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Floating and Docking

You can easily customize your workspace by floating and docking part of the interface, such as panels, windows, menu, toolbars, and the time slider.

Any element of the interface that has a handle can be floated and docked. The handle can be on the top or left of the element.
To float an element, click-and-drag the handle. As you move the element around the screen, the highlighted areas show valid docking locations. To dock the element, drop it on a highlighted area.
Note: Toolbars can only be docked on the outer edge of the interface.
Tip: You can dock a floating window by right-clicking on its title bar or handle, selecting Dock and then selecting the one of the available locations (top, bottom, left, right). Only valid locations for the element type will be active. If there is already another element in the docking location, the elements will stack by default.

If you hide or close part of the interface, it will re-open in its last position. To re-open an element, right-click on an empty space in the menu or toolbar and then select the element from the list.

Note: When moving elements around the interface, some elements may not automatically resize; manual adjustments may be required.

To float a menu

Menus can be floated similar to windows and other elements. To float a menu, click on the handle above the menu. Once floating, the menu can be moved wherever you want it on the screen but it cannot be docked. To close the floating menu, click the X in the top right corner.

To stack windows

Windows can be stacked adjacent to one another. To stack a window, drop it onto a vertical or horizontal edge next to or between existing panels.

Stacking the Scene Explorer on top of the Command Panel

Restoring docked elements

Returning an undocked element to its original position

Double-click the handle to undock an element and restore it to the previous size (and location). When you drag an undocked dialog, it retains its current size.

To add window as a tab

Windows can be docked on top of one another, creating tabbed panels. To dock a window as a tab, drop it on top of an existing panel when it is highlighted.

When panes are arranged in tabs, you can drag the tabs to change their order.

Note: You cannot float a tab group, only the active tab.
Parent topic: 3ds Max Interface Overview

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