit to be able to do. I created a Revit Wish List Google Form so I can quickly add them all in. Some of them include:
- Light Sources – The ability to see the cone of light, when it’s set to “spot light,” so the “Tilt Angle,” parameter can be visually seen, after it’s inserted into a project file, without having to render to see its effect.
- Selection Sets – The ability to selection a bunch of objects and give that selection a name. This is different than a group.
- Design Bar Organization – Names of groups of tools should always remain at the top (as opposed to moving to the bottom when groups above them are chosen. Clicking a group name should simply show that groups tools.
- Render Quality Settings – Render Quality Settings should be able to be exported and imported for future use.
- DWF Import – The ability to import DWF files as underlays.
- Filter Selection – The ability to filter the object type to be selected BEFORE selection.
- Render Time – I’d like to see how long the previous rendering took to complete.
- Custom Background Images in Renderings – The ability to load a customized background image to be used when rendering.
- Mass Floors – The “Mass Floors” dialog box should have “Select All” and “Select None” buttons.
- Groups – The ability to detach one instance of a group (that has been copied) into its own, individual group.
- Groups – The ability to create groups within groups.
- Visibility/Graphics Dialog Box – The Visibility/Graphics dialog box should be a palette that can remain open.
- Groups – The ability to edit multiple objects within multiple groups at the same time (ie. leave multiple groups open at the same time).
Two co-workers of mine had other suggestions:
- Eric Stimmel: Scroll in Type Selector – Ability to scroll with the scroll wheel in the Type Selector drop down menu.
- Joe Nocella – Schedule Formatting – The ability to effect the formatting and graphics of schedules.
Once the beta for Revit 2010 comes out, I’ll post all of these suggestions (and others that I’m sure will come up between now and then) in the forums. It is worth mentioning that there was one more suggestion I had that it turned out Revit could already do:
- Work Plane – The ability, after setting the work plane, to either have a visual cue that it has been changed or to rotate the model so that working plane is “flat.” Similar to using the “plan” command in AutoCAD after changing the UCS.
Do to this, use “View –> Orient –> By Plane…”
Anyway, if you’ve got any other suggestions, or solutions to my above list, please let me know!
Tags: Customization, Revit
