Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Each tab is broken out into different function sets, showing you icons that are useful
for a particular set of functions such as creating surfaces or creating lights and textures.
You can change the Shelf display to show the functions you'll be using by clicking the
tabs. Click the Surfaces tab, and you'll see icons to create often-used NURBS primitives
(such as spheres and cubes) and often-used tools (such as Loft and Extrude). For more on
these NURBS surface tools, see Chapter 5, “Modeling with NURBS, Subdivisions, and
Deformers.”
The Custom tab is empty so that you can create your own custom Shelf, populating it
with the tools you find most useful.
Pointing to an icon in the Shelf displays a tool tip that gives you the name and a
description of that tool.
Don't worry too much about the Shelf right now; it may be better to use the commands
from the menus first before turning to icons and shelves. Doing so will build your pro-
ficiency at finding the tools you need, and it will also give you the chance to explore fur-
ther every time you open a menu. After you've used Maya for a while, you'll probably use
the Shelf feature to create a group of your favorite tools; you'll find it to be a key feature of
your workflow.
a dvanC ed t ip: Customizing the s helF
a dvanC ed t ip: Customizing the s helF
When you've established a set of favorite Maya tools for routine tasks, you may want to custom-
ize the Shelf to make those tools immediately accessible. Clicking the Menu icon ( ) opens
a menu that you can use to edit the Shelf to your liking. To add a menu item to the Shelf, press
Ctrl+Alt+Shift, and select the command from the menu (for Mac users, press Ctrl+Option+Shift).
The command appears on the current Shelf. To get rid of an item, MMB+click to drag it to the
Trash icon. You can create multiple shelves, stack them on top of each other, and access them by
clicking the Shelf Tab icon ( ) above the Menu icon to the left of the Shelf. For more, see the
section “Customizing Maya” at the end of this chapter.
When you've established a set of favorite Maya tools for routine tasks, you may want to custom-
ize the Shelf to make those tools immediately accessible. Clicking the Menu icon ( ) opens
a menu that you can use to edit the Shelf to your liking. To add a menu item to the Shelf, press
Ctrl+Alt+Shift, and select the command from the menu (for Mac users, press Ctrl+Option+Shift).
The command appears on the current Shelf. To get rid of an item, MMB+click to drag it to the
Trash icon. You can create multiple shelves, stack them on top of each other, and access them by
clicking the Shelf Tab icon ( ) above the Menu icon to the left of the Shelf. For more, see the
section “Customizing Maya” at the end of this chapter.
The Tool Box
The Tool Box, shown in Figure 3.5, displays the most commonly used tools: Select, Lasso
Select, Translate (or Move), Rotate, Scale, Universal Manipulator, Soft Modification, and
Show Manipulator. In addition to the common commands, it displays several choices
for screen layouts that let you change the interface with a single click. This is convenient
because different animations call for different view modes. Experiment with the layouts
by clicking any of the six presets in the Tool Box.
Figure 3.5
The Tool Box
