Schematic Improvements

There are a number of improvements to the schematic view:

• You could previously create hierarchies in the schematic by Alt+dragging a node onto a new parent in Softimage interaction mode, but this didn't work in Maya interaction mode because the Alt key is used for navigation. A new command Parent Hotkey has been added for parenting in the schematic view and assigned to P in the Maya key map. You can also use this command to assign parenting to any other key in your own key maps.
• All items in the schematic menus can also now be assigned to keys.
• Labels for fcurves, expressions, and linked parameters are now displayed for animation on kinematic chain and joint properties, as well as on transformations as before.
• The label Sc is displayed on an object when there are scripted or custom operators on transformation, kinematic chain, or kinematic joint properties.
• Links labelled Scop can be displayed between objects affected by scripted or custom operators and their input objects. You can select the link and press Enter to open the scripted operator editor, similar to opening the expression editor for Expr links.

Using Brush-based Tools

You can now set the brush radius smaller than 0.01. This is useful when working with extremely dense meshes.

Weight Editor

There are several improvements to the weight editor:

• You can now edit weight maps and vertex color properties numerically, in addition to envelope weight asignments.

• The weight editor now shows the property name being edited, as well as the object name.

• You can double-click the first vertical or horizontal splitter bar to autofit the displayed names.

• You can press F6 to update the view with the current selection when it is locked.

Transform Manipulators

You can now right-click anywhere to display a context menu if Click Outside Manipulator is set to either Simple Transform or No Interaction in your Transform Preferences. The other options, Select Tool and SI|3D-style Transform, use the right mouse button for other actions so you still need to right-click directly on the manipulator. Right-click again to dismiss the menu without choosing an item.

Tablet Support and Performance (SP Only)

Tablet pen pressure is disabled by default in Softimage 2012 SP. This fixes a problem with performance, especially when playing back heavy scenes or simulating. To enable tablet pen pressure, set the XSI_ENABLE_WINTAB_SUPPORT environment variable. See Environment Variables.