Chapter
2 - Viewports and Cameras in 3D Studio MAX
( 3ds max ) (Viewport
& Camera tutorial, lessons)
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Author - Saju Asokan
Last Updated: Aug 02 2008
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First
of all, lets load the scene "chap2-4teapots.max"
that we saved in the previous
chapter of this tutorial, if its
not already loaded in 3D Studio
MAX ( 3DS MAX ). You can download
the scene here. Click on File
> Open and choose the file
from the folder where you saved
it. Panning is nothing but moving
your view right, left, up, or
down. Instead of moving the object,
you pan your viewport in any direction
over a plane.
You will understand what this means by
doing it. Just click on the Pan
tool .
Now left-click on the perspective viewport
and hold the mouse button down. While
holding the button down, drag the mouse
along any direction you want. The view
pans in 3D Studio MAX ( 3ds max ). Now
the idea should be clear for you. Right?
Try panning in other viewports too.
Rotating
the view
Rotation needs no explanation.
Right? It is the same thing
that happens in Matrix when
Trinity rises up from the floor
in the beginning of the movie.
The whole camera rotates around
the character. In 3D Studio
MAX ( 3DS MAX ) we have the
Arc Rotate
tool to rotate viewports. Make
sure that the 'Perspective View'
is selected. Now select the
Arc Rotate
tool .
You will see a circle at the
center of the currently selected
viewport. Click and drag the
mouse within the circle. You
will see that the view rotates
pivoted around the center of
the scene in 3D Studio MAX (
3ds max ).
Now if you move the mouse pointer
outside the circle created by
the Arc Rotate tool, you will
see that the mouse pointer changes.
Click-drag the mouse outside
the circle. You will see that
the whole view tilts. The difference
in rotation in 3D Studio MAX
( 3ds max ) is shown in the
diagram. Furthur operations
on viewports are discussed in
the next page of this tutorial.
Note:
Only perspective view supports
rotation. Front, Top and all orthographic
views are made to be viewed from
a fixed direction. You can't rotate
them. If you rotate an orthographic
view, the view changes to User
view, which is a non-orthographic
view. See the next pages of this
3D Studio MAX ( 3ds max ) tutorial
to learn how to switch the view
back to the original one.
.
Now left-click on the perspective viewport
and hold the mouse button down. While
holding the button down, drag the mouse
along any direction you want. The view
pans in 3D Studio MAX ( 3ds max ). Now
the idea should be clear for you. Right?
Try panning in other viewports too.
.
You will see a circle at the
center of the currently selected
viewport. Click and drag the
mouse within the circle. You
will see that the view rotates
pivoted around the center of
the scene in 3D Studio MAX (
3ds max ). 
