Window > Attribute Editor
Ctrl + A
Lists
attributes on the selected object. Tabs across the top of the Attribute
Editor let you select nodes connected to the shown node.
While the Channel
Box provides a more compact view of keyable attributes, the Attribute
Editor gives you full graphical controls to edit attributes
rather than just text boxes. There are ramp and graph graphical
controls. For more information, see
Attribute editor graphical controls.
You can set an option
in
Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences to
have the Attribute Editor open in a
window instead of the side panel.
Loading object attributes
into the Attribute Editor
Loading
attributes into the Attribute Editor makes them
available to view or edit. There are three ways to load object attributes
into the Attribute Editor:
- automatically when you select the object
- manually
- by selecting the object from the Attribute
Editor Selected menu
- by selecting the object from the Focus menu
Loading attributes automatically
When you select an object,
its attributes are automatically loaded into the Attribute
Editor where you can view and edit them. Each node of
the selected object automatically appears as a tab. This is the
default method.
To automatically load attributes for
selected objects
- In the Attribute Editor,
select List > Auto Load Selected Attributes to
turn it on.
NoteIf you select more
than one item, Maya automatically updates the most recently selected
one (that is, the most recent one in the pick list).
Loading attributes manually
If Auto Load Selected
Attributes is turned off, after selecting an object, you must manually
load the object’s attributes into the Attribute Editor to
view and edit them.
To manually load attributes for selected
objects
- Click the Load Attributes button
at the bottom of the Attribute Editor.
Attribute Editor colors
The color of the attribute
box changes depending on its state. For more information, see
Channel Box colors.
Menus
- List
-
Use this menu to load
attributes into the Attribute Editor and to define
which items display in the Selected/Object menu.
- Selected/Object
-
The Selected menu
lists objects currently selected in the scene while the Object menu displays
all the objects in the scene of a selected type.
- Focus
-
This menu displays all
nodes that have been selected in the scene while the Attribute
Editor is open. The most recently selected node is at the
top of the list.
- Attributes
-
Use this menu to add,
edit, and delete extra attributes for an object or node. These appear under
the Extra Attributes section. You
can also add, edit, and delete attributes using the Modify menu.
Context menu
- output connection node
-
If you set a key for
the attribute or connect a texture to it, the resulting output connection node
name displays as the first menu item. To load the attributes for
this node into the Attribute Editor, select it.
- Create New Expression
-
Select this option to
create a new expression for the attribute.
- Set Key
-
Select this option to
set a key for the attribute. This options disappears from the menu
if you have already connected a texture to the attribute.
- Set Driven Key
-
Select this option to
link the attribute values.
- Break Connection
-
Select this option to
break the connection between the attribute and a key or texture.
- Create New Texture
-
Select this option to
connect a texture to the attribute.
- Color Chooser
-
This option displays
for color attributes only. Select it to open the Color
Chooser.
- Lock/Unlock Attribute
-
Select the Lock option
to lock an attribute value so that it cannot be changed. Use Unlock Attribute to
unlock the value.
- Ignore/Don’t Ignore when
Rendering
-
This option displays only for attributes
that are connected to keys or textures. Select the Ignore when
Rendering option to ignore the connection when rendering.
If the attribute has a map button, the button changes to indicate that
the connection is ignored.
Select the Don’t
Ignore when Rendering option to render with the set connection.
For details, see the Rendering guide.
Attributes > Add
Attributes
New tab
- Long name
-
This is the name of the
attribute you are adding.
- Override nice name
-
Turn on to provide a
different/more user-friendly name that will be used when viewing this
attribute in the Attribute Editor or Channel Box.
(A default nice name
will be created if your attribute name is intercapped (that is, setAttributeBlackOrWhite becomes Set Attribute
Black Or White).)
The nice name is only
stored in the file if the Override nice name box
is checked; otherwise, it's computed from the long name. This may insert
multi-byte characters into a .ma (Maya ASCII) file if the nice name
is in a multi-byte language such as Japanese.
- Nice name
-
This is a shorter or
more user-friendly name for the attribute. You can only type something
in if Override nice name is turned
on.
- Make attribute
-
Defines the following
attributes:
- Keyable
-
Makes the attribute keyable.
- Displayable
-
Makes the attribute non-keyable
but displayed in the Channel Box.
- Hidden
-
Makes the attribute hidden
(and not keyable).
For more details on these
attribute types, see
Channel Control Editor.
Data Type
Select the data type
for the attribute:
- Vector
-
Creates a vector attribute
consisting of three floating point values.
- Float
-
Creates a floating point
attribute.
- Integer
-
Creates an integer attribute.
- Boolean
-
Creates an attribute
consisting of an on/off turn.
- String
-
Creates a string attribute
that accepts alphanumeric entries as data entry, such as a filename.
- Enum
-
Creates an attribute
that accepts selections from an “enumerated” or drop-down list.
NoteIf you select Float or Integer,
you can also set Numeric Attribute Properties.
Attribute Type
Select a type:
- Scalar
-
Creates a per object
attribute that you can set to a single value that applies to every
particle in the object. A vector scalar is considered a single value
with three numbers. If you select Scalar, you
can specify Minimum, Maximum,
and Default values for a Float
or Integer attribute.
- Per Particle (Array)
-
Creates a per particle
attribute. You can set this type of attribute to different values
for each particle. If you select Per Particle (Array),
you can also create a counterpart initial state attribute by turning
on Add Initial State Attribute.
- Add Initial State Attribute
-
Turn on to create a corresponding
initial state attribute for the added attribute. Without this corresponding
attribute, you can’t save a particle object’s current attribute
values for initial state usage. You must write a creation expression
if you decide to initialize the custom attribute’s value upon rewinding
the animation. If you know you’re going to write a creation expression
for a custom attribute, you can set Add Initial State Attribute to
off when you add the attribute. Otherwise, set Add
Initial State Attribute to on whenever you add a custom
per particle attribute.
Numeric Attribute Properties
For scalar attributes, Minimum and Maximum set
the lowest and highest values you can enter for the attribute in
the Attribute Editor or Channel
Box. Default sets the default value for the attribute.
Enum Names
When you're adding a
new Enum attribute, you need to define the list of acceptable strings. There
are two default strings, “Green” and “Blue”, in the Enum
Names list that you can change. To change, select Green
or Blue and then enter the new string in the New Name text box.
To add a new string, click the blank entry below the last list item
and type the string in the New Name text
box.
WarningThe
following list of names are reserved internally for (dynamic) shading
attributes. You may use these names for custom attributes, but beware
they may produce unexpected results in the shading network. For example,
during shading the uvCoord value is provided, therefore ignoring your
custom uvCoord attribute value.
- blobbySurfaceFactor
- displacement
- easMask
- farPointCamera
- farPointObj
- farPointWorld
- filterSize
- flippedNormal
- illuminationIndex
- infoBits
- lightData
- lightTable
- matrixObjectToWorld
- matrixWorldToObject
- mediumRefractiveIndex
- normalCamera
- numShadingSamples
- objectId
- objectType
- opticalDepth
- outColor
- outGlowColor
- outMatteOpacity
- outParticleEmission
- outTransparency
- particleAge
- particleAttrArray
- particleColor
- particleEmission
- particleEntryParam
- particleExitParam
- particleIncandescence
- particleLifespan
- particleOrder
- particleTransparency
- particleWeight
- pixelCenter
- pixelCoverage
- pointCamera
- pointObj
- pointWorld
- primitiveId
- rayDepth
- rayDirection
- rayOrigin
- receiveShadows
- refPointCamera
- refPointObj
- refPointWorld
- renderState
- shadowAttenuation
- tangentUCamera
- tangentVCamera
- translucenceDepth
- triangleNormalCamera
- uvCoord
- uvFilterSize
- vertexCameraOne
- vertexCameraThree
- vertexCameraTwo
- vertexUvOne
- vertexUvThree
- vertexUvTwo
Attribute editor graphical
controls
There are two common
graphical controls that appear in the Attribute Editor for
certain attributes: ramp and graph.
Ramp
Each color entry in a
ramp has a circular color handle above the ramp, and a square color
icon below the ramp. The active color has a white border around its
color handle and icon. Ramps can be used for many types of gradients, including
transparency, color, and so on.
For more details about
ramps in shading, see
Ramp Shader .
Graph
The graph control has
handles which you can drag in the graph area to set position-value
pairs. The active point has a white border around its handle and
icon. Graphs can be used for many types of attributes where value changes
per position, including paint effect settings, fluid settings, and
so on.
Opening the ramp and graph
controls in a separate window
Click
the arrow on the right side of the control to open the ramp or graph control
in a larger window.
For the graph control,
you can edit the interpolation method, selected value, and selected
position. For the ramp control, you can edit the interpolation method,
the selected color, and the color entries. In addition, you can
turn on turn off Vertical to switch between a vertical or horizontal
layout.
Checking the vertical
box alters the size of your ramp. Once you check the vertical box,
the ramp or graph automatically adjusts to a suitable size.
When you save your scene,
Maya also saves the layout that you have chosen for your control.