The Track View user interface is fully customizable. There are many ways you can change the UI to suit your needs.
A customized Track View user interface:
• Controllers toolbar docked left
• Controller window (Hierarchy) hidden
• Tools toolbar floating
• Navigation toolbar docked right
You can hide or display UI elements as you need to use them. Customization tools are available from the Track View menu bar or from several Track View toolbars. You can float or dock the toolbars to the top, bottom, left, or right of the application window, for example, floating a toolbar so it is closer to where you are working.
To customize the Track View UI, right-click the menu bar or the blank space to the right of the Track View toolbars. A right-click menu opens with customization tools.
Track View Toolbar Right-Click Menu
You can use commands on the toolbar right-click menu to perform most Track View interface-customization tasks. Move your cursor over the blank space to the right of the Track View toolbars and right-click to open this menu.
This submenu, available on the toolbar right-click menu (see preceding), lets you toggle Track View user-interface elements. You can hide or show the menu bar, scroll bars, the controller and key windows, and the time ruler.
The menu bar gives access to most of the tools also found on the toolbars. The menu bar can be displayed or hidden in the Curve Editor, Dope Sheet, or track bar. The menu bar is context-sensitive, so it changes its display depending on which Track View mode is active.
Standard Windows scroll bars can be displayed or hidden for the Track View window. These are useful for navigating complex or lengthy windows.
Use the Pan hand button to scroll when these are not visible. The middle mouse button can also be used to activate the pan hand to scroll this window.
There are two side-by-side display areas in Track View. They are the Controller window and the Key window. The Controller window contains the Hierarchy list with labeled tracks. The Key window displays the keys either as curves in the Curve Editor, or as boxes or ranges on a grid in Dope Sheet mode. Use Show UI Elements, available from the toolbar right-click menu, to hide either window.
The Show Toolbars submenu on the Track View toolbars right-click menu lets you toggle the available toolbars. Some are available in both Curve Editor and Dope Sheet modes, while the availability of others depends on the mode.
Track View - Curve Editor Toolbars
You can display Curve Editor toolbars for quick access to tools.
The Curve Editor toolbars that you can display or hide, dock or float, from the right-click menu include the following:
There are 11 toolbars that can be displayed when in Dope Sheet mode. In addition to the ones listed above for the Curve Editor, you can also choose to display the following:
Both the Curve Editor and Dope Sheet Edit Keys mode take advantage of soft selection of keys. If you choose Keys menu Use Soft Select, then choose Soft Selection Settings, the Soft Selection Settings toolbar is displayed. This toolbar is accessible only from the Keys menu, not from the right-click menu. If you want this menu to stay visible, save a Track View layout.
You can dock the Track View windows below the time slider and track bar by choosing Dock Bottom from the toolbar right-click menu. You can dock multiple Track View windows using this technique.
You can also display a Track View window below the viewports by clicking the Open Mini-Curve Editor button at the upper left corner of the track bar. Using this method, the time slider and track bar are replaced with the Track View window. As with Dope Sheet and Curve Editor modes, you use the toolbar right-click menu to display or hide all Track View UI elements.
To reload a saved Track View layout:
You can save a particular Track View window, displaying to a particular set of tracks, by using the Name: Track View toolbar.
To restore the default Track View user interface:
If you have customized your Track View user interface and want to return to the original installed version, do the following:
To add a new menu bar name to a custom Track View layout:
Save the layout after you are done and the changes will be persistent.
In the MAXScript Listener, type trackviews.current.ui.menubar = "Dope Sheet - Menu Bar", substituting your menu bar name, and then press the Enter key.
You can use commands on the right-click toolbar menu to perform most Track View UI customization tasks. Move your cursor over the blank space to the right of the Track View toolbars and right-click. This shortcut menu's customization tools are as follows: