Assign a template to an asset

After you have saved an asset template, you can assign it to other assets.

When you assign a template to another asset, all published names from the template that do not already exist on that asset are automatically published to the asset. You can then bind the relevant attributes from nodes within the asset to the published names from the template.

You can assign a template using the Asset Editor or Attribute Editor.

To assign a template using the Asset Editor

1. In the left panel of the Asset Editor, select the asset to which you want to assign a template, then click the Pin Asset icon .

   The pinned asset’s published attributes and nodes display in the right panel, and its name displays in the Asset Editor title bar.

2. From the Asset Editor menu bar, select Template > Assign > Assign New Template.

   A file browser opens to the assets sub-directory of your current project.

3. Select a previously saved template and click Select.

   The template is assigned to the selected asset, and its published names are listed under the Unbound heading in the right panel of the Asset Editor. The name of the assigned template displays in the Template field above the right panel.

   When an asset has no template assigned, the Select icons next to each published attribute or node in the right panel display in red to indicate that no template is assigned. When you assign a template to an asset, the Select icons change to green or yellow to indicate whether the published name comes from the assigned template or not respectively.

   Now that you have assigned the template with its list of published names, you can go on to bind the attributes of the asset’s nodes to those published names.

To bind attributes to published names from a template

1. In the Asset Editor, select an asset that has a template assigned and click the Pin Asset icon .

   The asset’s published attributes (bound and unbound) and its published nodes display in the right panel. The unbound published names from the template are available under in the Unbound section.

   Note

   Unbound published names that do not come from the template display with a yellow Select icon , and those that do come from the template will have no Select icon. The published names from the template do not display Select icons because they cannot be renamed or deleted.

2. Expand the asset contents in the left panel of the Asset Editor.
3. Expand the Unbound heading in the right panel to view the list of published names defined by the template.
4. Select the attribute you want to bind in the left panel.
   Note

   If the attribute you select is written in italics then it is already bound to a published name and must first be unbound (using the Unbind icon next to the published name) in the right panel of the Asset Editor before you can bind it to a new published name.

5. In the right panel, find the published name you want to bind the attribute to, and click the Bind icon .

6. The attribute you selected in the left panel is now published and bound to the name you selected in the right panel. When you refresh the Asset Editor, the attribute moves to the bound attribute listing for the given node.

   (See also Bind/unbind an attribute or node.)

7. Continue selecting attributes in the left panel and binding them to names from the template until you have all of the required attributes for the asset published and bound.

To unassign a template

1. In the left panel of the Asset Editor, select the asset using a template you want to unassign, then click the Pin Asset icon .
2. From the Asset Editor menu bar, select Template > Unassign or Template > Assign > None.

   The template is unassigned, and the Asset Editor refreshes. The Select icons next to each published attribute turn red to indicate there is no template assigned.