Schematic View
 
 
 
Command entry:Menu bar Graph Editors menu New Schematic View
Command entry:Menu bar Graph Editors Saved Schematic Views Choose a saved schematic view.
Command entry:Main toolbar Schematic View button

The Schematic View is a node-based scene graph that gives you access to object properties, materials, controllers, modifiers, hierarchy, and non-visible scene relationships such as wired parameters and instancing.

Here, you can view, create, and edit relationships between objects. You can create hierarchies, assign controllers, materials, modifiers, or constraints.

You can use the Schematic View Display floater to control what entities and relationships you want to see and work with. Use Schematic View to navigate complex hierarchies or scenes with large numbers of objects. Use Schematic View to understand and explore the structure of files you didn't create yourself.

One powerful feature is the list view. You can see the nodes in a text list which you can sort by criteria. The list views can be used to navigate extremely complex scenes quickly. You can use the relationship or instance viewer within Schematic View to see light inclusions or parameter wirings within the scene. You can control the display of instances or see a list of object occurrences.

Schematic View also allows for background image or grid, and automatic arrangement of nodes based on physical scene placement. This makes arranging nodes for character rigs easier.

Choose between a variety of arrangement selections so you can auto-arrange, or work in a free mode. The layout of the nodes is saved with the named Schematic View window. You can load a background image as a template for laying out the nodes in the window.

Schematic View Features

Here are some of the notable features of Schematic View:

How the Components of Schematic View Behave

Everything displayed in the Schematic View window is shown as a box with a name. There are various conventions to indicate different states regarding these objects.

Solid End

Signifies that the entity is arranged.

Open end

Signifies that the entity is free.

Red Border

Signifies that the entity is animated.

End Arrow

Signifies that the entity shares a relationship with another entity.

White Fill

Signifies that the entity is selected in the Schematic View window.

White Border

Signifies that the entity is selected in the viewport.

Up Arrow

Collapses the entity it springs from and all child entities thereof up into the parent entity

Down Arrow

Expands the next child entity down from the entity that the arrow springs from.

Overlap

Schematic View will prevent newly visible nodes from overlapping with existing nodes. This applies to free mode: make an object, free it, make another object and it will fall on top but to the right of the original object so both can be accessed and moved.

Instances

Schematic View will bold the text of instanced entities, for nodes this will show up on the base object entity. In the example illustrated, Box02 and Box03 are instances.

Procedures

See Using Schematic View

Interface

See the following topics describing the Schematic View user interface.

Schematic View Menus

Schematic View List Views

Schematic View Preferences Dialog

Schematic View Toolbars

Schematic View Display Floater

See Also
  • Using Schematic View

    This topic includes procedures for using the Schematic View window.

  • Schematic View Menus

    Schematic View has several menus, which appear on the menu bar of the Schematic View window.

  • Schematic View List Views

    Schematic View supports several list views that display objects and their relationships in a list. These include list views for instances, object occurrences, and relationships. Use these lists to quickly edit your parameter wiring, detach relationships, or make instances unique. Use the List options to synchronize the list with the viewport or the node display in the Schematic View window.

  • Schematic View Preferences Dialog

    The Schematic View Preferences dialog controls what is shown and what is hidden based on categories. You can filter the objects appearing in the Schematic View window, so you see only what you need to.

  • Schematic View Toolbars

    Schematic View has two toolbars, one at the top and the other at the bottom of the Schematic View window.

  • Schematic View Display Floater

    The Display Floater controls by category what is displayed in the Schematic View window. The Schematic View Preferences dialog also filters that display of the window. Use these to manage the clutter of the window, and the performance speed.

  • Schematic View Selection Right-Click Menu

    The Schematic View right-click menu contains controls for selecting, displaying, and manipulating selections of nodes. It gives you quick access to List Views, Display Floater and lets you switch between Reference and Hierarchy Mode quickly.

  • Schematic View Commands

    The Schematic View commands are for managing Schematic View windows. They are available from the 3ds MaxGraph Editors menu.