Change the order of nodes

User Guide > General > Basics > Nodes and attributes > View and change the hierarchy of nodes >

When Maya draws or renders the scene, it looks at each node in the scene in order and applies the node’s effect (for example, creating an object or applying a rotation) to the scene. In certain limited situations, the order in which Maya evaluates nodes can affect the final result.

To view the nodes in order

Do one of the following:
- In Outliner ( Window > Outliner), select Display > Sort Order > Scene Hierarchy.
- In the Hypergraph ( Window > Hypergraph: Hierarchy), select Graph > Scene Hierarchy and then Options > Layout > Automatic Layout.

To change the order of nodes in the Outliner

Drag a node with and drop it between nodes.

As you drag, Maya draws a single line to indicate that dropping the node results in reordering, or a double line (above and below the target) to indicate that dropping the node makes it a child of the target node.

To change the order of nodes in the Hypergraph

Hold , drag a node with , and drop it on the node you want it to precede in the order.