UserNavigationOrder

MaxScript 0.1.0 Preview (08/14/2002)

UNO lets the user define custom hieararchies independent from the scene parenting info and from the object creation order. Using this new custom logical structure, the user can quickly navigate through the nodes in the hierarchy and select single or multiple objects in the scene.

• Development started.
• Implemented general UNO functions
• Implemented basic UNO Manager
• Implemented basic navigation functions as MacroScripts 

• UNO consists of a set of function packed in a single structure, a Manager utility for editing the virtual hierarchy, and from a set of MacroScripts implementing the navigation features.
    
• The MactoScripts include:
  • Select Child - selects the first child (if any) of the currently selected object.
  • Select Parent - selects the parent (if any) of the currently selected object.
  • Select Children - selects all other children with the same parent as the currently selected object.
  • Select All - selects all objects in the scene belonging to the UNO hieararchy.
  • Previous Child - selects the previous object in the same children list as the currently selected object.
  • Next  Child - selects the next object in the same children list as the currently selected object.
  • Previous In Level - select the previous object in the same level as the currently selected object regardless the parent.
  • Next In Level - select the previous object in the same level as the currently selected object regardless of parent.

  The MacroScripts can be assigned to Shortcuts, or placed on QuadMenu, Menu, Toolbar or Floater.

  The Manager Utility includes:

  • A list view capable of showing up to 100 hierarchy levels.
  • Buttons to change the Level of any number of marked objects
  • Buttons to Cut and Paste any number of marked objects in order to move blocks of objects in the hierarchy.
  • Menu Function to get selected scene objects as children of the currently marked object.
  • Menu Function to get selected scene objects as top level nodes starting at the currently marked object.

• The UNO hierarchy is defined by data stored in the participating objects. 
    
• Any scene object can be member of the hierarchy. 
    
• Typical usage would be animation rigs navigation with bone order independent of the actual linking (parenting) info.
     
• Each object is "brandmarked" as member of the hieararchy, The data includes the position on the list and the depth of the hierarchy. Any other information like related parents, children etc. is derived from this data on the fly.
      
• The data is stored using AppData at a fixed address. This data is persistent and survives saving, merging etc. 
       
• Technical possibility for multiple named UNO hierarchies, could be implemented later.
  
• The UNO database will be rebuilt automatically when necessary by scanning the scene objects for UNO data whenever a UNO function is executed.

 

Public Beta coming soon.

• Thanks to Dominique Gantois for the idea.