Avid 3D Reference Guide
Avid® 3D
Reference Guide
make manage move | media
™
Avid
®
Copyright and Disclaimer
Product specifications are subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on the part
of Avid Technology, Inc.
The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. You can obtain a copy of
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No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
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Copyright © 2004 Avid Technology, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Printed in USA.
The Avid 3D application uses JScript and Visual Basic Scripting Edition from Microsoft Corporation.
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computer software” or “commercial computer software documentation.” In the event that such Software or
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respect to this Software and documentation are subject to the terms of the License Agreement, pursuant to
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Trademarks
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and some other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
2
GOT FOOTAGE?
Editors — Filmmakers — Special Effects Artists — Game Developers — Animators — Educators —
Broadcasters — Content creators of every genre — Just finished an incredible project and want to
share it with the world?
Send us your reels and we may use your footage in our show reel or demo!*
For a copy of our release and Avid’s mailing address, go to www.avid.com/footage.
*Note: Avid cannot guarantee the use of materials submitted.
Avid 3D Reference Guide • 0130-06297-01 • June 2004
3
4
Contents
Using This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Accessing the Online Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
How to Order Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Avid Educational Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Chapter 1 Commands and Interface Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Main Window Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Menu Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Layouts Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Control Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Lower Interface Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Playback Cursor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Ruler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Start Frame Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
End Frame Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Timeline Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Playback Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Animation Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Autokey (auto) Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Contents
Previous/Next Key Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Key Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Preview and Output Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Flipbook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Flipbook Command Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Flipbook Playback Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Open Images Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Export Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Library Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Scene Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Sample Projects Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Object Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Model Library. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Digimation® Model Bank™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Material & Fx Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Still Images Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Video Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Tools and Options Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Transform Tools Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Animation Tools Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Text Tools Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Deformation Tools Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Particle Tools Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Display Options Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Options Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Letter Identifier Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Views Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Display Types Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Resize Viewport Icon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
6
Contents
Multi-Purpose Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Geometry and Deform Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Material and Fx Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Texture Clip Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Profile Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Function Curve Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Function Curve Editor Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Function Curve Graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Function Curve Editor Command Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Property Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Property Page Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Color Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
The Tree View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Viewing Folder Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Setting Favorites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Accessing Files from the Browser Path Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Accessing Computers on a Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Chapter 2 Properties Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Color Editor Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Data Management Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Display Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Environment Map Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Inspect Source Paths Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Mini Color Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
New Project Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Project Manager Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
7
Contents
3D Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Arc Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Circle Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Cluster Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Cone Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Cube Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Cylinder Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Disc Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Extrusion Property Editor (Curve along Axis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Extrusion Property Editor (Curve Along Curve). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Geometry Property Editor (Arc). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Geometry Property Editor (Circle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Geometry Property Editor (Cone) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Geometry Property Editor (Cube) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Geometry Property Editor (Cylinder) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Geometry Property Editor (Disc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Geometry Property Editor (Grid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Geometry Property Editor (Sphere). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Geometry Property Editor (Torus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Grid Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Loft Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Revolution Property Editor (Curve Around Axis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Revolution Property Editor (Curve Around Curve) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Sphere Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Spiral Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Square Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Torus Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Deformations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Bend Op Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Bulge Op Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
8
Contents
Curve Deform Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Lattice Property Editor (Deformation). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Lattice Property Editor (Lattice) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Push Op Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
QStretch Op Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Shape Jitter Op Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Shear Op Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Taper Op Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Twist Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Wave Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Wave Op Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Text and Logos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Curve to Mesh Converter Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Text Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Lights and Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Ambient Lighting Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Camera Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Depth of Field Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Fisheye Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Flare Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Glow Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Light Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Rig Controls Property Editor (Light Rig) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Light Rig Partial Property Editor (Light Rig) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Key/Fill/Back Light Property Editor (Light Rig) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Light Shader Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Volumic Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Z-Depth Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Materials and Textures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Image Source Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
9
Contents
Material Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Texture Map Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Texture Support Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Time Control Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Toon Shader Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Direction Constraint Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Fcurve Editor Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Local Transform Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Path Constraint Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Position Constraint Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Time Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Fan Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Gravity Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
10
Obstacle Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Particle Billboard Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Particle Emission Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Particle Gradient Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Particle Shape Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Particle Sprite Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Particle Type Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
ParticlesOp Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Turbulence Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Wind Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Preview and Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Render Options Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Format Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
AAF and MXF Options Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Rendering Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Contents
Chapter 3 Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Selection Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Transform Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Camera Navigation and Framing Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Display Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Render Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Playback Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Animation Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Scene Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Function Curve Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Profile Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
11
Contents
12
Using This Guide
Congratulations on your purchase of the Avid 3D software. You can use
Avid 3D to create, customize, and animate 3D content, visual effects, text and
titling for your productions.
n
The documentation describes the features and hardware of all models.
Therefore, your system might not contain certain features and hardware that
are covered in the documentation.
This guide is intended for all Avid 3D users, from beginner to advanced. It
contains detailed interface, command and parameter information for all
aspects of the Avid 3D software.
Using This Guide
Symbols and Conventions
Avid 3D documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:
Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action
n
c
w
> This symbol indicates menu commands (and
t
Margin tips
Italic font Italic font is used to emphasize certain words and to
Courier Bold font
Bold font Bold indicates a user interaction.
A note provides important related information,
reminders, recommendations, and strong suggestions.
A caution means that a specific action you take could
cause harm to your computer or cause you to lose data.
A warning describes an action that could cause you
physical harm. Follow the guidelines in this document
or on the unit itself when handling electrical equipment.
subcommands) in the order you select them. For
example, File > Import means to open the File menu
and then select the Import command.
This symbol indicates a single-step procedure.
Multiple arrows in a list indicate that you perform one
of the actions listed.
In the margin, you will find tips that help you perform
tasks more easily and efficiently.
indicate variables.
Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.
14
Ctrl+key or mouse action Press and hold the first key while you press the last
key or perform the mouse action. For example,
Shift+Alt+C or Ctrl+drag.
If You Need Help
If you are having trouble using Avid 3D:
1. Retry the action, carefully following the instructions given for that task in
this guide. It is especially important to check each step of your workflow.
2. Check for the latest information that might have become available after
the documentation was published in one of two locations:
- If release notes are available, they ship with your application.
- If ReadMe files are available, they are supplied in your Avid
If You Need Help
application folder. ReadMe files are also available from Help.
n
Release notes and ReadMe files are also available from the Knowledgebase.
3. Check the documentation that came with your Avid application or your
hardware for maintenance or hardware-related issues.
4. Visit Avid Online Support at www.avid.com/support. Online support is
available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Search the Knowledgebase to
find answers, to view error messages, to access troubleshooting tips, to
download updates, and to read/join online message-board discussions.
5. For Technical Support, please call 800-800-AVID (800-800-2843).
For Broadcast On-Air Sites and Call Letter Stations, call
800-NEWSDNG (800-639-7364).
Accessing the Online Library
The Avid 3D Online Library contains all the product documentation in PDF
format as well as a selection of movies for getting started. Avid recommends
the movies as your first resource for learning how to use your application.
n
You will need Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® installed to view the documentation
online. You can download the latest version of the Reader from the Adobe
Web site.
®
To access the documentation from the Online Library:
1. Insert the Online Library into the drive.
2. Double-click the Mainmenu file.
15
Using This Guide
How to Order Documentation
To order additional copies of this documentation from within the
United States, call Avid Sales at 800-949-AVID (800-949-2843). If you are
placing an order from outside the United States, contact your local
Avid representative.
Avid Educational Services
For information on courses/schedules, training centers, certifications,
courseware, and books, please visit www.avid.com/training or call Avid Sales
at 800-949-AVID (800-949-2843).
16
Chapter 1
Commands and Interface Reference
Chapter 1 Commands and Interface Reference
Main Window Overview
The Avid 3D interface is made up of control panels and four viewports, many
of which can be resized.
Title bar
Displays the name of the
open project and scene.
Menu bar Provides
access to primary
project and editing
commands.
Control bar
Displays buttons for
one-click access to
camera,
transformation, and
editing controls.
Viewports
Let you view the contents of your
scene in different ways. You can
resize, hide, and mute viewports in
any combination.
Library panel
Contains objects, materials, textures,
images, and video clips you can use
to create your scene. This panel is
also home to the scene explorer.
18
Lower interface controls
Tools and Options panel
Provides tools for modifying and
animating elements in your scene,
as well as setting user preferences
and display and output options.
Menu Bar
File Menu
Menu Bar
The menu bar is the horizontal bar at the top of the main window that displays
menus containing commands that are general to Avid 3D. These include
general operations such as managing files, editing, and getting help.
Location: At the top of the main window.
Create and open projects; create, open, close, and save project scenes; import
and export models and scenes, and exit.
Location: Menu bar
Option Description
New Scene Creates a new scene. Acts as a “delete all” command: The
current scene is removed from the workspace and a new empty
scene is created. By default, the empty scene is named
“Untitled.” When you select this command, you are prompted to
save and close the current scene.
Open Opens a browser that lets you locate and load an existing scene.
When you select this command, you are prompted to save and
close the current scene.
Save Saves your scene and all rendering properties and options as a
scene file using the current scene file name.
If you have not previously saved your scene (“Untitled”), a
browser is displayed in which you can specify a scene name. A
scene is saved with an .scn extension to the Scenes folder of the
current project folder.
Save As Opens a browser that lets you save your scene to a different
name. A scene is saved with an .scn extension to the Scenes
folder of the current project folder.
New Project Creates a new project. This command opens the New Project
dialog box where you can set a name and location for your project
folder. Scenes are always associated with a particular project.
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Chapter 1 Commands and Interface Reference
Option Description
Project Manager Opens the Project Manager dialog box, which displays a list of
available projects and scenes. You can select an existing project
from the list, delete projects, and add projects to the list that may
exist elsewhere in your system or network.
If you choose a project to work on, you can either choose a
scene you want to load or create a new scene. You are prompted
to save and close the current project and scene before the next
project and scene are loaded.
Source Paths Opens the Inspect Source Paths property editor, where you can
verify your scene's links to external files and, if necessary,
modify them.
Import Model Opens a browser that lets you import an exported
SOFTIMAGE|XSI or Avid 3D model. Exported models are
identified by their .emdl extensions.
Import dotXSI File Imports elements from a dotXSI (.xsi) file.
Import EPS File Imports curves from an encapsulated PostScript file (.eps).
20
Export Model Opens a browser for exporting a selected model. Exported
models are saved to the Models folder under the project with the
.emdl extension.
Recent Scenes Lists scenes you have worked on recently. Select a scene to
open it.
Recent Models Lists models you have imported recently. Select a model to
import it into the current scene as a non-referenced model.
Exit Closes the Avid 3D program. You are prompted to save changes
to your current scene before exiting.
Edit Menu
Menu Bar
Perform common editing and organizational tasks on selected elements within
your scene.
Location: Menu bar
Option Description
Repeat Repeats the last repeatable command.
The name of the menu item indicates which command will be repeated.
Certain categories of commands cannot be repeated:
• Selection commands. This allows you to apply a command to selected
elements, then select other elements and repeat the command.
• Interactive manipulation, for example, using the transform tools (V,
C, X) or the Move Point tool (M). However, transformation values
entered numerically in the Local Transform property editor or onscreen parameters can be repeated.
• Viewing commands, such as toggling the display type in a viewport.
• Playback and timeline commands, such as changing frames.
• Camera navigation and viewing commands, such as orbiting,
zooming, and framing.
When the last command can't be repeated, Edit > Repeat will repeat the
previous command instead.
Note that you can also repeat the last command from a specific
n
menu button by middle-clicking on the menu button.
Undo Cancels the last action that was performed. You can perform multiple undo's.
Redo Reapplies the action you previously canceled with the Undo command.
Cut Removes the current selection and copies it to the Clipboard.
Copy Duplicates the current selection and copies it to the Clipboard.
Paste Inserts a copy of the Clipboard contents, replacing the current selection
(if any) with the contents of the Clipboard.
Select All Selects all elements in the current scene.
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Chapter 1 Commands and Interface Reference
Layouts Menu
Switches between a single and dual-screen layout.
Location: Menu bar
Option Description
Avid 3D Main - Single Displays Avid 3D on a single screen.
Avid 3D Main - Autohide Hides the library and tools and options panels when they
Avid 3D Main - Dual Displays Avid 3D on two side-by-side screens.
Help Menu
Access to Online Help, which contains information on commands, properties,
and the interface; access to the Softimage and Avid web sites, where you can
perform web searches and send technical questions to Avid Customer Support
by e-mail.
are not in use. Move the mouse pointer to the right edge of
the screen to display a panel.
22
Location: Menu bar
Option Description
Avid® 3D Help Opens the Online Help window's Contents tab, which
displays help topics listed by category. This window also
has an Index tab for alphabetical topic searches, and a
Search tab for full-text searches.
Softimage Home Page Opens your web browser to the Softimage home page.
Avid Home Page Opens your web browser to the Avid home page.
About Avid 3D Provides product information, including version number.
Control Bar
Control Bar
The control bar gives you quick access to many commands that are in the form of
buttons. Many of these buttons have associated menu commands or shortcut keys.
The control bar includes buttons for navigating in the viewports, transforming
scene elements, selecting scene elements and their various components,
duplicating and deleting scene elements, undoing and redoing edits, and
opening the multi-purpose editor for editing properties.
Location: Above the viewports at the top of the main window.
Button Tool Description
Frame Selection Zooms instantly into or out from selected
elements in your scene.
Frame All Zooms instantly into or out from all elements in
your scene.
Reset Camera Resets the view to its original viewpoint and pan
& zoom state.
Orbit Camera Pivots a camera, spotlight, or user view around its
point of interest.
Dolly Camera Dollies toward or away from the center of a
viewport.
Pan Camera Moves the camera horizontally or vertically
without changing its depth.
Zoom Camera Zooms into or out of the scene.
Scale Changes the size of selected elements.
Rotate Rotates (changes the orientation) of selected
elements.
Translate Moves (positions) selected elements.
Select Selects objects.
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Chapter 1 Commands and Interface Reference
Button Tool Description
Select Point Selects points on selected objects.
Select Polygon Selects polygons on selected objects.
Create and Manage
Polygon Clusters
Duplicate Creates copies of selected objects.
Delete Removes selected elements from the scene.
Undo Cancels the last action that was performed. You
Redo Reapplies the action you previously canceled
Multi-Purpose Editor Opens or closes the display of the
Creates, selects, and deletes clusters of polygons
on selected objects.
can perform multiple undo's.
with the Undo command.
multi-purpose
editor
.
24
Lower Interface Controls
This area of the interface gives you access to the timeline and playback
controls; basic keyframe animation controls; and preview and rendering
controls, as well as a status line for information.
Lower Interface Controls
Timeline
Rendering and
Preview Controls
Let you set up and
create rendered output
of your scene.
The timeline comprises a ruler, a playback cursor (vertical red bar), a range
control, and start and end frame boxes. The timeline represents the length of
an animation scene and is used to display the current playback position, set the
current position for keyframing properties, and manually move forward or
backward to a different part of the animation.
Timeline
Displays the current
position of your
animation in time and
lets you move
manually between
Mouse/status line
Displays the current functions of your three
mouse buttons as well as status and error
messages when applicable.
Playback controls
Let you play back
animated scenes.
Animation controls
Let you set, remove, edit
and navigate between
keyframes.
Start frame
Playback cursor
Ruler
Timeline range
End frame
Time is displayed in frames, seconds, or milliseconds, depending on the
option you set in the Time Format Options (see “Options Panel” on page 55).
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Chapter 1 Commands and Interface Reference
By default, the first and last frame of the scene is displayed in the start and end
frame boxes at either end of the timeline. You can view a specific section of
time by changing the frame number in either of these boxes. The current
frame/time, as indicated by the position of the playback cursor, is displayed in
the current framed/time box in the playback controls.
When you click the Loop button in the playback controls, yellow markers
appear in the timeline, showing the frame range of the loop.
Location: Below the viewports at the bottom of the main window.
Playback Cursor
A red vertical bar on the timeline indicating the playback position, it displays
the various frames in a scene.
You can drag the playback cursor manually, or you can play back animation
using the playback commands. When you play back an animated scene, the
cursor moves along the timeline.
• Dragging the playback cursor changes the frame. The current frame box
displays the current frame at which the cursor is located.
Ruler
26
• Middle-click+dragging the playback cursor moves to the selected frame but
does not update the viewports until you release the button. This means you
can quickly drag to the required frame while avoiding lengthy refresh time.
• Right-click+dragging the playback cursor also moves to the selected
frames without updating the scene. The cursor and frame number in the
current frame box turn green. To refresh the scene, click the cursor. This
is useful for copying keys from one frame to another.
Location: Timeline
Displays the time scale for your animated scene and is used as a guide when
setting keyframes or defining rendering tasks.
The time scale can display in frames, seconds, and milliseconds, depending on
the option you set in the Time Format Options (see “Options Panel” on page 55).
Location: Timeline
Start Frame Box
End Frame Box
Lower Interface Controls
Indicates the beginning of the current animated scene.
You can set the start frame value to begin at any point in your scene's timeline.
This value is used by the playback commands and controls (such as Play and
Go to First Frame).
This value is expressed in frames, seconds, or milliseconds, depending on the
settings you set in the Time Format Options (see “Options Panel” on page 55).
Location: Left end of timeline
Indicates the end of the current animated scene.
You can set the end frame value to end at any point in your scene's timeline.
However, the value in the end frame box must be greater than the value in the
start frame box for the animation to play. This value is used by the playback
commands and controls (such as play and go to last frame).
Timeline Range
This value is expressed in frames, seconds, or milliseconds, depending on the
settings you set in the Time Format Options (see “Options Panel” on page 55).
Location: Right end of timeline
Allows you to see and adjust the range relative to the overall animation.
Click this icon (or Alt+click on the timeline) at the right end of the timeline to
display the range control. Then do any of the following:
• Drag on the left, right, or middle handles to adjust the playback's in/out time.
• Click+drag in the range’s middle to slide the time range.
• Click this icon again (or Alt+click on the timeline) to return to the
timeline display.
Location: Right end of timeline
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Chapter 1 Commands and Interface Reference
Playback Controls
Controls how the animation and audio in the scene is played back. You can
play the scene forward, stop playback, go to the first frame and last frame, go
to the previous or next frame, and set real-time playback.
Location: Below the timeline at the bottom of the main window.
Button Tool Description
Previous Frame Moves you back in the scene by one frame.
Next Frame Moves you forward in the scene by one frame.
Go to First Frame Returns the playback cursor to the first frame of the
scene. The first frame of your scene is set according
to the value in the Start frame box at the beginning
of the timeline.
28
Play Backward Toggles between playing the scene animation in
reverse and stopping it.
• Left-clicking the Play Backward button plays
the animation backward from the last frame on
the timeline.
• Middle-clicking the Play Backward button plays
the animation backward from the current frame.
Play Forward Toggles between playing the scene animation
forward and stopping it.
• Left-clicking the Play button plays the animation
forward from the first frame on the timeline.
• Middle-clicking the Play button plays the
animation forward from the current frame.
Go to Last Frame Returns the playback cursor to the last frame of the
scene. The last frame of your scene is set according
to the value in the End frame box at the end of the
timeline.
Button Tool Description
Loop Animation Continuously repeats the scene animation in one
continuous loop. The frame numbers in the start
frame and end frame boxes set the range for the loop.
When you click the Loop button, yellow markers
appear on the timeline showing the frame range of
the loop. To change the range, drag the yellow
markers to different frames.
Audio Toggles between playing and muting any audio files.
Audio is active by default (button is gray). When the
audio is muted, the button is highlighted.
Current Frame Box Displays the current frame number or time position
in the sequence. As you move the playback cursor,
the time/frame box displays the frame or time
position at which the cursor is located. You can also
enter a specific frame number in this box to go to
that frame.
All/RT Toggles between playing back the animated scene
frame by frame (All) or in real time (RT).
Lower Interface Controls
Animation Controls
You can use the various command buttons to animate properties and objects
such as lights and cameras. You can set and delete keys, and quickly move
through keys.
Autokey button
Location: Below the timeline at the lower-right of the main window.
Key button
Previous and next key buttons
29
Chapter 1 Commands and Interface Reference
Autokey (auto) Button
Toggles autokey mode on and off. In autokey mode, keys are generated
automatically for individual parameters as you change settings.
When autokey mode is on, the button is highlighted in red.
Location: Animation controls
Previous/Next Key Button
Moves to the previous or next keyframe for a selected object's parameters,
marked or not.
• If the selected object has marked parameters, the buttons move between
the keys for those parameters.
• If nothing is marked, the buttons move between keys for all parameters of
the selected object.
Location: Animation controls
Key Button
30
Sets or removes keys on the marked parameters at the current frame:
• If there is no key at the current frame, clicking the Key button sets a key.
• If there is a key at the current frame, clicking or middle-clicking the Key
button removes that key.
The color of the button shows the status of the marked parameters at the
current frame:
• None: There is no fcurve animation on the marked parameters.
• Red: There is a key on the current values at the current frame.
• Green: There is no key at the current frame, but the current values are as
determined by the function curve.
• Yellow: The current values are different from those determined by the
function curve.
Location: Animation controls
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