Understanding HUD elements

There are 14 HUD elements, which you can add to a HUD asset to display additional information (static and dynamic) regarding a scene in the Viewer.

Text	Text that you enter in the Content property text box. See the Properties of HUD Element section.
Texture	Image, image sequence, or a video
Rectangle	Vector graphic, which you can use as a background or mask for static or dynamic content.
Flash	Flash animation saved in the .swf file format.
Record Light	Record light

Texture HUD element

When you import an image, image sequence, or a video (File > Import Video), it appears under the Navigator window > Textures folder.

To display a texture from the HUD Texture element in the Viewer:

Click the button in the Texture property.
The Textures folder with all the imported textures appear.
Turn on the checkbox of a texture.

Alternatively, drag a texture from the Navigator > Textures folder and drop it in the Viewer.

Flash HUD element

To display a flash animation from the HUD Flash element in the Viewer:

Click the button in the Flash File Path property.
The Open Directory window appears.
Select the flash animation (.swf format).
Click Open.

Record Light HUD element

The record light let a stage operator know the recording status of a scene. By default, the color of the record light is grey (

). However, the color changes to indicate the stages in recording.

Record Light Color	What button should you click in Transport Controls to make it appear?	What does it indicate?
Green ()	Record	Ready to record
Red ()	Play	Recording is in progress
Red with a white, X mark ()	Stop	Stopped recording, and MotionBuilder is busy in the post-recording process. After the post-recording process, the record light turns grey (returns to the default state).

The following table lists the dynamic HUD elements and the information they display in the Viewer:

EditTime	The current time of edit Timeline in frames or Timecode.
EditFrame	The current time of the edit Timeline in frames, by default.
ActionTime	The current time of action Timeline in frames or TimeCode (minimum value is 0 and maximum value is the length of the scene).
SceneFrameRate	The selected frame rate per second (fps). The fps lowers with heavy scenes and raises with light scenes. The highest possible frame rate optimizes to experience smooth playback.
TakeName	The name of current take. Value can be a number or string.
CameraName	Name of the camera to which the HUD belongs
CameraFocalLength	Focal length of the camera to which the HUD belongs
SceneName	Name of the current scene
FreeMemory	The free memory in your system. Helps to determine whether you can load heavy scenes or not.

You can also add any property of an object (cube, character, stereo camera, and so on) into a HUD element, and refer the value of the property in the scene.