9

Parameter Wiring Dialog 413
and Custom Attributes (page 1–129) to objects,
materials, and mo difiers.
Note: Parameter Wiring is a modeless dialog (page
3–973), and you can have several dialogs open at
the s ame time.
Pr ocedur es
Example:Touseanexpressionwithwireparameters:
1.
Create a box and a sphere in your scene.
2. Right-click the box, and from the quad menu
choose Transform quadrant > Wire Parameters.
3. From the pop-up menu, choose Object (B ox)
>Length.
A rubber-band dashed line now connects the
box and the mouse cursor.
4. Click the sphere and choose Transform >
Position > Z Position from the pop-up menu.
The position of the sphere and the length of the
box are now w ired.
5. In the Parameter Wiring dialog, create a
one-waywirebyclickingthearrowpointing
toward the bo x’s tree view.
6. Type abs( before Z_position, followed by a
closing p arenthesis, ), in the expression text
box for Box01, so that the entire expressions is
abs(Z_Position).
7. Click Connect.
8. MovethesphereupwardalongtheZaxisinthe
viewport.
Notethatasthespheremovesintheviewport,
the length of the box changes. Using abs()
ensures that the box never has a negative length.
To control s evera l slav e pa ra meters f rom one ma ster
parameter:
1.
Open the Parameter Wiring dialog.
2. Choose the master parameter in the tree view.
3. Choose the first slave parameter in the other
tree view.
4. Click the arrow pointing toward the slave
parameter.
5. Enter the desired relationship expression in the
expression text box.
6. Click Connect.
7. Keeping the master para meter selected, choose
anotherslaveparameterfromthetreeview.
8. Click the arrow pointing toward the slave
parameter.
9. Enter the desired relationship expression in the
expression text box.
10. Click Connect.
You can repeat this cycle to set up as many
slaves as you want. The result is a “fan” of
parameter wires, so that you can control all of
theslaveparametersatonceasyouchangethe
master parameter.
To create a chain of wired parameter s:
1.
Open the Parameter Wiring dialog.
2. Choose the first controlling parameter in one
tree view.
3. Choose the first slave parameter in the other
tree view.
4. Click the arrow pointing toward the slave
parameter.
5. Enter the desired relationship expression in the
expression text box.
6. Click Connect.
7. Keeping the original slave parameter selected,
choose the next slave parameter from the tree
view.
8. Click the arrow pointing toward the new slave
parameter.
9. Enter the desired relationship expression in the
expression text box.