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Chapter 24: Building Complex Scenes with Containers and XRefs

Materials also can be referenced from directly within the Material Editor. If you used a material in a previ-
ous scene that would be perfect in your current scene, you can just select the XRef Material from the
Material/Map Browser. This material type includes fields where you can browse to an external scene file and
select a specific object. The selected material is added automatically to the XRef Objects dialog box.
Cross-Ref
You can learn more about applying materials and using the Material Editor in Chapter 15, “Using the Slate
Material Editor.” n

Merging modifiers
If the Merge Manipulators option is enabled before loading the XRef file, then any manipulator that is part of
the XRef object is merged and loaded along with the object. You also can specify how modifiers are included
with XRef objects, but you must select the option from the Modifier drop-down list before the file is selected.
The XRef option loads all modifiers with the XRef object, but hides them from being edited. New modifiers
can be added to the object. The Merge option adds all modifiers to the XRef object and makes these modifi-
ers accessible via the Modifier Stack. The Ignore option strips all modifiers from the XRef object.

XRef objects appear and act like any other object in the scene. You may see a slight difference if you open
the Modifier Stack. The Stack displays “XRef Object” as its only entry.

Using proxies
When an XRef object is selected in the viewport, all details concerning the XRef object—including its
source filename, Object Name, and status—are listed in the Modify panel. The Modify panel also includes a
Proxy Object rollout, where you can select a separate object in a separate file as a proxy object. The File or
Object Name buttons open a file dialog box where you can select a low-resolution proxy object in place of a
more complex object. This feature saves memory by not requiring the more complex object to be kept in
memory. You also can select to enable or disable the proxy or use the proxy in rendering.

Tip
The real benefit of using proxies is to replace complex referenced objects with simpler objects that update quickly.
When creating a complex object, remember to also create a low-resolution version to use as a proxy. n

Controller XRefs
In addition to objects, materials, and modifiers, controllers also can be externally referenced. This means
that you can borrow the controller motions of an object in a separate scene and save some animation time.
To reference an external controller, select the Transform track and choose the XRef Controller option. This
opens a File dialog box followed by a Select Object dialog box where you can choose with the controller the
object that you want to reference. XRef controllers also appear as records in the XRef Objects dialog box.

Cross-Ref
You can learn more about applying and using controllers in Chapter 22, “Animating with Constraints and Simple
Controllers.” n

Configuring XRef paths
The Configure Paths dialog box includes an XRefs tab for setting the paths for XRef scenes and objects,
shown in Figure 24.9. Choose Customize ➪ Configure User Paths to open the XRefs panel.

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