MilkShape Basics
8) Customizing MilkShape

Lots of people use milkshape and have no idea that the color configuration is cusomizable.

The first part that you should go about customizing to your liking is the window layout.

This is your basic layout when you install milkshape.


This is not the best layout, so go up and click on Window on the menu bar. This is what you should see:


The Viewports option lets you change the layout to a right handed or left handed 3 window layout. If you experiment with this you will probably find that it is easier to model with 4 windows. The control panel option lets you put the control panel on the right or left. Texture coordinate editor doesn't change the layout but opens up a window that alows you to change the texture coodinates of your model. You don't need to worry about this untill you plan on skinning your model. Show message window opens the message window, which appears under the viewports. I don't really see the point of having this open. I Prefer to have more space to see my model. Show viewport caption on the other hand is something I always leave on as it makes it easier to change the view in a view port.

The Viewport Caption


The first box from the left lets change the view of the viewport by a pulldown menu. The second box is the grid size in that viewport. The third window is the minimum viewing distance and the fourth box is the max viewing distance. Unless you have a really old computer or are working on a very complex model you should never have to change the viewing distance.

The show keyframer option brings up the keyframer panel that is used to animate your models. I find it nice to leave this unchecked untill you want to animate your model.

Enough with the Windows

The next thing you may want to do is change your color scheme. So go up to file and open up the preferences dialog box.

The preferences dialog box


The fist box lets you choose a part of the program and change the color of it. Just choose the aspect of the program in the drop down window and then click on choose and a color picker window comes up. The second box lets you change the grid size and the third box lets you change how large vertices are displayed. Filter textures, when unchecked, reduces the quality that textres are displayed in the program and it raises performance a little, but not much. Can line stipple lets you chose how the selection box is displayed.

Can line stiple on


can line stipple off


Now click on the Misc tab and a whole lot more options come up.


Import frame lets you choose what frame to import a model at. Because most file formats do not support bones the way that milkshape does it can not import the bones. It therefore can only import one frame. Whatever you do don't mess with the animation frames after you have started animating. It will try to playback your animation at the same speed it was, soo if you change the frames per second from 20 to 24 an animation that took 20 frames now will take 22 (estimeted). And all off your keyframes will be on decimal frames. Just trust me and don't screw with this at all unless you know what you are doing. CS hand offset has somthing to do with either importing or exporting counterstrike models and I don't know what it does. Joint size allows you to change the size that joints are displayed in the program (much like the vert size mentioned earlier).

The third and last way to costomize milkshape is by right clicking on a viewport. All the options in here are likely to be changed multiple times while in the process of modeling.


The first four choices allow you to choose how your model will be rendered in that viewport.

Wireframe


Flat Shaded


Smooth Shaded

Textured


Projection changes the view of the viewport. Show Axis and Show Grid hide the grid and axis when unchecked. Draw backfaces makes it so you can only see the front of a polygon and can see through the back. Reset view resets the view to what the default view for that projection. Frame all fits your whole model into the viewport. Frame selection fits all of your selection into the viewport. Choose Background image lets you place an image that you can model on top of. Maximize makes that viewport take up the whole screen.