Templating Objects

Purpose

Puts active objects into the background plane by turning them into templates. Select this tool again to return templated objects back to normal.

This tool is useful when you have a complex scene that contains many objects. You can alternately manipulate all objects, or only one at a time. Objects that are templated are still visible but will not be pickable using the standard pick operations.

How to Use

Pick the objects and select Template from the ObjectDisplay menu. CVs and edit points disappear (if they were displayed) and the objects are turned into templates.

When you template an object:

• It remains visible (in a lighter shade outline) and it can only be picked using Pick > Template.

• You cannot modify it until you make it active using Pick > Template. This protects it from accidental modifications.

See Editing Alias Preferences on page 532 for more information on Preferences settings.

Two operating methods are possible when using Template. The method is determined by the setting of the Allow components option in the Modeling Options > Template Options section of the Alias Preferences window (Preferences > User Options > Alias preferences).

• If set to OFF, only top-level nodes in the SBD can be templated (discrete objects, or a group of objects).

• If set to ON, objects at any level of a model's hierarchy can be templated.

When you select a non-object node (not at the top level of the SBD), it causes everything below it in the hierarchy to be templated.

When the Allow components option is set to ON, if you pick a component below a DAG node that has been templated and then select ObjectDisplay > Template, a confirmation box asks if you want to toggle the entire template. Click OK to reverse the entire templated branch back to the normal state.

Notes

• If you pick a DAG node that is above another DAG node that is templated, an Xform operation applied to the higher node causes the template to move.

To temporarily clear the template from the screen, make it invisible using ObjectDisplay > Invisible.

• Templates cannot be rendered, shaded or quick rendered.Templated lights do not illuminate.

• The SBD DAG node changes to another color when an object has been templated. The following example shows two spheres in the SBD window.

See also

• Picking Templated Objects on page 157