Page 123 - Kitab3DsMax

Chapter 2: Controlling and Configuring the Viewports

FIGURE 2.34
The Viewport Background dialog box lets you select a background source image or animation.

Caution
When the Lock Zoom/Pan option is selected, the background image is resized when you zoom in on an object.
Resizing the background image fills the virtual memory, and if you zoom in too far, the background image could
exceed your virtual memory. If this happens, a dialog box appears to inform you of the problem and gives you the
option of not displaying the background image. n
You can set the Apply Source and Display to option to display the background in All Views or in the active
viewport only.

Tutorial: Loading reference images for modeling
When modeling a physical object, you can get a jump on the project by taking pictures with a digital cam-
era of the front, top, and left views of the object and then load them as background images in the respective
viewports. The background images can then be a reference for your work. This is especially helpful with
models that need to be precise. You can even work from CAD drawings.
To load the background images of a brass swan, follow these steps:
1. Choose File ➪ New (or press Ctrl+N) to open a blank scene file.
2. Right-click the Front viewport to make it the active viewport, and choose Views ➪ Viewport
Background (or press Alt+B).
The Viewport Background dialog box opens.
3. Click the Files button, and in the File dialog box that opens, select the Brass swan-front view.jpg
image from the Chap 02 directory on the DVD.
4. Select the Match Bitmap, Display Background, Lock Zoom/Pan, and Active Only options, and
click OK to close the dialog box.
The image now appears in the background of the Front viewport.
5. Repeat Steps 2 through 4 for the Top and Left viewports.
Figure 2.35 shows the Max interface with background images loaded in the Front, Top, and Left viewports.
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