Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Relative Transform
Entering the same values for Relative Transform adds 2, 8, and 10 to
the current position of the sphere.
Rename
Allows you to rename the selected object easily.
Select by Name
Allows you to type the name of an object that you want Maya to select for
you in a scene. This is handy when you have a large scene and don't want to spend time
hunting around in the view panels for an object. You can enter exact names as well as
wildcards such as
sphere*
, which is handy if you only remember part of the object's name.
The Channel Box/Layer Editor
The last part of the Status line deals with the area defined earlier in the chapter as the
Attribute Editor and Channel Box/Layer Editor. These buttons toggle through three
views in that area on the right side of the screen. Clicking the first button displays the
Attribute Editor, with which you can edit Maya's object attributes. Clicking the second
button turns on a window called Tool Settings in that column, giving you access to
options for the currently active tool. Clicking the last icon restores the Channel Box/
Layer Editor, showing you the commonly keyed attributes of an active object as well as
the display layers in your scene.
Pressing Ctrl+A toggles between the Attribute Editor and the Channel Box/Layer
Editor by default. Additionally, at the top of these windows is a dotted bar. Clicking and
dragging that bar undocks the window from the main user interface, so you can have a
floating Attribute Editor, for example. You can redock the Attribute Editor by dragging
the title bar back to where the dotted line is. These windows are discussed in detail later
in this chapter. Feel free to skip ahead and then come back for the next area of the inter-
face, the Shelf.
Icon
name
DescrIptIon
Show/Hide Attribute Editor
Displays the Attribute Editor in this area
Show/Hide Tool Settings
Displays the current tool's settings
Show/Hide Channel Box/Layer Editor
Displays the Channel Box and Layer Editor
The Shelf
The
Shelf
, shown in Figure 3.4, is an area where you keep icons for tools. It's divided into
tabs that define functions for the tool icons in the Shelf. Whenever you start Maya, the tab
you used in your previous session of Maya will be selected and displayed.
Figure 3.4
The Shelf
