Scene Explorer & Object Management in 3DS Max

Now that we've covered viewports and navigation, let’s talk about the Scene Explorer—one of the most important tools in 3DS Max for managing objects in your scene. 

1️⃣ What is the Scene Explorer?

The Scene Explorer is a panel that displays all objects in your scene.

📌 Key Features:

• Lists all objects (e.g., Box, Sphere, Scan Data).
• Visibility Toggle (👁️) → Hide/Unhide objects.
• Freeze Toggle (❄️) → Prevent selection & transformations.
• Hierarchy View → Shows how objects are parented or linked.

✅ If you don't see the Scene Explorer:

1. Go to Customize → Show Explorers → Click Scene Explorer.
2. Dock it to the left of the viewport (if floating).

2️⃣ Managing Object Visibility & Freezing

🔹 Hiding/Unhiding Objects:

• Click the Eye Icon (👁️) next to an object in the Scene Explorer.
• OR Select the object → Press H → Toggle visibility.

🔹 Freezing/Unfreezing Objects:

• Click the Snowflake Icon (❄️) next to an object → Object is frozen (can’t be moved).
• To unfreeze, click the Snowflake Icon again.
• OR Right-click the object → Properties → Uncheck "Frozen" under Interactivity.

📌 Why Freeze Objects?

• Prevents accidental modifications.
• Useful for locking reference objects (e.g., Scan Data).