9

Modeling Objects 5
Setting Grid Spacing
Set spacing for the visible grid in the Grid And
Snap Settings dialog > Home Grid panel (page
2–49). You can change grid spacing at any time.
See Precision and Drawing Aids (page 2–1) for
inform ation about the system unit, unit display,
andgridspacing.
Setting the Viewport Display
Viewport layout options
The default four viewports in 3ds Max represent
anefficientandpopularscreenlayout.Setoptions
in the Viewport Configuration dialog (page 3–853)
to change viewpor t layout and display properties.
See Viewing and Navigating 3D Space (page 1–21)
for more inf ormation.
Saving Scenes
Save your scene frequently to protect yourself from
mistakes and loss of work. See Backing Up and
Archiving Scenes (page 1–19).
Model ing Objects
1. Modify panel
2. Create panel
3. Object categories
Yo u m o d e l o b j e c t s i n y o u r s c e n e b y c r e a t i n g
standard objects, such as 3D geometry and 2D
shapes, and then applying modifiers to those
objects. The program includes a wide range of
standard objects and modifiers.
Cr e a ti n g Ob jects
Yo u c r e a t e o b j e c t s b y c l i c k i n g a n o b j e c t c a t e g o r y
and ty p e on the Create panel and then clicking
or dragging in a viewport to define the object’s
creation parameters. The program organizes the
Create panel into these basic categories: G e ometry,
Shapes, Lights, Cameras, Helpers, Space Warps,
and Systems. Each categor y contains multiple
subcategories from which you can choose.
You can also create objects from the Create
menu by choosing an object category and t ype
and then clicking or dragging in a viewport to
define the object’s creation parameters. The
program organizes the Create menu into these
basic categories: Standard Primitives, Extended
Primitives, AEC Objects, Compound, Particles,
PatchGrids,NURBS,Dynamics,Shapes,Lights,
Cameras, Helpers, Space Warps, and Systems.
See Basics of Creating and Modif y ing Objects (page
1–153).
Selecting and Positioning Objects
You select objects by clicking or drag ging a region
arou nd them. You can also select objects by name
or other properties such as color or object category.
After selecting objects, you position them in your
scene using the transform tools Move, Rotate, and
Scale. Use align ment tools to precisely position
objects.
See Selecting Objects (page 1–61), Moving,
Rotating, and Scaling Objects (page 1–423),and
Precision and Drawing Aids (page 2–1).
Modifying Objects
Yo u s c u l p t a n d e d i t o b j e c t s i n t o t h e i r f i n a l f o r m b y
applying modifiers from the Modify panel. The