19.2.2 The Scene Manager

	Amapi 3D provides a system for organizing and managing the hierarchy of the elements of the scene: The Scene Manager. Hierarchy management is very useful when working on complex scenes. You will able to organize (classify) objects by groups or sub-groups, layers, and materials.
		The Scene Manager is opened through the Control Panel. It is divided into three sections corresponding to the different types of classification available: Group, Layer, and Material. You switch from one section to another by clicking on the tab at the top of the Scene Manager.

The Scene Manager can be left open while you continue to do modeling work in the main window. You can also minimize the Scene Manager to free up additional workspace.

Classification : by Group      by Layer     by Material

 

q Classifying by groups

The Scene Manager is a tool used to manage objects. It allows you to create groups, to modify them, and also to create a hierarchy.
Of course, the Scene Manager manages the groups you would have created using the Group/Ungroup tool found in the Control Panel. (See chapter User Manual/ Modeling help Modeling help tools/Control Panel/Group, Ungroup.)

The management of groups allows you to perform the following operations:
· Consult

When you open the Scene Manager, Amapi 3D displays an organized list of the names of groups and objects present in the scene (whether they be hidden, or locked, or not).
Groups are indicated by a chain link and objects by spheres .

If the entire list cannot be viewed at once, use the arrows at the bottom of the Scene Manager to scroll the list.

To see the composition of a group: Double click on the Group icon; the list of the elements composing this group will be displayed.

To close the list of objects composing a group: Double click on the Group icon; the list of the elements composing this group will be closed.

A group can be composed only of sub-groups or only of objects or of both.

There is no limit on the number of groups and sub-groups that you can create.

Objects and groups are always listed in alphabetical order.

Empty groups or containing only one object cannot be created.

All the objects belonging to a group must be on the same layer.

· Select

Selecting an element is useful in the following cases:

· Designating and identifying and element of the scene. The selected element becomes the current object and is displayed in cyan in the scene.
· To select elements, proceed as follows:

· Simple selection (of a single element):

· Click on the element to be selected.
The object or group name is highlighted.

· Multiple selection, element by element:

· Click on the first element to be selected, the name of the object or of the group is highlighted.
· Click on the other elements to be selected holding down the Control key.

· Multiple selection by list:

· Click on the first element to be selected. The object or group name is highlighted.
· Holding down the Shift key, click on the last element to be selected. All the elements located between those two elements in the list are selected.

· Selection by name:

Once an element is selected, Amapi 3D allows you to find another element by name.
Enter the first few characters of the desired object’s name using the keyboard. The Catalog will select the first available object whose name matches the entered string.

Selecting a group will also select all the sub–groups that are attached to it.

· Rename

There are two ways to rename an object or a group:

1st method, using the popup menu:

· Select the name of the element to rename.
· On PC: Click the right mouse button. On Mac: Hold down the Option key and click.
· Select “Rename” in the list of choices.
· Enter a new name.
· Validate the entry by pressing the Return key or clicking on the mouse button.

2nd method:

· Select the object or the group.
· Click on the name of the element.
· Enter a new name.
· Validate the entry by pressing the Return key or clicking on the mouse button.

There is no limit on the length of the names you use. However, if a name is longer than nine characters, it will not be displayed entirely in the Data Window.

· Delete

There are different ways to delete an element (object or group):

1st method: Using the popup menu

· Select the element(s) to be deleted.
· On PC: Click the right mouse button. On Mac: Hold down the Option key and click.
· Select “Delete” in the list of choices.

2nd method: the Delete key

· Select the element(s) to be deleted.
· Press the Delete key of the keyboard.

3rd method: the Trash

· Select the element(s) to be deleted.
· Place the cursor on top of the selection.
· Press and hold down the mouse button (a hand indicates that you indeed made the selection).
· Move the cursor on top of the Trash icon at the bottom of the Scene Manager.
· Release the mouse button.

If you deleted a group, Amapi 3D will delete all the elements and sub-groups contained in this group.

If you deleted objects so that there is only one object left in the group, Amapi 3D will delete this group and the object will depend on the next lower level if there is one.

· Hide

The Scene Manager has its own method for hiding objects.
The icon (sphere or chain) of a hidden element is displayed darker.

Using the popup menu:
· Select the name of the element you want to hide (object or group).
· On PC: Click the right mouse button. On Mac: Hold down the Option key and click the mouse button.
· Choose “Hide” in the popup menu.

You cannot hide only a single element of a group. If you ask to hide an element of a group, Amapi 3D will hide the entire group.

· Show

The Scene Manager has its own method for showing hidden objects.
The icon (sphere or chain) of an un-hidden element is displayed lighter.

Using the popup menu:
· Select the name of the hidden element (object or group) you want to show.
· On PC: Click the right mouse button. On Mac: Hold down the Option key and click the mouse button.
· Choose “Show” in the popup menu.

You cannot show only one object belonging to a hidden group. If you ask to show an object belonging to a hidden group, Amapi 3D will show all the elements belonging to this group.

· Lock

You can lock an object or a group. A locked object cannot be edited or moved. Of course, you can always unlock a locked element.

Using the popup menu:
· Select the name of the element (object or group) you want to lock.
· On PC: Click the right mouse button. On Mac: Hold down the Option key and click the mouse button.
· Choose “Lock” in the popup menu. The locked object will be displayed in gray wireframe in the workspace. You will not be able to designate it as the current object.

· Unlock

You can unlock a locked element (object or group).
Using the popup menu:
· Select the name of the element (object or group) you want to lock.
· On PC: Click the right mouse button. On Mac: Hold down the Option key and click the mouse button.
· Choose “Unlock” in the popup menu.

· Group

You can group objects using the Scene Manager.

Creating a new group using the popup menu:
· Select the object or groups to be grouped.
· On PC: Click the right mouse button. On Mac: Hold down the Option key and click the mouse button.
· Choose “Group” in the popup menu.

Inserting new elements in a group:
· Select the element(s) to be inserted.
· Press and hold down the mouse button (a hand indicates that your selection is taken into account).
· Move the cursor on top of the name of the group that you want to insert the selected elements into. Release the mouse button.

Dropping a selection onto an object creates a group including the selection and the object.

A new group will be called by default “(no name)” and listed in alphabetical order in the list.

· Ungroup

The Scene Manager gives you a different way to ungroup objects.

Ungrouping a whole group:
· Select the group.
· On PC: Click the right mouse button. On Mac: Hold down the Option key and click the mouse button.
· Choose “Ungroup” in the popup menu.
If you ungroup a sub-group, Amapi 3D will put the elements of this sub-group directly at the root of the scene.

Taking an element out of a group:
· Select the element(s) to be removed.
· Press and hold down the mouse button (a hand indicates that your selection is taken into account).
· Place the cursor over the name of the group to which you want to add the element or over the scene root (the element will not belong to any group).
· Release the mouse button.

Releasing a selection above the name of an object creates a new group that includes this selection and this object.

· Get Info

There are two ways to get information about an object or a group:

1st method: Using the popup menu

· Select the element about which you want information.
· On PC: Click the right mouse button. On Mac: Hold down the Option key and click the mouse button.
· Choose “Get Info…” in the popup menu.
· Read the information. (You can make modifications following the instructions in the dialog box.)
· Click on the “OK” button to validate any modifications you have made, otherwise click on the “Cancel” button.

2nd method (faster):

· Double click on the icon of the element you want information about.
· Read the information. (You can make modifications following the instructions in the dialog box.)
· Click on the “OK” button to validate any modifications you have made, otherwise click on the “Cancel” button.

If you select an element that belongs to a group, Amapi 3D gives you information about the group, not about the element itself.

· Copying a selection into the Catalog

· Click on the icon of the Catalog to open it. (See chapter User Manual/File/Catalog.)
· In the Scene Manager, select the objects/groups to be copied.
· Place the cursor on top of the selection.
· Press and hold down the mouse button.
· Move the cursor. (It takes the shape of a closed hand to indicate that the elements are selected.)
· Position the cursor above an empty cell of the Catalog.
· Release the mouse button.

· Assigning a material to an object or to a group

· Click on the icon of the Catalog to open it. (See chapter User Manual/File/Catalog.)
· Click on the “Materials” tab.
· Place the cursor on top of the material you want to assign.
· Press and hold down the mouse button.
· Move the cursor. (It takes the shape of a closed hand to indicate that the elements are selected.)
· Place the cursor on top of the name of the object/group you want to assign the material to.
· Release the mouse button.

Even though nothing spectacular happened on-screen, the operation did take place. Open the “Material” tab of the Scene Manager to verify that the material was assigned to the designated elements.

q Classification by layer

You can mask one or several layers.
You can also lock selected layers to allow modeling only on active layers.
You can perform the following operations:
· Consult

When you open the Scene Manager, Amapi 3D displays and names all the existing layers of the scene plus an empty layer.
A layer can be active (unlocked) or inactive (locked).
It can be visible (unhidden) or invisible (hidden).
The current layer is oulined in yellow. Amapi 3D lists the hierarchy of the elements of the current layer.
The current layer is also the target layer; the objects you will create will be included in this layer.

When opening the Scene Manager for the first time, Amapi 3D sorts all the elements of the scene in a single layer called “Scene”.
Amapi 3D always organizes and displays layers in alphabetical order.

· Select the current layer (and target layer)

The current layer is outlined in yellow. Amapi 3D lists the details of the hierarchy of the elements of the current layer.
To display the contents of a layer:
· Click on the thumbnail of the corresponding layer (it becomes the current layer).

The current layer also becomes the target layer: objects that you create subsequently will be included in this layer.

If you select a layer to check its contents, it becomes the current layer. So, before doing any further modeling, make sure that the current layer is the correct one.

· Editing an element of a layer

Amapi 3D lists the contents of the current layer. You can perform various different operations on the elements listed. You can rename them, delete them, hide or show them, lock and unlock, copy them into the Catalog, get information and assign a material to a selection.
The procedure is the same as described previously for classification and management by groups (see the corresponding paragraphs).

· Renaming a layer

There are two ways to rename a layer:

1st method: Using the popup menu

· Select the layer to rename. (It becomes the current layer and Amapi 3D lists its contents.)
· Click on the layer’s name (the root).
· On PC: Click the right mouse button. On Mac: Hold down the Option key and click the mouse button.
· Choose “Rename” in the popup menu.
· Enter a new name.
· Press the Return key to validate or simply click the mouse button.

2nd method:

· Select the layer to rename. (It becomes the current layer and Amapi 3D lists its contents.)
· Click on the layer’s name (the root).
· Click again on the name of the layer.
· Enter a new name.
· Press the Return key to validate or simply click the mouse button.

· Deleting a layer

· Select the layer to be deleted. (It becomes the current layer and Amapi 3D lists its contents.)
· Press the “Delete” key. The layer and its content are deleted.

Amapi 3D does not allow empty layers. It deletes them automatically.

· Hiding a layer

A visible layer has a white ghost icon at its left and its thumbnail has a black background.
To make all the elements of a layer invisible, you need to hide the layer:
· Click on the icon at the left of the layer. It is grayed and the background of the thumbnail becomes lighter indicating that the layer is hidden (and thus invisible).

It is possible to hide a single element of a layer (see paragraph “Editing an element of a layer”).

· Showing” (unhiding) a layer

A hidden layer has a gray ghost icon at its left and its thumbnail has a clear background.
To make all the elements of a layer visible again, you need to “Show” the layer:
· Click on the icon at the left of the layer. It becomes white and the background of the thumbnail becomes darker to indicate that the layer is now visible.

It is possible to unhide (“show”) a single element of a layer (see paragraph “Editing an element of a layer”).

· Locking a layer

The icon at the left of the layer indicates that it is unlocked: the elements in this layer can be edited.
To make all operations impossible on all the elements of a layer, you must to lock the layer:
· Click on the icon at the left of the layer. It changes color, indicating that the layer and its elements are now locked. Locked elements are displayed in brown.

It is possible to lock a single element of a layer (see paragraph “Editing an element of a layer”).

· Unlocking a layer

The icon at the left of the layer indicates that it is locked: elements included in this layer cannot be edited.
To be able to edit those elements once again, you must unlock the layer:
· Click on the icon at the left of the layer. It changes color, indicating that the layer and its elements are now unlocked.


It is possible to unlock a single element of a layer (see paragraph “editing an element of a layer”).

· Moving elements from one layer to another

· Select the layer containing the element(s) to be moved. (It becomes the current layer and Amapi 3D lists its contents.)
· In the hierarchy, select the element to be moved.
· Place the cursor on the selection.
· Press and hold down the mouse button.
· Move the cursor (a hand indicates that the selection is taken into account).
· Place the cursor on top of the target layer.
· Release the mouse button. The selection is added to the contents of the target layer.

If you drop the selection in the empty layer, Amapi 3D will automatically create a new empty layer.

Amapi 3D does not allow empty layers. It deletes them automatically.

It is impossible to move an object belonging to a group to a different layer.

· Assigning a material to a layer

· Select the layer. (It becomes the current layer and Amapi 3D lists its contents.)
· Click on the icon to open the Catalog. (See chapter User Manual/File/Catalog.)
· Click on the Materials tab.
· Place the cursor on top of the material you want to use.
· Press and hold down the mouse button.
· Move the cursor (a closed hand indicates that the selection is taken into account).
· Place the cursor above the root of the of the layer you want to assign the material to.
· Release the mouse button.

Even though nothing spectacular happened on-screen, the operation did take place. Open the “Material” tab of the Scene Manager to verify that the material was assigned to the selected elements.

q Classification by material

The Material tab of the Scene Manager is a tool for managing materials.

· Consult

When you open the Material tab of the Scene Manager, Amapi 3D displays all the materials used in the scene. Each material is displayed applied to a sphere. When you select a material, Amapi 3D displays the list of elements to which this material is applied.

Since a group can contain objects to which different materials are assigned, the classification by layer cannot take into account the notion of groups.

Amapi 3D always lists materials in alphabetical order.

You can perform the following operations:

· Select a material

To display the names of objects to which a given material is applied:
Click on the thumbnail depicting the material of interest. It becomes the current material.

· Editing elements that use the same material

Amapi 3D displays the list of the elements to which the material is assigned. You can perform different operations:
Rename the objects, delete them, hide and unhide them, lock and unlock them, copy them into the Catalog, get information about them, copy a selection into the Catalog or assign a different material to the selection.
The procedure is the same as the one described for classification and management by groups (see the corresponding paragraph).

· Renaming a material

There are two ways to rename a material:

1st method, using the popup menu:

· Select the material you want to rename. (It becomes the current material and Amapi 3D displays the list of objects to which this material is assigned.)
· Click on the material name.
· On PC: Click the right mouse button. On Mac: Click the mouse button while pressing and holding down the Option key.
· Select “Rename” in the popup menu.
· Enter a new name.
· Press the Return key to validate or click the mouse.

2nd method:

· Select the material you want to rename. (It becomes the current material and Amapi 3D displays the list of objects to which this material is assigned.)
· Click on the material name.
· Click on the material name again.
· Enter a new name.
· Press the Return key to validate or click the mouse.

· Delete

You cannot delete a material using the Scene Manager.

· Changing the material assigned to an object

· Select the material currently assigned to the object. (It becomes the current material and Amapi 3D lists all the objects to which it is assigned.)
· In the list, select the element(s) to move.
· Place the cursor over the selection.
· Press and hold down the mouse button.
· Move the cursor (a closed hand indicates that the selection is taken into account).
· Place the cursor over the target material.
· Release the mouse button.

· Replacing a material with a different one

· Select the material to be modified. (It becomes the current material.)
· Click on the icon to open the Catalog. (See chapter User Manual/File/Catalog.)
· Click on the Material tab.
· Place the cursor above the new material in the Catalog.
· Press and hold down the mouse button.
· Move the cursor (a closed hand indicates that the selection is taken into account).
· Place the cursor on top of the root of the current material.
· Release the mouse button.