Page 174 - Kitab3DsMax

Part I: Getting Started with 3ds Max

The Reference Coordinate System setting makes all transform tools use the same coordinate system and
transform center when the Constant option is enabled. If disabled, each transform (move, scale, and rotate)
uses the coordinate system last selected.

Loading Plug-Ins and Sub-Material settings
The Load Plug-Ins When Used option keeps plug-ins out of memory until they are accessed. This saves
valuable memory and still makes the plug-ins accessible.
The Automatic Sub-Material Assignment option, when checked, enables materials to be dragged and
dropped directly onto a subobject selection. This applies the Multi/Sub-Object material to the object with
the dropped material corresponding with the subobject selection’s Material ID. If you regularly use the
Multi/Sub-Object material, enabling this option can be a great timesaver, but if you aren’t familiar with the
Multi/Sub-Object material, this option can lead to confusion, making it difficult to locate applied materials.

Scene Selection settings
The Auto Window/Crossing by Direction option lets you select scene objects using the windowing method
(the entire object must be within the selected windowed area to be selected) and the crossing method (which
selects objects if their borders are crossed with the mouse) at the same time, depending on the direction that
the mouse is dragged. If you select the first option, then the Crossing method is used when the mouse is
dragged from right to left and the Window method is used when the mouse is dragged from left to right.

Tip
I like to keep the Auto Window/Crossing by Direction option disabled. I use the Crossing selection method and
find that I don’t always start my selection from the same side. n
The Paint Selection Brush Size value sets the default size of the Paint Selection Brush. In the default inter-
face, this size is set to 20. If you find yourself changing the brush size every time you use this tool, then you
can alter its default size with this setting.

Spinner, Rollout, and Vertex Normal settings
Spinners are interface controls that enable you to enter values or interactively increase or decrease the value
by clicking the arrows on the right. The Preference Settings dialog box includes settings for changing the
number of decimals displayed in spinners and the increment or decrement value for clicking an arrow. The
Use Spinner Snap option enables the snap mode.
You also can enable the snap mode using the Spinner Snap button on the main toolbar.

Tip
Right-click a spinner to automatically set its value to 0 or its lowest threshold. n
You also can change the values in the spinner by clicking the spinner and dragging up to increase the value
or down to decrease it. The Wrap Cursor Near Spinner option keeps the cursor close to the spinner when
you change values by dragging with the mouse, so you can drag the mouse continuously without worrying
about hitting the top or bottom of the screen.
The Rollout Threshold value sets how many pixels can be scrolled before the rollup shifts to another col-
umn. This is used only if you’ve made the Command Panel wider or floating.
The Use Legacy R4 Vertex Normals option computes vertex normals based on the Max version 4 instead of
the newer method. The newer method is more accurate but may affect smoothing groups. Enable this set-
ting only if you plan on using any models created using Max R4 or earlier.

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