Modify Panel
 
 
 
Command entry:Command panels Modify panel

From the Create panel of 3ds Max, you place basic objects in your scene, including 3D geometry, 2D shapes, lights and cameras, space warps, and helpers. Each object you add has its own set of creation parameters, which define its geometry and other characteristics, depending on the type of object. Once placed in a scene, objects carry their creation parameters with them. You can change these parameters on the Modify panel.

You also use the Modify panel to assign modifiers. Modifiers are tools for reshaping an object. While they mold the final appearance of the object, modifiers do not change its underlying creation parameters.

You use the Modify panel to:

NoteSome space warps can be created as modifiers. See World Space Modifiers (WSMs).

The Modify panel stays in view until you dismiss it by clicking the tab of another command panel. The top section of the panel always contains name and color controls, optionally the current modifier set buttons, the Modifier List, and the modifier stack and related controls. The remaining contents of the panel (various rollouts with options and controls) update when you select an object, giving you access only to what you can modify about that object.

What you can modify depends on whether an object is classed as a geometric primitive like a sphere, or as another kind of object, such as a light or a space warp. Each category has its own range of possibilities. The contents of the Modify panel are always specific to the category as well as to the selected object. When you make a change from the Modify panel, you immediately see the results transferred to the object.

You can change or delete modifiers by using the Modifier Stack Controls.

Procedures

To use the Modify panel:

  1. Select an object.
  2. On the Command panel, click the Modify tab to display the Modify panel.

    The name of the object appears at the top of the Modify panel, and the remainder of the panel displays settings for the object or the modifier at the top of its stack.

  3. You can now do any of the following:
    • Change the parameters for the object. As you change these parameters, the object updates in the viewports.
    • Apply a modifier to the object.
    • Change the parameters for a modifier. As you change these parameters, the object updates in the viewports.
    • Collapse the stack to create an editable surface such as an editable mesh.

To apply a modifier from the Modify panel:

  1. Select an object.
  2. On the Command panel, click the Modify tab to display the Modify panel. On the Modify panel, click the Modifier List to open the list of modifiers.
  3. Scroll through the list to find the modifier you want. You can use any standard method:
    • From the keyboard, press Up Arrow or Down Arrow to scroll one item at a time, or press Page Up or Page Down to scroll in screen-height increments, or use Home or End to jump to the top or bottom of the list. The name of the chosen modifier is highlighted, and the name appears at the top of the list.
      TipIf you know the modifier name, you can jump to its section by pressing the keyboard key corresponding to first letter of the name. To cycle through all modifiers starting with that letter, press the key repeatedly.
    • With the mouse, slide the scroll bar on the right side of the list, or turn the mouse wheel.
  4. Apply the modifier. If using the keyboard, press Enter to apply the highlighted modifier. If using the mouse, simply click the modifier name to apply it.
See Also
  • Modifier Stack Controls

    The modifier stack controls appear near the top of the Modify panel, just below the Modifier List. The modifier stack ("stack" for short) contains the accumulated history of an object, including its creation parameters and the modifiers applied to it. At the bottom of the stack is the original object. Above the object are the modifiers, in order from bottom to top. This is the order in which modifiers are applied to the object's geometry.

  • Modifier Stack Right-Click Menu

    Some commands for managing modifiers are available by right-clicking the modifier stack display. Some options are unavailable if they don't apply to the current modifier. For example, Make Unique is available only if you select an instanced modifier.

  • Make Unique

    Make Unique lets you convert an instanced object to a copy that's unique. A object is instanced when it is cloned (Shift+Move or Shift+Rotate). If you make changes to an instanced object the changes are also reflected in the other instances in your scene. Making objects unique lets you adjust or change those objects independently without affecting any other objects in the scene.

  • Modifier Sets Menu

    The button sets menu gives you options for managing and customizing shortcut buttons for applying modifiers.

  • Configure Modifier Sets Dialog

    This dialog lets you create custom modifier and button sets for the Modify panel.