A linked parameter is a parameter whose animation is driven by the animation of another parameter. You can link any animatable parameters together—from translation to color—to create some very interesting or unusual animation conditions. For example, you could create a chameleon effect so that when object A approaches object B, it changes color. Basically, if you can animate it, you can link it.
After you link parameters, you set the values that you want the parameters to have relative to each other in certain conditions (when A does this, B does this).
There are three basic ways in which you can link parameters. You can:
• Create simple one-to-one links with one parameter driving one or more other parameters. When you link one parameter to another, a simple relationship is established that makes the value of the linked parameter depend on the value of the driving parameter.
For information, see Linking to a Single Driving Parameter.
• Drive a single parameter with the combined animation values of multiple parameters. This allows you to create more complex relationships, where many parameter values are interpolated to create an output value for one parameter.
For information, see Linking to Multiple Driving Parameters.
• Drive a single parameter with the complete orientation of an object.
For information, see Linking to an Object’s Orientation.
Viewing Linked Parameter Information
Because linked parameters are a special type of expression, you can identify the objects that have linked parameters in the 3D views as well as in the schematic view.
To see linked parameter information in a 3D view
• Click the eye icon and choose Relations in the view.
If the selected object has a parameter on its transformations that are linked to parameters on other objects, those objects are linked to the selected object by dotted white lines.
You can click a dotted line to see a list of expressions that involve the linked object. You can identify simple linked parameters by the l_fcv expression, multi-linked parameters by the l_interp expression, and orientation-linked parameters by the l_interpOri expression.
To see link information in the schematic view
As is the case with all expressions:
• If an object has linked parameters on its transformations, the letter E is displayed above it.
• For linked parameters, there is also the label L.
• If Show > Expressions is on in the view, an object with an expression is linked to objects whose parameters are involved by solid green arrows labelled Expr.
You can select these arrows by clicking and dragging slightly—a list of expressions appear.
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