2010

Table Of Contents
Assets
Introduction
In Maya, a container is a special type of node that can be used to encapsulate
sets of related nodes. A template is an external file that specifies a common
interface that can be applied to multiple containers (for example, a container
of a car, a truck, and an ambulance all have similar components and can thus
can have a common interface) and accessed from the Maya UI. A container with
an applied template is called an asset.
In complex scenes with many nodes and attributes, assets become a key
organizational tool by allowing you to package nodes together and expose only
the attributes you need. This allows you to keep all the Maya editors clean and
clutter-free.
Assets also allows you to customize which attributes are shown to which users
while simultaneously locking them out of other attributes. This allows you to
ensure the integrity of your scene even when others work on it.
Preparing for the lessons
To ensure the lesson works as described, do these steps before beginning:
1 Select File > New Scene.
2 If you have not already done so, copy the GettingStarted folder from its
installation location to your projects directory. Then, set the
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