Component Properties

The Component Properties window displays and allows you to update many properties of scene components.

Object Attributes

The general section includes mostly read-only attributes of an object, including the number of faces and points that make up the object, as well as the size of the object.

You can indicate that an object should show a shadow by pushing , the Show Shadow button.

You can indicate that an object is locked so that no changes made to it by pushing , the Lock Object button.

A default crease factor can be set by moving the Crease slider. The adjusted creasing will be shown in the preview window, but will not be applied to the object until the Commit button is clicked or an operation is applied that needs to re-crease the object.

If you want a translucent or transparent object to refract light you can set a Refraction Index (Available with 3D Canvas Pro  when using raytraced rendering) which adjust the amount of refraction that occurs.

Objects can be automatically smoothed by choosing a Smoothing Level. This makes the object behave as a sub-division surface where smoothing is applied in real-time. This is a very powerful modelling technique for organic objects. For more information on the Tension, and Smooth Angles parameters see the Smooth Operation.

Objects can be automatically mirrored by selecting a Mirror Axis. This mirroring is updated in real time when modifications are made to the object. Once an object is complete you may click the Commit button to apply the mirror as an operation.

Objects can be cloned by setting the clone parameters. Clones are exact duplicates of the object that cannot be edited directly, but automatically show any changes made to the original object. This is very useful when your model has many identical parts and they are a uniform distance from each other.

Custom object fields can be defined using the File Properties window. These fields are automatically displayed here and can be updated with values as you desire. These fields can be accessed from custom scripts, plug-ins and operations.

Material Attributes

The materials used by the selected object are displayed here. Each of material attributes of the Material Palette are available here and can be modified. Clicking on an item allows you to change it.

Group Position

The position within the scene of the component's group. This position is relative to the parent group.

Group Position will only be displayed for scene components that have position. For example, the ambient and directional lights do not have positions.

Group Orientation

The orientation within the scene of the component's group. Orientation is expressed in terms of the number of degrees of rotation around each of the X, Y and Z axes. This orientation is relative to the parent group.

Group Orientation will only be displayed for scene components that have position. For example, the ambient and directional lights do not have positions.

Group Rotational Velocity

The rotational velocity of the component's group.

Group Rotational Velocity will only be displayed for scene components that have an orientation. For example, many lights do not have an orientation.

Inverse Kinematics

The view of the selected object is used to help set joint constraints for Inverse Kinematics. The object's parent object is shown in white.

Clicking on an object and dragging normally results in it being moved within the scene. If Inverse Kinematics are enabled, the object will be rotated as though it is connected to its parent with a rotatable Joint.

With Inverse Kinematics, the object is rotated so that the object's "end" points at the desired location. If the object has no identifiable "end" it will simply rotate in an undefined manner. For example, a cylinder has two potential "ends". If the cylinder is centered in it's group it is not possible to detect if the cylinder's top or its bottom should point at the desired location. Only when the cylinder has been shifted so that it is centered on either the top or bottom of the cylinder is it clear what the "origin" of the cylinder is and what the "end" of the cylinder is. The Shift Tool can be used to shift the object in its group so that a clear "end" is detectable.

A rotation range can be specified to restrict the rotation of the joint. These ranges are in degrees and are relative to the parent group not the object's group. The object view shows the range of motion for the joint.

Inverse Kinematics joints work best when it has no restrictions or when movement is restricted to one or two axes.

Inverse Kinematics can be disabled, enabled, or fixed. If set to fixed, its position will not be changed relative to its parent, but will still be part of the Inverse Kinematics chain. This is handy for bones such as Collar bones that have a specific position, but do not move.

Custom group fields can be defined using the File Properties window. These fields are automatically displayed here and can be updated with values as you desire. These fields can be accessed from custom scripts, plug-ins and operations.

General Light Attributes

All lights have color, an attenuation type and an attenuation factor.

Color can ranges from black (off) to white (maximum intensity).

The attenuation type and factor specify how the intensity of the light changes with distance.

Whether a light is used to a source for shadows can also be set. Note that this option also affects whether a light will produce visible light due to particle interaction when raytracing. See the File Properties for more information.

Spotlight Attributes

Spotlights have additional properties including the Range, Umbra angle and Penumbra angle.

Range is the distance from the spotlight that is lit by the spotlight and is in model units.

Umbra and Penumbra are specified in radians (3.14 = 180 degrees).

Camera Attributes

The Field of View of the Animation Camera can be set. The default is .5.

If you have 3D Canvas Pro, you can also set the amount of focal blur to display when using POVRAY raytracing to create a Snapshot or Video.