3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [390]
The Add button creates the custom attribute and adds it to a rollout named Custom Attributes for the specified element. If the specified element is selected, you can click the Edit/Delete button to open the Edit Attributes/Parameters dialog box, shown in Figure 36.13. All custom attributes associated with the selected element are displayed.
Note
Custom attributes show up in a rollout named Custom Attributes positioned beneath all the other rollouts, but if you add the Attribute Holder modifier to the object before creating the new attribute, then the Custom Attributes rollout appears under the Attribute Holder modifier. •
FIGURE 36.12
You can use the Parameter Editor dialog box to create custom parameters.
FIGURE 36.13
The Edit Attributes/Parameters dialog box lets you edit or delete custom attributes.
The Edit Attributes/Parameters dialog box lets you select and reorder the custom attributes within their rollout. Selecting a custom attribute also loads its settings into the Parameter Editor where they can be changed.
The Parameter Type drop-down list lets you choose the parameter format. Possibilities include Angle, Array, Boolean (true or false), Color, Float (a decimal point number), fRGBA, Integer, Material, Node, Percent, String, TextureMap, and WorldUnits. The UI Type drop-down list defines how the parameter is displayed in the rollout. How the parameter looks depends on the type of parameter. Float and integer values can be spinners or sliders, Boolean values can be check boxes or radio buttons, array values are drop-down lists, nodes are pick buttons (allowing you to select an object in the viewports), color and RGB values are color pickers, and texture maps are map buttons. You can also name the parameter.
The Options rollout changes depending on which parameter type was selected. These rollouts contain settings for the interface's Width, value ranges, default values, Alignment (left, right, or center), and list items.
The Testing Attribute rollout shows what the interface element will look like and lets you change the attribute to see how the custom parameter works.
The value of custom attributes becomes apparent when you start wiring parameters.
Summary
This chapter covered the basics of using the Expression controller. Using mathematical formulas to control the animation of an object's transformation and parameters offers lots of power. You also can use the values of one object to control another object.
Along with the Expression controller, the ability to wire parameters together in the Parameter Wire dialog box opens up a whole new way to control objects. This chapter also covered how you can create new parameters with the Parameter Collector dialog box. All of these tools give you lots of control over the scene using parameters and expressions. In this chapter, you accomplished the following:
• Practiced building expressions in the Expression Controller dialog box
• Learned about expressions and what they can do
• Reviewed the available operators, variables, and functions
• Tried out examples of controlling object transformations and parameters
• Created and wired parameters
• Gathered and edited several parameters at once with the Parameter Collector
• Created custom parameters with the Parameter Editor
In the next chapter, you learn to use the Track View to display and manage all the details of the current scene.
Chapter 37: Working with the F-Curve Editor in the Track View
IN THIS CHAPTER
Learning the Track View interface
Understanding the Track View Curve Editor and Dope Sheet layouts
Working with keys and time ranges
Adjusting function curves
Filtering tracks
Assigning controllers
Optimizing animation keys
Using out-of-range types
Adding notes to a track
Synching animation to a sound track
As you move objects around in a viewport, you often find yourself eyeballing the precise location of