Page 1108 - Kitab3DsMax

Part X: Dynamic Animation
FIGURE 43.9
The Preview window is a fun place to play with a simulation.

Tip
If the reactor version 3 engine is selected, then you can interact with the objects in the Preview window by hold-
ing down the spacebar and dragging the mouse. n
If you want to reset the animation to its starting positions, you can use the Simulation ➪ Reset menu command.
The Display menu includes several options that you can turn on to change the display. Objects can be seen as
Faces or Wireframes. If you have a particularly complex scene to preview, then wireframes may be easy to work
with. You can also display the Simulation Edges (which shows the collision boundaries of the objects), Grids, the
Origin, and a Flashlight to add light to the scene. The Display menu also includes a Camera Settings option that
you can use to set the near and far Clipping Planes and the Preview window’s Field of View.

Note
The reactor version 3 engine doesn’t offer the same display menu options. n
The Performance menu includes options for setting the frames per second and the number of substeps used
to compute the simulation. For most animations, the default of ten substeps is sufficient, but if you want
Max to spend more time computing an accurate solution, you can try a higher substep value.

Caution
Don’t use a high substep value with water. n

Creating animation keys
To compute the animation keys for the simulation, select the Animation ➪ reactor ➪ Create Animation
menu command or press the Create Animation button in the reactor toolbar. The progress is displayed at
the bottom of the Max interface. You can cancel the simulation at any time with the Esc key.

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