Page 454 - Kitab3DsMax

Part III: Modeling Basics

Note
The Modify Selection panel is only visible when a subobject mode is enabled. n
The Modify Selection panel also includes these tools: Outline, which selects all subobjects surrounding the
current selection; Similar, which selects all subobjects that are similar to the current selection, including
Edge Count, Edge Length, Face Count, Face Areas, and Normal Direction; and Fill, which selects all subob-
jects that are within the selected subobjects or within the current outlined selection. The Fill option lets you
pick two vertices that are diagonally across from each other, and then all interior vertices between the two
vertices are selected to make a square area.
The StepLoop option lets you select two subobjects within the same loop, and then all subobjects between
the two are selected. When Step Mode is enabled, you can pick two subobjects in the same loop and all
subobjects between the two are selected. This continues for all additional selections within the same loop
until Step Mode is disabled again.
Tip
Using the Shift key, you can select loops of subobjects even more quickly. If you select a single vertex, edge, or
polygon, then hold down the Shift key and click on an adjacent subobject, the entire loop or ring of subobjects is
automatically selected. n

New Feature
The Shift-click loop subobject selection feature is new to 3ds Max 2011. n

Editing geometry
When no subobject modes are selected, several Ribbon panels are available, as shown in Figure 14.9. These
panels contain many of the same features that are found in the Edit Geometry rollout in the Command
Panel. Features contained here include, among many others, the ability to create new subobjects, attach
subobjects to the mesh, weld vertices, chamfer vertices, slice, explode, and align. These panels are available
regardless of the subobject mode that is selected, but some of these tools are disabled depending on the
subobject mode that you select.
Many of the tools, such as Relax, MSmooth, Tessellate, PConnect, and Quadrify All, include options for
accessing settings by clicking the small arrow to the right of the button. These options open up a caddy of
settings that are located in the viewport right next to the selected subobject. These caddies allow you to
change the settings and immediately see the results in the viewports. The OK (check mark icon) button
applies the settings and closes the dialog box, and the Apply (plus sign icon) button applies the settings and
leaves the dialog box open. Similar caddies are available for other subobject-specific buttons such as
Extrude, Bevel, Outline, and Inset.
Preserve UVs
UV coordinates define how a texture map is applied to an object’s surface. These UV coordinates are tied
closely to the surface subobject positions, so moving a subobject after a texture is applied moves the texture
also. This could cause discontinuities to the texture map. The Preserve UVs option lets you make subobject
changes without altering the UV coordinates for an existing texture.
The caddy for the Preserve UVs option lets you select a Vertex Color and Texture Channel to preserve.
Beneath the Preserve UVs button in the Edit panel is a Tweak button. This button lets you move the UVs
for the given object. The value beneath this button is the map channel that you can adjust.

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