User data are custom parameter values that are attached directly to components. They can be used to provide per-component data to a scripted operator or custom plug-in or to mark components for special processing in a custom pipeline.
There are two parts to user data:
A data map that associates a cluster with a template, which then holds the data for each component in the cluster.
A cluster can have multiple data maps, and a template can be reused for multiple data maps on different clusters.
It is likely that you will use scripts or compiled plug-ins to manipulate user data and map values. However, Softimage provides some ways to apply user data and set map values through its user interface as described in this section.
For information about working with user data through scripts or plug-ins, see Storing Custom (User) Data [SDK Guide].
In addition to template user data described here, Softimage supports binary user data. You cannot edit binary user data interactively using the Softimage user interface because Softimage has no way of knowing the data type of binary user data (integer, Boolean, and so on).
Binary data is useful only with a custom plug-in that already "knows" what the data represents and what to do with it.
Working with user data is a multi-step process. You must:
Each step is described in more detail in the sections that follow.
