The menus in Maya are grouped into menu sets. Each menu set corresponds to a module of the software: Animation, Polygons, Surfaces, Dynamics, Rendering, and nDynamics. As you switch between menu sets, the right-hand menus change, but the left-hand menus remain the same; these are the common menus.
To switch between menu sets, use the Status Line drop-down list or hotkeys. The default hotkeys are: F2 (Animation), F3 (Polygons), F4 (Surfaces), F6 (Rendering).
You can create custom menu sets that contain your choice of menu items. For more information, see Custom menu sets.
You can display menus as separate windows. This is helpful when you use a menu repeatedly. Pull down the menu and click the tear-off line at the top. Tear-off menus always display on top.
