File menu > XRef Scene > XRef Scenes dialog
The XRef Scenes dialog lets you add and remove XRef scenes. It also gives you tools to let you control display of the XRef scene, options to ignore various components of the scene, and the ability to bind to a parent object so you can scale, rotate, or move the XRef scene.
Although XRefs are inaccessible ôboxesö in the scene, they can be accessed in various ways.
Cameras and lights in the XRef scenes can be accessed in the Viewports list and assigned to viewports in the current scene.
Objects from the XRef scenes are included in the Summary Info dialog.
XRef scenes can be nested. That is, an XRef scene can contain other XRef scenes, which can in turn contain other XRef scenes.
Note: For a nested XRef scene to update automatically, all of its parent scene files (files that include it as an XRef) must have Auto Update turned on.
Interface
XRef Files window: Displays all XRef scenes in the current scene, and lets you select them for operations. XRefs that have been disabled (by turning off Enabled) are listed in gray rather than black. If an XRef is listed in red, that means its file could not be loaded. Either the file is corrupted, or the path is not pointing to the correct directory or file name.
XRef File path field: Lets you change the path or file pointed to by a selected XRef scene. To use, choose one of the XRef scenes in the list window, and then change the information in the field. You can either directly enter a new file name or path, or you can click the Browse button to the right of the field, and then choose a new file from the resulting file dialog. The new XRef scene that you choose replaces the one currently highlighted in the list window.
Add: Displays a file dialog from which you can choose a .gmax scene file to be loaded into the current scene as an XRef. The selected scene appears in the list window at left, and the geometry appears in the viewports.
You can also add scenes by dragging a .gmax file from the Windows Explorer into the list window.
Convert Selected: Lets you take any selected objects in your scene and create XRefs from them. Basically, this does a Save Selected for the objects, which are automatically cut from the .gmax file and pasted into a new file. A file dialog lets you name the new file. They remain in the viewport but are now XRefs.
Remove: Removes the XRef scene currently chosen in the list window, and removes it from the current scene. To use, choose one or more XRef scenes in the list window, and then click the Remove button.
Select buttons
These standard buttons change the pattern of selection in the list window.
All: Selects all items in the window.
None: Deselects all items in the window.
Invert: Inverts the current selection pattern in the window.
XRef File group
Enabled: Turn this off to disable the highlighted XRef. When an XRef is disabled, itÆs listed in gray in the window, and itÆs not loaded into memory.
Merge: Click this to merge selected XRefs into the scene as real geometry. A prompt appears so you can confirm the action. Since a merged XRef becomes part of the scene and is no longer an XRef, its name is removed from the list window.
Update File group
Determines how and when the XRef scenes are updated. Note that the options are applied to the selected XRefs, for example, one XRef can have automatic updating, while another can be manually updated, using the Update Now button.
Automatic: When this check box is turned on, the selected XRef scene is automatically updated when its source scene is saved.
Update Now: Click this to update a selected XRef scene when youÆre not using Automatic (or when several XRef scenes are selected in which some are not set to Automatic). When you click Update Now, the XRef is updated to match the latest saved version.
Display Options group
These options let you specify how the selected XRefs are displayed in the viewport.
Visible: Turn on or off to display or hide the selected XRefs. This affects the visibility of the XRef in the viewports. Note, also, that this is different from the ôEnabledö check box. Turning off Visible does not remove the XRef from memory.
Box: Turn this on to display the selected XRefs as bounding boxes. Turn off to display the full geometry.
Ignore group
This group box lets you specify categories that you do not want included with the XRef scene. For example, if you turn on Lights, the lights in the XRef scene are not included in the current scene. You can switch these categories on and off at any time, but if you Merge an XRef scene while a category is turned off, that category of objects will not be merged into the scene.
Lights: Turn this on to ignore the lights.
Cameras: Turn this on to ignore the cameras.
Shapes: Turn this on to ignore the shapes.
Helpers: Turn this on to ignore the helpers.
Animation: Turn this on to ignore the animation. All animation in the scene is disabled and the scene appears as it would at frame 0 of the source scene.
Children of an ignored object are also ignored. For example, if you have mesh objects linked as children to a dummy object and ignore Helpers, then the mesh objects are ignored as well.
Parent group
These controls let you position and animate XRef scenes within the current scene by binding the XRef scene to a parent object.
Parent Name field: Displays the name of the parent for the currently selected XRef.
Bind: Click this, and then pick an object in the current scene to become the parent of the highlighted XRef(s). The XRef scene is moved so that its original origin is placed at the pivot point of the parent object. Once an XRef is bound to a parent object, the transforms of the parent are inherited by the XRef. Thus, you can animate the XRef by animating the transforms of the parent.
Unbind: Click to unbind the highlighted XRef(s) from whichever parent theyÆd been bound to. The XRef immediately moves so that its original origin is placed at the world origin of the current scene.
Binding XRefs to objects is similar but different than linking objects, as performed with the Link/Unlink buttons in the toolbar. When you Bind an XRef scene to an object, the XRef scene moves so that the origin of the XRef scene is placed at the pivot point of the parent object. If you unbind an XRef scene, it again moves so that its origin is at the origin of the current scene. (The origin of an XRef scene is typically the 0,0,0 world origin of the .gmax file scene from which it came.)
If you Merge a linked XRef scene, converting it to objects in the current scene, the objects in the XRef scene become linked children of the binding parent. At this point, you could Unlink them (using the toolbar command), and theyÆll maintain their offset position to the parent.
Close: Click to close the dialog.