3D Max Viewports.

Viewports In 3D Max and most other 3D programs you can change the viewports, usually there is 4 Viewports, these can be moved about and configured to the users liking. You can have them in certain positions that are best for making 3D models E.G Right Left and Top view are all 2D Views which makes it easier to create models as you don’t have to move that camera about all the time, this would also create a strange shaped Model as it is like tracing something then moving the tracing paper.

For the viewport there are a few pre set views which you can use, These are Front, Back, Top, Left, Right, Bottom and Perspective but you can also move the viewports in any 3D position by holding down Alt and the middle mouse button you can move the perspective view around a point. If you hold shift and the middle mouse button you can drag the view around the 3D Space. Holding CTRL is also another way of doing the last movement.

Floating pallets such as the material editor and the time configuration menus are very useful as you have easy access to a good number of options and tools without having to go rooting through various menus. They are called floating pallets as they “Float” and are not embedded as such into the main UI of the program.

There are also many very useful keyboard shortcuts, Such as Pressing the spacebar when you have something selected locks what is selected, When pressing “G” this will make the grid in the centre disappear or there are also the very useful keyboard movement shortcuts I mentioned above.