I work in perspective view most times and everytime I rotate from a top-down or left view to perspective I have to press "P" and mostly "Z" before I have my object focused again.

Is there a way to get directly into my perspective view without entering the ortho-view over and over again?

Hehe I have the same problem here ... Would lik eto know an answer too ...

Yea super annoying, I haven't ever seen a work around for it yet, other than creating a small script that combines P & Z into one action and then binding that to P.

Blender and Maya have that feature to turn an orthographic view into a perspective view on rotate. I don't think it exists for Max.

dunno if this is a quicker work around but in any viewport press v to bring up a view menu (like right clicking) and then hit P

at least no mouse clicks require

You could make it switch automatically with a script I think. I'd write it but really don't have the time at the moment.

If you've got a gaming keyboard (for example logitech G11) you could assign a shortkey to press P then Z. Wouldn't be a great solution but would save you a buttonpress each time.

What are you guys actually trying to do? Also, I'm aghast that so many of you still use default shortcuts in max. If you can explain without saying Z and P, because that means nothing to me, I'm sure whatever you want can be scripted or the like.

When you are in ortographic specific side view , and you rotate the objects i t gets in perspective ortographic , we would like a simple key to skip this passage and get directly to normal perspective view ...

Originally Posted by perna

What are you guys actually trying to do? Also, I'm aghast that so many of you still use default shortcuts in max. If you can explain without saying Z and P, because that means nothing to me, I'm sure whatever you want can be scripted or the like.

P is to change viewport to perspective view, and then Z to zoom extents.
I'd like to know how are your shortcuts set, scripts etc. Been using 3ds clean, love it btw!

My fault is to never use shortcuts I never took time to learn them , what is 3ds clean? is a tool?

Originally Posted by fonfa

P is to change viewport to perspective view, and then Z to zoom extents.
I'd like to know how are your shortcuts set, scripts etc. Been using 3ds clean, love it btw!

Fonfa: Great that 3dsclean works for you. Hopefully in the next decade I'll get to put the last finishing touches on the new set of tools. Thanks for clarification on the keyboard shortcuts.

I'm using completely custom viewport scripts. As for my shortcuts, I have a whole custom smart shortcut editor, again hopefully within the next millennia
I'll get around to sharing it

Originally Posted by NAIMA

When you are in ortographic specific side view , and you rotate the objects i t gets in perspective ortographic , we would like a simple key to skip this passage and get directly to normal perspective view ...

ok, so if I understand this correctly the workflow described in this thread is inefficient. Combining "P and Z" in a script doesn't make it any better. Every time you switch viewtype you completely lose any info you used to have about the view position, angle, fov, etc.


I don't work like this, but in your case, this is what I would do:

Set up your viewport like the below by right-clicking the viewport label then selecting Layout. This is the most solid setup IMO: 3 views for reference, one for working in.

Now, hit the maximize viewport shortcut. If you're using default shortcuts, please stop reading this and go get another hobby.

What you'll want to do now is maintain your views. That is, never rotate an ortho view and only ever use front/top/side orthos (you can bend the rules when you understand how it works).

At this point you can freely switch between any of the defined views, and all your viewport info such as zoom, pan, etc, will be just as you left it. Jumping between perspective/front/side/top will NOT mess with your existing view. You'll never have to zoom extents, and your views will remain the way you left them (for example zoomed in on a character head in front view)


Below I've included a nice way to set up your numpad to control basic viewport handling. Personally I don't rely on this anymore, but unless you want to do heavy custom scripting this is a nice, intuitive setup. You can extend this by using the remaining key and modifier key combinations for other viewport ops. Try to use the numpad for viewport ops and nothing else, and remove all viewport shortcuts from the rest of the keyboard; it makes it easier to remember your keys.

and 3dsclean is here: http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63739

macroscript rt_frame_perspective
category:"rt_ui_tools"
tooltip:"Switch to perspective view and frame selection"
(
max vpt persp user
max zoomext sel all
)

et voila, this'll cut a keypress off.

save the script in your script startup folder.
run it.
Go to customise UI
click the keyborad tab
set the category to "rt_ui_tools"
click 'switch to perspective and frame'
click into hotkey and press P
click assign

How do I script view hotkeys so that if I press one of the Top, Front, Side hotkeys while in Maximized Perspective, it saves the Perspective view before it goes to a T,F,S view; then, if I press the Perspective view hotkey it goes to Perspective view and restores what I was originally seeing in Perspective, rather than a Perspective view of what I was seeing in the T,F,S view? I've looked at the listener and found these for saving/restoring active view:

actionMan.executeAction 0 "40227" -- Views: Save Active View
actionMan.executeAction 0 "40228" -- Views: Restore Active View

And I tried to use them ahead of a view switch such as
max vpt persp user or actionMan.executeAction 0 "40182 -- Views: Perspective User View
to do this, but keep getting a false.

To reiterate, using the default Max hotkeys: In P, press T --saves P, goes to T. In T press P --restores P, not T view in P.

Originally Posted by swytch

How do I script view hotkeys so that if I press one of the Top, Front, Side hotkeys while in Maximized Perspective, it saves the Perspective view before it goes to a T,F,S view;

In the post before yours I described a way to do it without using scripting. With scripting, I only know to save all the matrices and viewport data, as opposed to a ready convenient function to take care of everything.

Originally Posted by MattLichy

That's a good idea/cool and all, but most of that stuff is already shortcuted. If not on keys, can use use ctrl or shift and quads to change views or use different pivots or lighting modes.

Don't quite get what you're saying here Matt. If you prefer to use shortcuts scattered all over the keyboard and quad menus (with all sorts of weird modifier key combos) and only get access to "most" of the functionality (I don't see how you can get by without all of it), then that's your choice. 3ds max easily has the worst default shortcuts of any graphics app that I'm aware of, and I'm trying to help those who would like to get away from them. I'm not trying to help those few that actually think the default shortcuts and quad menus are any good.

The whole point of the numpad viewport layout is that it's intuitive and extremely easy to remember. Take it or leave it but, cmon, don't compare it to the default shortcuts. That's just... wow :)

That's a good idea/cool and all, but most of that stuff is already shortcuted. If not on keys, can use use ctrl or shift and quads to change views or use different pivots or lighting modes.

what? its so easy to remember the default shortcuts, they start with the first letter of the function!!11

T for Top, an P for perspective, L for Left, whats so hard to remember that? :P

thats just... well nevermind ^^

Originally Posted by Neox

what? its so easy to remember the default shortcuts, they start with the first letter of the function!!11

T for Top, an P for perspective, L for Left, whats so hard to remember that? :P

thats just... well nevermind ^^

Yeah sounds great Neox, hehe

swytch, I made a video showing the viewport switching setup:

You Tube

I'm not such a bad ass professional like perna so I'm fine with the little script posted by fletch to do my daily unworthy hobbyist work. ;)

perna:
I really appreciate any tips, hints and advices but it sounds a bit arrogant to tell people they should look for another "hobby" if they use default shortcuts.
I really don't see something wrong using default shortuts because they are easy to rememeber in most cases. I have most shortcuts arranged on the left side of my keyboard because I work with the right hand on the mouse all the time and press keys with left hand.

Unfortunalty a lot of people don't change the UI or shortcuts to works more efficient. But telling them to quit 3d is a bit hard in my opinion.

Originally Posted by michi.be

I'm not such a bad ass professional like perna so I'm fine with the little script posted by fletch to do my daily unworthy hobbyist work. ;)

perna:
I really appreciate any tips, hints and advices but it sounds a bit arrogant to tell people they should look for another "hobby" if they use default shortcuts.
I really don't see something wrong using default shortuts because they are easy to rememeber in most cases. I have most shortcuts arranged on the left side of my keyboard because I work with the right hand on the mouse all the time and press keys with left hand.

Unfortunalty a lot of people don't change the UI or shortcuts to works more efficient. But telling them to quit 3d is a bit hard in my opinion.

I took the time to address your issue and even make a tutorial video. You are free to reply with insults and sarcastic snide remarks; just don't think it's going to create much goodwill, encourage me or others to provide help in the future, or make you appear as a healthy and socially adjusted individual.

How you manage to take the line about artists quitting 3D one hundred per cent literally, instead of just an exaggerated means of encouraging the use of custom shortcuts, is perhaps something you should reflect on.

Perhaps you should concern yourself less with making inflammatory comments about other people's personality and try to be more appreciative of objective efforts that are made to help you instead.

Ahh... bartender a round of sandy vagina's for my friends please, and don't forget the olives. Classic polycount guys...

I like Per's alternative numpad method. I would add a toggle for Realistic shading (currently set for me at 7). The realistic method gives great viewport results, however it solves iteratively so you get a flash and then it settles in every time you do something in the viewport. It's annoying for working, but if you take it a step down it goes away and if allow yourself to toggle it on and off when needed, it rocks.

I also fully agree the defaults in max are horrible and considering you can save/import the shortcuts you might as well take 30-40min to lay them out logically for how you work, and be thankful you're saving your wrists, hands and time. It helped me to record myself while working and play it back so I could see what was taking the longest. It will greatly help you to move away from a button interface to a keyboard shortcut. It also helped to fire up Silo and Modo and get used to their workflows, awesome apps and give great insight into how max should probably operate.

michi.be - can't you use a camera view instead of perpsective, then the view will be consistent.

Like I wrote before perna, I'm thankful if people take their time and help me with certain things I want to improve.

But I think it's not the best advice from You if you say people should get another hobby if they use default shortcuts. In my opinion this sounds arrogant and is not the proper way to talk to people who maybe do 3d as a hobby and put a lot of effort into their work, even using default shortcuts because you imply everyone is a unprofessional if he don't modify a tool. If you say the should get another hobby you want them quit 3d so i was right ther.

Someone can be professional even if he uses a tool without modifiying it. To bad my english isn't that detailed to describe my interpretation in a way a want.

I setup my hotkeys like an FPS. Important keys left hand and then a gradient of priority left to right.

works for me.

only app ive found to have a logical hotkey setup from a modelers perspective not a programmers is Silo.

I tend to work in all the views, including and pretty often the orthographic ones, but if I wanted to work in perspective all the time, I would enable the View Cube, cause, doesn't it stay in perspective and only switch if you go literally to the T,L,F views? If it kills the perspective, sorry :P