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The Scene Manager has several tabs, each of which deals with a particular aspect of the Maxwell scene:
| Tab | Description |
|---|---|
| Materials | This tab contains the list of materials used in the current scene; these materials are saved with the document. New materials may be created from scratch, by using the plugin’s material Wizard, or by dragging MXM files into the list from the Database Manager’s MXM Browser page, or from Explorer. |
| Extensions | This tab contains a list of extensions (currently, Maxwell Grass, Sea, and Volumetric). Extensions may may be applied to geometry, using the right-click menu, to change how it is rendered. In some cases, an extension may modify the object's geometry, while in others, it may replace it entirely. |
| Camera | Contains parameters used to control the Maxwell camera. Each Rhino viewport gets its own camera, including Named Views. At MXS-export time, all Rhino views and Named Views will be exported, unless the Active camera only option is set in Scene Manager > Options > Export. |
| Location & Time | Contains parameters which control the scene’s location, time, and date. Time and date may be set interactively by dragging the SunView globe, which provides a Suns-eye view of the Earth. The scene’s location may be set explicitly using the Latitude and Longitude values, by choosing a city preset from the drop-down list, or by browsing for a .kml file. The Sun may be shown in the viewport by toggling-on the Show Sun in Viewport button in the toolbar. |
| Environment | Determines which render environment to use; the choices are: Sky Dome, Physical Sky, Image Based, or None. |
| Output | Contains parameters which control where the output files will be written, how the image will be rendered, and which export options to use. |
| Options | Contains various plugin user-Preferences which are used to determine various plugin behaviors. |
Scene Manager Tabs & Toolbar
The toolbar located below the Scene Manager’s tabs strip is context-sensitive; it holds slightly-different controls, depending on which tab page is currently being shown:
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Due to the auto-GMT feature of the Location & Time page’s SunView globe, it is recommended not to leave this page visible at shut-down; this is because each page is loaded on-demand and loading the Location & Time tab takes more time than the other lighter-weight tab pages.
Dynamic Help
The Scene Manager also has in its toolbar a button which toggles the visibility of the plugin’s real-time help viewer window:
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