VRED Live Reference Module

File

• Re-Import Live Reference - Reimports the Live Reference, removing any changes done in VRED. Use this to return to the pure Alias file. Clicking OK to the warning re-imports the file and changes it placement in the Live References list.

• Replace Live Source - Opens a browser to locating a replacement Alias Live Reference file. Use this to re-establish a link to the Live Reference, as the location or name of the live source file has changed. This also changes the state of the Live Reference from to .

  Select Replace Live Source, select a replacement file, and click Open. The state of a Live Reference, changes to indicate the error has been corrected.

  Warning	Corrected

Edit

• Update from Alias - Establishes a connection with Alias and updates the selected Live Reference. Use this for updating a file where Automatic Update has been turned off.

• Automatic Update - Enables the Live Reference in VRED to automatically update as surface data and cameras changes from Alias are available. This provides the latest updates, effortlessly, with Alias dictating when they appear in VRED. In VRED, you want to control the delivery of updates, disable this by clicking , changing it to .

• Reload View - Loads the node tree of the selected Live Reference into the Node column, making it selectable and searchable. Use this when working on multiple Live References to switch between them and reload their nodes.

• Show in Reference Editor - Opens the Reference Editor with the file selected and highlighted, making it easy to find. Use this when troubleshooting an issue with a file.

Create

• Create - Opens a file browser for selecting a Live Reference file, then opens the Create Live References dialog to create the live connection. See Create Live References Dialog for more informatiion.

  By default, Live Reference files can be found next to the .wire file, wherever it is stored. However, to change the location, use the Storage Location preference in the Live Reference Data section of the Scene > References > References tab.

Selection

• Select Node - Provides a quick way to find and select the currently selected file in the Reference Editor and Scenegraph.

Find the following tools in the Live Reference toolbar:

• - Opens a file browser for selecting a Live Reference file, then opens the Create Live References dialog to create the live connection. See Create Live References Dialog for more informatiion.

• - Removes the selected Live References file from the list.

• - Establishes a connection with Alias and updates the selected Live Reference. Use this for updating a file where Automatic Update has been turned off.

• - Provides a quick way to find and select the currently selected file in the Reference Editor and Scenegraph.

Use the Search field to search by name or with a single character. Note that only single search terms are supported. Further configure your search using the filter settings. Quickly see the search rsults with help from the icons in the columns. Click to access the filters.

Find a list of all Live References and information on their state and that of Automatic Update, as well as the Live Reference and source locations.

Icons

An assortment of icons are used to help with identifying what things are and their state.

• Live Reference - The icon next to a Live Reference indicates its type.

  • - Standard Live Reference

  • - Transformed Live Reference

  • - Hidden transformed Live Reference. To unhide it, in either the Scenegraph or Reference Editor, click the box next to it to add a check.

• State - These icons indicate the state of the Live Reference.

  • - Good - No issue was found.

  • - Warning - An issue was found which needs troubleshooting.

  • - Reload - The Alias Live Reference has changed, and since Automatic Updates is off, the file must be reloaded in VRED to incorporate them.

    

• Auto - These icons indicate the status of Automatic Update.

  • - Enabled

  • - Disabled - This is due to an issue with the state of the Live Reference file ().

  • - Off - To enable and update the file, click the icon. It changes to .

• Location - Provides the location of the VRED Live Reference file.

• Source - Provides the location of the Alias live source file.

  Tip:

  Use the environment variable, ALIAS_VRED_LIVEREF_LOC, for specifying data location. If ALIAS_VRED_LIVEREF_LOC is used to set the file path, and the Live Reference is available, VRED stops looking for other paths and loads the data.

Context Menu

Right-click within the Live Reference area to access a context menu for quickly accessing Update from Alias, Automatic Update, Reload View, Create, Select Nodes, Show in Reference Editor, Re-Import Live Reference, and Replace Live Source. See the Menu section for information on these options.

The Nodes column displays the node structure for the currently selected Live Reference. Use the search and filters to quickly locate specific nodes. Use slider, , and to expand and collapse the tree.

Node Tree

Nodes in the tree will be either gold, indicating the geometry is visible, grey, indicating the view needs to be reloaded, or white, indicating hidden content. When something is hidden, to make it visible, right-click the Live Reference and select Show in Reference Editor from its context menu. Now, in the Reference Editor, click the box next to the reference to add a check, making its geometry visible. When you return to the Live References module, click to reload the view.

Gold	Grey	White

Node Filters

Click and select any of the following options. If the Live Reference contains a node matching the enabled filter(s), the Node column updates. Click to expand the tree to see the filtered nodes.

• Select All - Selects all the filters, displaying the filtered results.

• Select None - Deselect all filters, displaying all nodes.

• Invert Selection - Selects all unselected filters, while deselecting the previously selected ones, changing the filtered results.

• Materials - Displays only material nodes.

  

• Cameras - Displays camera nodes.

  

• Lights - Displays light nodes.

  

• Annotations - Displays annotation nodes.

  

• Animations - Displays animated nodes.

  

• Show Components - Displays components.

  

Revert Context Menu

When is clicked, the context menu options change. Use these options to revert a Live Reference back to its previous state. Find the following options:

• Reload View - Loads the node tree of the selected Live Reference into the Node column, making it selectable and searchable. Use this when working on multiple Live References to switch between them and reload their nodes.
• Select - Selects the node in the Scenegraph and viewport.
• Revert All - Reverts all changes to the Live Reference file back to their previous state.
• Revert Edit - Reverts only edits made to the Live Reference back to their previous state.
• Revert Name - Reverts any name changes to the Live Reference back to their previous state.
• Revert Material - Reverts any material changes to the Live Reference back to the previous state.
• Revert Transformation - Reverts any transformation changes to the Live Reference back to the previous state.
• Revert Visibility - Reverts any visibility changes to the Live Reference back to the previous state.
• Revert Structure - Reverts any changes to the node structure of the Live Reference back to the previous state.

When filters are set, icons may appear in the columns, indicating a match. This makes it easier to identify matching nodes. Click the icon in the column to highlight the node in the node tree.

Alias and VRED Filters

Click and select any of the following options. If the Live Reference contains a node matching the enabled filter(s), the column updates. To see which node(s) match the filter (indicated by an icon in the Alias or VRED column), click . If no nodes are displayed, there is no match.

• Select All - Selects all the filters, displays icons for the filtered results, and updates the nodes displayed in the Node column accordingly.
• Select None - Deselect all filters.
• Invert Selection - Selects all unselected filters, while deselecting the previously selected ones, changing the filtered results.
• New - Displays in the Alias or VRED columns, indicating nodes added to the file. The nodes in the Node column also update.
• Removed - Displays in the Alias or VRED columns, indicating nodes removed from the file. The nodes in the Node column also update.
• Edited - Displays in the Alias or VRED columns, indicating edited nodes. The nodes in the Node column also update.
• Transformed - Displays in the Alias or VRED columns, indicating transformed nodes.
• Material Changed - Displays in the Alias or VRED columns, indicating nodes with material changes.
• Renamed - Displays in the Alias or VRED columns, indicating renamed nodes.
• Visibility Changed - Displays in the Alias or VRED columns, indicating nodes with changed visibility.
• Structure Changed - Displays in the Alias or VRED columns, indicating a change to the node structure of the Live Reference.

Revert Context Menu

When is clicked, the context menu options in the Alias and VRED columns change. Use these options to revert a Live Reference back to its previous state. Find Reload View, Select, Revert All, Revert Edit, Revert Name, Revert Material, Revert Transformation, Revert Visibility, and Revert Structure. For information on these options, see Revert Context Menu in the Node Column section.