entering commands in 3ds max - not at all like autocad or rhino

I just launched 3ds max design 2012. I'll go thru the tutorials, but initially the most frustrating thing is that there is no command line evident. Is this possible?

I don't think that I can work by trying to find and pick an icon out of a menu for every command. for example: I should be able to -in the middle of modeling and without clicking anything - type the word zoom press enter and then type extents. doing exactly this just royally screwed my whole view and unleashed a bunch of crap.

I see that you can customize the UI with key shortcuts but I am limited to a single character. The won't be enough characters I suspect.

In addition to having a command line - Rhino 3d suggests commands as you begin to type. So for example - I know that I want to do something with meshes - I type meshto ... and then I see that meshtonurbs is the command I am looking for.

Seriously, how do professionals work at the speed demanded in architecture in 3ds max?

Is there any way to get this kind of functionality?

Thanks - kenneth

You're right. Max is not Autocad and it is not Rhino. It's Max. There is no command line because Max is not command line driven, like Autocad and Rhino. It works through buttons, dialogs and menus.

You asked, how do professionals work at the speed demanded in architecture in 3ds max? The answer is "practice". I can work just as fast in Max as I can in Autocad. You just have to learn the interface and find out where everything is located and how it all works. It just takes time. Max is not the type of program you can just pick up and run with. It's not a CAD program and it's not like any other program you've used before.

You can customize the interface, create hotkey's, etc. but once you get comfortable with the UI you will find that you really don't need that many hotkey's. The buttons, right click menu's and rollout's along the right side of the screen will get you pretty much everywhere you need to go in the program. But if you're just starting out, I would recommend getting a book or an introductory training DVD. There's a lot to learn.

i started with no prior experience in 3ds max, and i had the user interface down in about 1 month. the designing part was the real challenge.