Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
You'll notice that the Channel Box now has the primary attributes (Translate X,
Translate Y, Translate Z, Rotate X, and so on) of the sphere listed. Below them, you'll find
the shapes node named
nurbsSphereShape1
and the inputs node
makeNurbSphere1
listed.
If you click the makeNurbSphere1 entry in the Channel Box, it will expand to show you
Select attributes from the tab of the same name in the Attribute Editor. These attributes,
despite being shown in two places, are the same. If you edit one in the Channel Box, it
will be reflected in the Attribute Editor, and vice versa. The Channel Box is essentially
a quick reference, giving you access to the most likely animated attributes of an object.
The Attribute Editor goes into detail, giving you access to everything that makes up that
object and the other nodes that influence it.
Try changing some of the settings in this window and see how
doing so affects the sphere in the view panels. For example, changing
the Radius attribute under the nurbsSphereShape1 tab changes the
size of the sphere. Click the nurbsSphere1 tab next, and you'll see the
primary attributes listed. Try entering some different values for the
Translate or Scale attributes to see what happens to the sphere in the
view panels.
On the flip side, press W to activate the Move tool, and move the
sphere around one of the view planes. Notice that the respective
Translate attributes update in almost real time in both the Attribute
Editor and the Channel Box. You'll see an area for writing notes at
the bottom of the Attribute Editor. This is handy because you can put
reminders here of important events, such as how you set up an object
or even a birthday or an anniversary. If you drag the horizontal bar,
you can adjust the size of the notes space, as shown in Figure 3.19.
Because you'll use the Attribute Editor constantly, you may want
to keep the window open all the time and just move it around. You
can also press the Ctrl+A hotkey to open the window more easily.
Figure 3.19
You can keep notes
with an object's
attributes in the
Attribute Editor.
Outliner/Hypergraph
These two very different windows serve similar functions. They're both used for orga-
nizing and grouping scene objects. These windows let you see every object node in your
scene in either outline or flowchart/graph form.
When you're well into an animation or a model, you'll invariably have several elements
in your scene. Without a roadmap, finding the correct object to select or manipulate can
be difficult. Both windows provide this service.
How do you choose between the Outliner and the Hypergraph? It depends on exactly
what you need to do. The Outliner is perfect for organizing, grouping objects, renaming
nodes, and so forth. The Hypergraph displays all the connections between nodes, and
it's perfect for editing the relationships between nodes and locating hard-to-find nested
nodes in a big scene.
