Page 190 - Kitab3DsMax

Part II: Working with Objects

Note
You can set objects to display an object’s default color or its Material Color. These options are in the Display
Color rollout under the Display panel (the fifth tab from the left in the Command Panel with an icon of a moni-
tor). You can set them differently for Wireframe and Shaded views. n
The Sample Screen Color tool, located at the bottom of the Color Selector dialog box, lets you select colors
from any open Max window, including the Rendered Scene window. This gives you the ability to sample
colors directly from a rendered image. To use this tool, simply click it and drag around the screen. The cur-
sor changes to an eyedropper. If you click and drag around the window, the color is instantly updated in
the Color Selector dialog box. If you hold down the Shift key while dragging, then the selected colors are
blended together to create a summed color.

Note
The Sample Screen Color tool works only within Max windows. n

Using the Color Clipboard
The object color is one of the first places where colors are encountered, but it certainly won’t be the last. If
you find a specific color that you like and want to use elsewhere, you can use the Color Clipboard utility to
carry colors to other interfaces. You can access this utility using the Tools ➪ Color Clipboard menu com-
mand, which opens the Utilities panel, as shown in Figure 5.6.

FIGURE 5.6
The Color Clipboard utility offers a way to transport colors.

When selected, the Color Clipboard appears as a rollout in the Utilities panel and includes four color
swatches. These color swatches can be dragged to other interfaces such as the Material Editor. Clicking on
any of these swatches launches the Color Selector. The New Floater button opens a floatable Color
Clipboard that holds 12 colors, shown in Figure 5.7. Right-clicking the color swatches opens a pop-up
menu with Copy and Paste options. Using this clipboard, you can open and save color configurations. The
files are saved as Color Clipboard files with the .ccb extension.

FIGURE 5.7
The Color Clipboard floating palette can hold 12 colors.

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