Viewport Layouts

Managing the Viewport Layouts Tab Bar

Procedures

Example: To use Viewport Layouts:

The Viewport Layouts feature can facilitate any number of different workflows in 3ds Max. This procedure illustrates one that enables multiple views of a scene plus an extended viewport.

1. Start 3ds Max. If the default layout isn't the standard 2 x 2 viewports, use the Layout panel to set it.
2. Add a few different objects in the Perspective viewport, such as a teapot, a sphere, and a box.

   All three objects appear in all four viewports.

3. Use Zoom and Pan to fill the Top viewport with the teapot and the Front viewport with the sphere.
   
4. Note the Viewport Layouts tab bar, the vertical bar to the left of the viewports. The bar contains a single tab, which represents the current layout. You'll add a layout by loading it from the available presets. Start by clicking the arrow button above the tab on the tab bar.

   The Viewport Layouts Presets menu opens. Because you haven't saved any custom presets, it contains only the standard viewport layouts. Each item is represented by a thumbnail icon that depicts its layout.

5. On the Presets menu, click the icon for the first layout; it resembles a single, undivided rectangle.
   

   A new tab is added to the tab bar and its layout opens with a single, full-screen viewport. It uses the Top wireframe view because that's the default single-viewport view from the Layout panel.

   Note: When you load a preset layout, it activates automatically.
6. Press the P key to switch it to a Perspective viewport and F3 to switch to a shaded view, then pan, zoom, and rotate the view so you're zoomed in on the teapot.
   
7. Right-click the tab to open the context menu, then click in the Name field and change the name to Teapot Closeup.
   

   Check the tooltip for the tab; it's the same as the layout name.

8. Repeat steps 4-6 to create another closeup view for the sphere and name it Sphere Closeup.
9. Click the arrow button again and this time choose the first preset in the third row.

   This creates a new, fourth tab with two horizontal viewports. Its name is Row 1, Row 1.

10. In the top-left corner of the upper viewport, click the Top menu header (the one between the other two menu headers), then choose Extended Viewports Track View New.

    A new Track View setup replaces the viewport contents. You can use this layout to animate the scene and edit your animation at the same time. Also, note that the upper part of the icon on the tab contains horizontal lines to indicate that it contains an extended view.

    
11. Change the tab name to Track View + Front.
12. Click each of the four tabs in turn and note that it invokes its own viewport setup.

    This shows how you can use the Viewport Layouts feature to switch quickly among various viewport setups: viewing the whole scene from different angles simultaneously, editing specific objects in a full-screen, closeup view, and animating the scene in a single viewport with easy access to Track View.

    You can also delete a layout when you're done with it, removing it and its tab and recovering the memory it occupied.

13. Save the scene, then right-click the Sphere Closeup tab and choose Delete Tab.

    The layout and its tab disappear.

    Note: The Delete Tab command is not undoable.
14. Reset 3ds Max and take a look at the tab bar.

    The tabs you created are gone. Tabs do not persist between sessions. To use a custom layout in different scenes, use the Presets feature as described in the next procedure.

15. Load the scene from step 13.

    The tabs and setup are restored intact. Tabs and their contents are saved and loaded with the scene.

Example: To create custom layout presets:

1. Continue from the preceding procedure.
2. Click the first (lowest) tab. It should still have the name Quad 4.

   The standard four-viewport layout appears.

3. Click the top tab: Track View + Front.
4. Right-click the Track View + Front tab and click Save Configuration As Preset.
   

   The message "Preset is created" appears briefly.

5. Open the Presets menu by clicking the arrow button.

   The upper part of the menu contains a new section titled Saved Layout Presets, which includes a single entry: Track View + Front Preset.

6. Close the menu by clicking anywhere outside it.
7. With the Track View + Front layout still active, right-click the next tab down, Sphere Closeup, and save it as a second preset.

   This shows that you can save a custom preset from any tab, not just the active one.

8. Open the Presets menu again and click the Sphere Closeup Preset item.

   A new layout opens showing the scene from above. Note that the single viewport uses the Perspective viewpoint that was saved with the preset, but it uses a default zoomed-out view. Also, if you're using a display driver other than Nitrous, the viewport uses Wireframe rendering mode. The preset does not remember the viewport transforms, but instead uses the default setting. And if you're not using Nitrous as the display driver, it uses the default viewport rendering option as well.

9. Reset 3ds Max and add a torus in the center of the grid in the Perspective viewport, then open the Presets menu.

   The presets you created a few moments ago are still there.

10. Choose Track View + Front Preset.

    The same multi-purpose layout opens, this time showing the torus. This shows that the Custom Presets feature is particularly useful with layouts containing Extended Viewports options and viewports showing default views.

11. To edit the presets, open the presets menu and click the button to the right of the Saved Layout Presets heading.

    The edit fields containing the custom preset names become visible, each with a red X button on its right side.

12. To change a preset name, click in its edit field and use the keyboard. To delete a preset, click its X button. To finish editing, click the button again or click anywhere outside the presets menu.

Interface