When you click the right mouse button anywhere in an active viewport, except on the viewport label (see Viewport Right-Click Menu), the program displays a quad menu at the mouse cursor. The quad menu can display up to four quadrant areas with various commands. These commands can be customized in the Quads panel of the Customize User Interface dialog.
The quad menu allows you to find and activate most commands without having to travel back and forth between the viewport and the command panel rollouts.
The two right quadrants of the default quad menu display generic commands, which are shared between all objects. The two left quadrants contain context-specific commands, such as mesh tools and light commands. Each of these menus provides convenient access to functions found in the command panel.
The quad menu contents depend on what is selected, as well as any customization options you may have selected in the Quads panel of the Customize UI dialog. The menus are set up to display only the commands that are available for the current selection; therefore, selecting different types of objects displays different commands in the quadrants. Consequently, if no object is selected, all of the object-specific commands will be hidden. If all of the commands for one quadrant are hidden, the quadrant will not be displayed.
Cascading menus display submenus in the same manner as a right-click menu. The menu item that contains submenus is highlighted when expanded. The submenus are highlighted when you move the mouse cursor over them.
To close the menu, right-click anywhere on the screen or move the mouse cursor away from the menu and click the left mouse button. To reselect the last selected command, click in the quad box for the quadrant of the last menu item. The last menu item selected is highlighted when the quadrant is displayed.
There are additional, specialized quad menus available when you are working in the Edit UVWs dialog, or when you press any combination of SHIFT, CTRL, or ALT while right-clicking in any standard viewport. See Additional Quad Menus for further information.
Interface
The following are the default commands for the right-click menu. You can add, edit, or remove any of these commands in the Quads panel of the Customize User Interface dialog.
Default quad menu for an editable mesh object
Transform quadrant
These options are available from the Transform quadrant:
Move: Lets you move objects. This is the same as clicking the Select and Move button on the Main toolbar.
Rotate: Lets you rotate objects. This is the same as clicking the Select and Rotate button on the Main toolbar.
Scale: Lets you scale objects. This is the same as clicking the Select And Scale button on the Main toolbar. If one of the other Select and Scale flyout buttons is active on the Main toolbar, it replaces Scale in the right-click menu.
Manipulate: Lets you adjust the parameters of Manipulators on the screen using the mouse. This is the same as clicking the Select and Manipulate button on the Main toolbar.
Properties: Opens the Object Properties dialog for a selected object. This command is available only if an object is selected when you open the quad menu.
TrackView Selected: Track View opens and displays the selected object at the top of the Track View Hierarchy. This command is visible only if an object is selected when you open the quad menu.
Wire Parameters: Starts a wire parameter from the selected object. This command is available only if an object is selected when you open the quad menu.
Convert To: This sub-menu lets you convert the selected object to an editable mesh, an editable patch, an editable spline, an editable poly. This command is available only if an object is selected when you open the quad menu.
Display quadrant
These options are available from the Display quadrant:
Unfreeze All: Unfreezes all frozen objects.
Freeze Selection: Freezes the selected objects.
Unhide All: Unhides all hidden objects.
Hide Unselected: Hides all visible objects that are not selected.
Hide Selection: Hides the selected objects.
Context Hide/Unhide Tools: The hide and unhide commands are context-specific for editable meshes, polys, patches, and splines. They are visible only if there is a corresponding geometry selected when the quad menu is opened.
Tools quadrants
The two quadrants on the left side of the default quad menu are called Tools 1 and Tools 2. These quadrants contain commands specific to various geometries and modifiers such as: lights, editable geometries, FFD, and Skin. These quadrants are not displayed unless one of the corresponding geometries or modifiers are selected when the quad menu is opened.