You can see non-animatable parameters in the explorer if you activate All Nodes (Scripting) in the explorer’s command bar (to the right of the Show menu).
Proxy parameters are actually cloned parameters: they reflect the data of other parameters in the scene. This means that anything you do to a proxy parameter has the same result as if it had been done on the real parameter itself (change values, mark parameters, store actions, save a key, lock it, etc.).
While you can create proxy parameters for any purpose, it’s most likely that you will use them to create custom property pages. You can create your own property pages for just about anything you like: for example, locate all animatable parameters for an object on a single property page, making it much quicker and easier to add keys because all the animated parameters are in one place. Or as a technical director, you can expose only the necessary parameters for your animation team to use, thereby streamlining their workflow and reducing potential errors.
The best part about proxy parameters is that they’re very easy to set up: you simply drag-and-drop any parameter from the explorer into a custom parameter set’s property editor.
You can pick almost any parameter you like to make a proxy of it. If you pick a parameter set, all parameters in that set are proxied.
To create a proxy parameter
1. Create a simple custom parameter set as described in Creating Custom Parameter Sets.
2. Open an explorer to see the parameters you want to proxy (make sure the All+Animatable Parameters filter is selected in the explorer—see Finding Custom Parameter Elements in the Explorer).
3. Do one of the following:
- Drag a parameter from an explorer and drop it into the custom parameter set’s property editor, or drop it onto the custom parameter set’s node in an explorer.
or
- Select the custom parameter set to which you want to add the proxy parameters, then mark the parameter you want to proxy. If an object has only one custom parameter set, you can select the object instead.
Choose Create > Parameter > New Proxy Parameter from the Animate toolbar (or choose the same command from the Animation menu in the Animation panel). Then pick one or more parameters to proxy. Right-click to end picking.
The proxy parameters are added to the custom parameter set.
Proxy parameters are named with the object’s name and the parameter’s scripting names from where they were proxied (such as Sparky_rotz).
After you have created a proxy parameter, you can change its name, value types, value ranges, and UI ranges.
1. Mark the proxy parameters.
2. Choose Create > Parameter > Edit Parameter Definition from the Animate toolbar or choose the same command from the Animation menu in the Animation panel.
3. In the Edit Custom Parameter property editor, the name and values are reset to the defaults so that you can change them as you like.
You can delete proxy parameters (animatable and non-animatable) individually.
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You can see non-animatable parameters in the explorer if you activate All Nodes (Scripting) in the explorer’s command bar (to the right of the Show menu). |
To delete proxy parameters
1. Mark the proxy parameters to delete.
2. Choose Create > Parameter > Remove Proxy Parameter from the Animate toolbar, or choose the same command from the Animation menu in the Animation panel.
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