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Preferences window

Color

  Specifies the default colors in the Mudbox interface. Click a color tile to display the Color Chooser window and modify the default color settings for the item.

Render

Limit Wireframe to Level

  Specifies the highest subdivision level at which the Wireframe display option will update on a model. Setting a lower value improves the interactive performance when working with complex models. See also Change the model display.

Max Texture Size

  Specifies the size limit (in pixels) for texture image display in order to save memory usage. Textures larger than the specified resolution are reduced to fit.

Fast Render Scale

  Increases the interactive performance when tumbling dense models in the range of 4 million quads and higher. If you want your model to look as detailed as possible and are not concerned about performance, set Fast Render Scale to a value of 0.1. Higher values in the range of 1.0 - 2.0 allow the model to tumble faster but fine detail appears when you zoom in close.

Level change tolerance

  A surface sampling sensitivity setting for Fast Render Scale. A low value (0.7) indicates more surface sampling, while a higher value (3) samples the surface less often. The default setting is sufficient in most situations.

Use Texture Filtering

  When on (by default), Mudbox applies an anti-aliasing filter to smooth the appearance of any textures painted or applied to a model. Turn off if you need to view textures without this filter. Turning off can also improve performance for the Cavity Ambient Occlusion viewport filter on older graphics cards.

Focus

Dolly With Focus

  Allows the camera to dolly when focusing on its center of interest. Placing the cursor over a model and pressing the F hotkey focuses the camera on that location.

Import Autofocus

  Determines if and when the camera automatically focuses on objects when they are imported. Options include: Empty Scene Only, Always, and Never.

Local Focus

  Sets the aim point for the camera to the last location touched by the sculpting brush. This option prevents the model from tumbling very far from the current view when you sculpt close up.

Dolly Amount

  Determines how much the camera dollies while focusing. The value indicates how much screen space the brush ring display covers after the camera focuses on the center of interest. For example, a value of 100 means the camera will dolly in until the brush ring fills 100 percent of the screen.

Autofocus on Flatten

  Centers the camera view on the flattened model immediately after you select Mesh > Flatten to UV Space. The flattened version is viewed from a front orthographic perspective to allow painting. When off, the existing camera view is unchanged when you select Flatten to UV Space. Off by default.

Mudbox Community

Enable Mudbox Community

  Turns on the Mudbox Community so it appears in a separate tab at the top of the 3D View.

Proxy Server Type

  Lets you specify the proxy server type you will use to access the community. Off by default.

  A proxy server acts as a go-between for web sites and web browsers. If your proxy server is configured automatically, or a proxy server is not required, you can leave the setting Off. However, if proxy server settings are required, you can consult your system administrator and configure the following settings. Server type options include SOCKS5, and HTTP based on the different protocols in use.

Proxy Server Host

  Specifies the hostname for the proxy server.

Proxy Server Port

  Specifies the proxy server port number.

Proxy Server Requires Authentication

  Turn on if your proxy server requires authentication to send and receive data.

Proxy Server Username

  Specifies the proxy username required for authentication.

Proxy Server Password

  Specifies the password required by the proxy server.

Paths

This section lists the directory location for stamps, stencils, icons, image planes, log files, temporary files, settings files, data (.mud) files, and texture (paint) files. See also File environment.

Other paths include:

Maya

  Specifies the default directory location for Maya, used by the Send To Maya option. See also Send files to Maya.

Mudbox Community

  Specifies the default directory for all files and content (web cache, cookies, stencils, stamps, base models, and so on) that are either used by or downloaded from the Mudbox Community site.

Files

Generate thumbnails when saving OBJ files

  When on, a small bitmap image of the 3D View is created when you save a file. The thumbnail is subsequently displayed in the Open a file area of the Welcome window.

Preprocessing face count upper limit and Preprocessing face count lower limit

  Set the upper and lower limit for determining whether an imported quad model is pre-processed when loaded. A pre-processed model tumbles faster when its polygon count is dense (4-100million polygons).

Enable Preprocessing on Load

  When on, imported quad models are pre-processed when loaded into the 3D View. Set upper and lower face count limits using the options listed above. Pre-processing models will not preserve the original vertex IDs.

FBX

Set the following preferences for importing and exporting from Mudbox using the FBX format.

Export ASCII FBX

  When on, sets the default output file format for FBX from binary to ASCII. The recommended FBX format is binary, but ASCII can be useful when troubleshooting.

Export Layers As Blendshapes

  By default, the selected object is exported based on its current subdivision level and any detail contained on the sculpt layers associated with that subdivision level when exporting using FBX.

  Turn this option on if you want to preserve the separate sculpt layers on the current subdivision level as individual blendshapes. This produces separate blend shape targets that can be modified in Maya or 3ds Max in a manner similar to the layer Opacity slider within Mudbox.

Reference Textures From .mud File

  By default, when you export a Mudbox scene using FBX, a subdirectory titled <filename> .fbx-files is created to store any existing paint layers (textures).

  If the Mudbox scene has been previously saved and a -files subdirectory already exists, you can reference the -files directory instead.

  Turn on to export an .fbx file that references the same -files subdirectory as the .mud scene.

Send Paint Layers On Export

  Specifies whether any paint layers on an exported model (including the background color) are saved as discrete textures. If the 3D application supports it, the textures usually appear as layered textures on the model's shading material. On by default.

Flatten Paint Layers On Export

  By default, any paint layers that exist on the exported model (including the background color) are saved as discrete textures. If the 3D application supports it, the textures usually appear as layered textures on the model's shading material.

  As some 3D applications do not support multiple layered textures within a single texture channel, turning on Flatten Paint Layers On Export is recommended. This causes the paint layers to be merged into one texture per channel during export.

Import Materials and Textures

  By default, any assigned materials and textures in an FBX file are automatically imported into Mudbox with the mesh. Turn off if you do not want materials and textures imported with the mesh. When off, the default Mudbox Material is assigned.

Import Joints

  When on (default), existing skeleton rig data is imported as joints in Mudbox. You can use the joints and associated weight values with the Mudbox Pose tools.

Smooth Joint Weights

  Smooths out (blurs) the joint weighting for imported joints. A value of 0 does no smoothing, and the maximum smoothing (blur) is 100. Default is 10.

  A maximum of four joints can influence a vertex on a model in Mudbox. When you import rigs where more than four joints are set to influence a vertex, only the four strongest joints are assigned for that vertex and the remaining joint influences are ignored. In some instances, the joint weighting can transition abruptly as a result.

Paint

Disable Paint Undo

  Disables Edit > Undo when painting (and only for painting) to improve interactive performance.

Color Unloaded Tiles

  For areas on a multi-tiled model where the associated UV texture tile is unloaded, this preference sets whether a color displays to highlight the unloaded tiles. When off, areas with unloaded tiles display the same color as the current material color, so there is no color differentiation between loaded and unloaded tiles. See also Hide and show UV tiles on a model.

Brush Sample Area

  Controls the sample size directly beneath the paint brush cursor. In most circumstances, the default setting of 0 is sufficient.

  When painting models with very narrow, thin faces or larger faces relative to the size of the brush tip, visible artifacts can appear. In these situations, try increasing the Brush Sample Area to extend outside the brush cursor to determine the brush effect. For example, a value of 1 doubles the area that is calculated.

  NoteInteractive performance of paint brushes can decrease as you increase the Brush Sample Area.
Edge Bleed

  Specifies the size of the border that is automatically extended outside the perimeter of a UV shell when painting on a model. Extending paint pixels beyond the perimeter edges reduces the appearance of seams on a painted model where separate UV shells meet.

  A value of 0 specifies no edge bleed. A value of 1 specifies a one pixel border width outside the shell, while a value of 2 specifies a 2 pixel border width (based on a 1024 x 1024 resolution texture image). A value of 2 specifies a 4 pixel border when the image texture resolution is 2048 x 2048. Working range is between 0 and 10.

Texture Ratio

  Specifies the stamp texture size relative to the painted texture. The larger the ratio, the better paint quality, however the paint brush can be slower. Options include: Fast, Full, and Medium.

Fast Dry Brush

  Accelerates the Dry Brush by quickly calculating the average height of the surface detail used as the reference for the tool. On by default. Turn off if the accuracy of the Dry Brush is not satisfactory.

TIFF Compression

  Specifies LZW compression for TIFF files. LZW is the default setting, but there are two other options: None and Deflate.

User Interface

Linear Units

  Sets the measurement units for the world. Options include: Millimeter, Centimeter, Meter, Inch.

Double Click

  Sets the time limit in milliseconds that distinguishes a double click from two consecutive clicks.

Drag Box Size

  Sets the distance (in pixels) that the cursor must be within in order to select a control point when editing the brush profile within the Brush Falloff properties.

Show Learning Movies in Welcome Window

  Sets whether the learning movies appear in the Welcome window. When off, the Welcome window displays only the Start a new sculpture and Open a file options.

Show Welcome Window

  Sets whether the Welcome window displays when you start Mudbox.

Show Informative Messages on HUD

  Sets whether Heads-Up Display (HUD) appears in the 3D View to indicate the status (current subdivision level, polygon count) for the active model.

Show Help Messages on HUD

  Specifies whether Heads-Up Display (HUD) appears to provide useful tool tips (including hotkeys) for features in the 3D View.

Get Help From

  Specifies how you want to access the Mudbox Help when you select Help > Mudbox Help. Options include:

Autodesk Web Site

  Accesses the Help from an Autodesk web server. This is the default setting and provides the most current version of the Help.

Local Machine/Network

  Accesses the Help from your computer (or internal network location) depending on where you have manually installed the Help.

  Use this option if your Internet access is unreliable or your work environment doesn’t provide Internet access. You must first install the Mudbox Help on your computer (available from the Documentation page of the Mudbox Learning Resources web site) then set the Help Path preference in Mudbox. See also Install the Mudbox Help.

Help Path

  Available when Get Help From is set to Local Machine/Network. Lets you specify the local or network location where you have installed the Mudbox Help.

Expert Mode Hides

  Specifies which elements of the Mudbox interface are hidden or displayed when you press the T hotkey. Options include:

South Frame

  Controls the display of the brush and stencil trays at the bottom of the interface.

East Frame

  Controls the display of the managers and properties windows at the right side of the interface.

Menu Bar

  Controls the main menu bar.

Status Bar

  Controls the Status bar at the bottom of the Mudbox interface.

Status Line

Use the following preferences to set what displays on the Status bar:

Selected Face Count

  Displays the number of selected faces in the scene.

Visible Face Count

  Displays the number of visible faces in the scene

FPS

  Indicates the rate at which the 3D View is refreshed as a value in frames-per-second.

Save Reminder

  Displays a timer that counts the time from the last save. When the timer reaches the limit set in the Minutes preference, the Save reminder box on the status bar flashes red. Click the Save reminder to cancel the current reminder and reset the timer.

Minutes

  Sets the amount of time before the Save reminder box flashes.

Camera

Dolly Sensitivity

  Specifies how responsive the camera is to the movement of the mouse or pen while dollying.

Track Sensitivity

  Specifies how responsive the camera is to the movement of the mouse or pen while tracking.

Rotate Sensitivity

  Specifies how responsive the camera is to the movement of the mouse or pen while rotating.

Camera Navigation Style

  Specifies the camera control behavior. Default makes the camera rotate relative to the world Y-axis. Trackball allows the camera to rotate freestyle by rotating it relative to the screen.

Roll Area

  Determines the size of the roll area. The roll area is used only when Camera Navigation Style is set to Trackball and is found in the outer portion of the 3D View. Click and drag within this area to roll the camera on its own axis.

Stencil

Rotate Sensitivity

  Specifies how responsive the stencil is to the movement of the mouse or pen while rotating.