The Scene Item class is an abstract class that defines items that a have transformation. The class also defines the concept of pivot point, item parenting and constraints.
Transforming Items
While scene items can be manipulated interactively using the manipulation tools (Translate, Rotate, Scale and Transform tools), it is possible to manipulate them by modifying their attributes using the Attribute Editor. To move items, simply modify their Translate attributes of scene items. Please note that Translate attributes are expressed in local space.
To rotate items simply modify their Rotate attributes. By default, the rotation order is in YXZ. You can change the order of rotation by modifying the Rotation Order attribute. The Rotate attribute is expressed in local space. Please note modifying rotation order only reinterprets the actual order of rotation. It doesn't recompute the actual rotation order for the new one.
To scale items simply modify their Scale attributes. The Scale attribute is expressed in local space.
Setting/Removing Motion Keys
When scene items are selected, it is possible to set or remove a motion keys. To add motion keys go to Animate > Set Motion Key... or press Enter key. To delete motion keys go to Animate > Delete Motion Key...
(1) Set Keys at (2) Keys Interpolation Type (3) Keyed Motion channels
Alternatively, it is possible to animate items using the Graph Editor or directly using the Attribute Editor.
Pivot Points and Offsets
Pivot points and Offsets control how scene items are translated, rotated or scaled. Scene Items Transformations are always relative to their pivot points. You can edit the pivot of your scene item by using the Attribute Editor or by pressing the Insert key while using a translate, rotate or scale tool. When items are selected, pivot points and offsets are displayed as a little target overlay in both the 3D View and the Image View.
It is also possible to use the Animate menu in the main application menu bar to modify pivots and offsets.
Action |
Description |
Center Pivot to BBox |
Center pivots and offsets of the selected items to their bounding box |
Center Pivot to Ground |
Same as Center Pivot to BBox but pivots and offsets are offset in such way that their Y components is snapped to their lower Y bound. |
Reset Pivots |
Reset Pivots to 0 |
Conform Pivots |
Move transforms pivot to item's global pivots |
Remove Offsets |
Transfer offsets to the item transformation |
Record Offsets |
Record current offsets |
Parenting Items
To parent an item simply connect the parent item in the Parent attribute of the child item. To unparent an item simply connect the item. It is also possible to manage parenting using the Hierarchy View.
Note |
By default, the feature Parent In Place is activated. This means that parenting and unparent items automatically compensate item transformation so that the item stays in place. To disable Parent In Place go to Edit > Preferences... > Layout and disable Parent In Place. |
Constraints
Constraints allow you to constrain the transformation of scene items. For more information about constraints please refer to Using Constraints.
Scene Objects
Scene Objects are an abstract class that inherit from Scene Items. They are are defined within an enclosed bounding box and are meant to be rendered. There are 3 different types of scene objects to consider:
- Geometries that are defining the actual geometries.
- Scene Object Trees which are assembling multiple Scene Objects together such as Scatterers and Combiners.
- Geometry Bundles which represent a set of geometries within a single item in the scene.
Scene Objects shares a lot of common attributes to control render settings. Please refer to Scene Object Render Flags for more information.
Reference Frame
By default, Clarisse considers the frame 0 to be the base pose of geometries. The Reference Frame attribute allows you to set explicitly the frame for which the Scene Object defines its base pose. The base pose of objects is used during the computation of tessellation, texture projections and geometry sampling when generating particles on geometries for example.
 Reference Frame set to 0. Note how the texture is stretching. |
 Reference Frame set to 25 (current rendered frame). Note how the texture stretch vanishes |
