Panels
Maxwell Studio provides different panels for different functions. The panels can be opened or closed using the Window menu or right-clicking in the title bar of a panel.
Panel name | Functionality |
---|---|
Cameras List | List of cameras in the scene |
Camera Parameters | Parameters of the selected camera |
Object list | List of all objects and groups of objects in the scene |
Object Parameters | Parameters of the selected objects or instances |
Instances | List of instances for the selected object |
Environment settings | Physical sky/ SkyDome/ IBL lighting options |
Materials list | List of materials available in the scene |
Material Editor | Advanced editing of the selected material |
Material Browser | Browse material libraries on local/networked computers, or access the MXM gallery |
Render Options | General rendering options |
Interactive Preview | Preview windows to display interactively your scene while you are editing it |
Color Picker | Color selector |
Textures Panel | List of textures in the scene along with useful info for each one (size, type etc) |
Console | Info and error messages from Studio |
History | List of changes made in the scene which you can scroll through to undo/redo changes |
Most of the panels are divided into subsections to display the information more efficiently. Click on the section’s name to expand/collapse the section. Some panels – like the Camera and Object List panels – are disabled if you do not have a camera/object selected.
The Window tab on the Menu bar, contains the list of all the available panels in Studio, that you can display or hide.
The Window tab on the Menu bar showing all the panels in Maxwell Studio
Numerical inputs
The numerical input can be edited by typing in new numbers or clicking the up and down arrows. You can also use the MMB (middle mouse button) and drag over the up/down arrows to scroll the setting. Alternatively you can use the scroll wheel of the mouse. Press Ctrl while using the MMB to scroll faster through the numbers.
Keep in mind that the Ctrl key in Windows corresponds to the Cmd key in Mac OSX, so wherever the Ctrl key is used on a shortcut, Mac users should use the Command key.
Right-clicking in a numeric field brings up a menu with the option to set the Decimal Precision. This way you can customize each numeric field to your needs. Some fields may not need any decimals at all; others may require 3 or 4 decimals. If you want to move an object in very small increments you can increase the number of decimals.
For numeric fields that are related, such as the Position/Rotation/Scale numerics in the Object Parameters panel, you can also type in a value just for X Position, and hold Shift while pressing Enter. This will copy the value you entered to all three position fields. You can also press Shift + MMB when hovering over the up/down arrows to change all the related fields at the same time.
When selecting a color in the Color Picker, if you want to create a gray desaturated color, just type one value on one numeric field and hold the Shift button while you click Enter. This propagates your value to all the fields, producing a gray color.