Do you find yourself using a tool constantly, but it's buried deep within a menu? This happens a lot in 3ds Max because it has a menu-based UI. You might be intimidated with the idea of customization. It can create some anxiety with the thought of "messing up" the default UI. Fear not, because this article is going to discuss how to easily customize your UI step by step. Keyboard Shortcuts Keyboard shortcuts are the most common method for saving time during production. Make sure you know the default keyboard shortcuts. The 3ds Max documentation is a great place to find all of these. Perform the following steps to create a custom keyboard shortcut:

• In the Menu Bar choose Customize > Customize User Interface
• Select the Keyboard tab in the following dialog box.
• Select Main UI in the Group drop-down menu
• Select Object Primitives in the Category drop-down menu
• Select Plane in the Action List below
• Click in the Hotkey input box
• Type in P
  • Notice that the Assigned To input box states that P is assigned to Perspective view. This one is important so don't use P.
• Instead, hold Alt + Ctrl + Shift + P
  • Notice it now states that this shortcut is not assigned.
• Click Assign
• You can save this shortcut by clicking Save and saving the file in the default location given. Save it as MaxStartUI.kbdx
  • If you ever want to restore the default UI, simply click Reset.
• Test it out! Close the Customize User Interface dialog box and hold Alt + Ctrl + Shift + P. You'll notice that you can now create a plane in the viewport without ever stepping foot in the Create tab.

Quad Menus Quad Menus are extremely powerful but rarely get used by 3ds Max users, other than the default Quad Menu, of course. Perform the following steps to create a custom quad menu:

• In the Menu Bar choose Customize > Customize User Interface

• Select the Quads tab in the following dialog box.
• Select Main UI in the Group drop-down menu
• Select PolyTools in the Category drop-down menu
• Select Swift Loop in the Action List below
• Now Select which Quad Menu you want to assign the Swift Loop tool to.
  • Notice that the Default Viewport Quad is selected by default
• Select Custom in the Quad Menu drop-down menu
  • Notice the Shortcut to bring up this Quad Menu (Shift + Ctrl + Alt + RMB [right mouse button])
• Now choose in which quadrant you want this tool to appear
  • Notice that by default, the lower right quadrant is highlighted in yellow.
• Type in PolyTools in the Label input box
• Now drag and drop the Swift Loop tool from the Actions List on the left to the Quad Menu List on the right above "End of Menu". You can add as many tools as you like.
• Check Show All Quads
  • This will force the Quad Menu to show all quads when it is used.
• You can save this Quad Menu by clicking Save and saving the file in the default location given. Save it as MaxStartUI.mnux
• Test it out! Close the Customize User Interface dialog box and hold Alt + Ctrl + Shift  and click the RMB. You'll notice your new Quad menu pops up with the PolyTool label and the Swift Loop tool under it.
  • To get the tool to work, you must have an Editable Poly object selected in your scene.

Keyboard Shortcuts and Quad Menus are a great way to customize your UI to allow you to work faster inside 3ds Max. Remember, if at any time you want to revert back to the default UI, just click Reset in the Custom User Interface dialog box. So, take note of your most commonly used tools and make them part of your own custom user interface.