Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 9.33
A typical group is a nested hierarchy of elements and sub-elements
9.6.2
Naming Convention
In Sect.
5.1
,
fi lenames were discussed in the context of scene preparation. Naming
within a scene is not the same and may require a different naming convention than
the one used for the fi le itself. The reason is that the purpose of each type of name
is different. The purpose of the fi le name is to make it easily differentiated from
other fi les and its contents readily understood from the name. For objects within a
scene, you don't need to have each name accomplish quite as much, so they can be
simpler. Instead of concatenating many different aspects of the fi le, like the name of
its maker, the version number, and so on, you can name each level of an object sepa-
rately and rely on the grouping structure to provide context.
9.6.3
Grouping
Grouping
is an operation that combines objects under a common node.
If an object is grouped to itself, a new node will be created and the original object
grouped under it. If two or more objects are selected, they will be grouped under a
new node (Fig.
9.33
). In some applications, it is possible to group an object to
another object. When that is done, no new node is created. If you do this, keep in
mind that the top-level object will not be individually selectable unless its subordi-
nate objects are removed from the group.
Grouping is an excellent way to organize different elements of a scene and to
create
hierarchies
of objects. For instance, if you are building a hairbrush out of
several parts, you will want to group all of the subordinate parts under a name like
hairbrush
. If the hairbrush rests on a table littered with other props, you may want
to group all of these items under the group
desk props
. This in turn might be grouped
to
desk
, which is a member of the group
furniture
, and that is part of the group
liv-
ingRoom
, etc. Ultimately, you want your scene grouped in an ascending hierarchy
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