IDOC - Node

This part of "Node Params" contains everything that has to do with a IDOC's representation and orientation in the viewport. The settings under "Node" depend on the preferences for your 3D software package. There you have to determine which axis serves as a height axis. For some programs it is the Y axis, others use the Z axis.

Simulation

This setting offers three options to choose from – the default is “Active”. This means that the emitter (or any other object) can contribute to the currently opened scene, while “Inactive” disables the selected item.

Position

This setting consists of a trio of values. Each value represents one direction in space: X, Y, and Z. You can often find a certain notation for this trio: [ X,Y,Z ]. A position is always related to the scenes origin which is located at [ 0,0,0 ]. For this reason, it is also allowed to enter negative values. Zero is, of course, valid as well! All "Position" values are measured in metres [m].

Rotation

Rotation works exactly the same way as position. Again, there is a trio of values indicating the rotation settings in degrees [deg] for each axis. By default, an object has no initial rotation.

Scale

This parameter determines the expansion of an object in 3D space. In the same way as with “Position” and “Rotation” you have to specify scale with three values given in metres [m]

Shear

This is an interesting feature which makes it possible to deform the node's basic geometry. With IDOCs the functionality of "Shear" is limited to scaling. The unit is metres [m].

Parent to

You can parent a daemon to any other node in the current scene – no matter if it is animated with keys or dynamically driven. To establish this connection simply select the desired parent node. The IDOC will then execute any motion of the higher-ranking object.

Color

An IDOC is represented by a box object. If a node is selected it is shown in green, otherwise in the currently specified colour.