the color of the dog is a dark version of the cats color

color of the cat is grey

the color of the bird is a bright version of the cats color


dog.color = cat.color * 0.3


anything with a name in maya, is a node


an "object", something that gets selected
when you click on it in 3d
is a transform node

the transform is just one part of the objects
most objects have a shape node
the verts, edges, etc are in the shape node

there can be special kinds of shape nodes
cameras, lights, etc
the type of shape node on a polyCube is a mesh


A new polycube is three things:
  transform node
  shape node
  construction node
    the construction node is essentially a
    program that makes polygons for cubes

whenever the construction node changes,
it updates the shape node,
changing the mesh


deleting the construction node is the same
as deleting the cubes history

if you delete the connection, the construction node
won't change the shape node anymore
the cube won't change

you can reconnect it manually if you want

  to connect things, shift MMB drag from one node to another
  then pick the master on the left side
  then pick the slave (what it will control) on the right



to get rid of things in an object's history:
  select the object
  go to window > hypergraph connections
  find the node is the history you don't want
  click on it to select it
  press delete on the keyboard



Heirarchy Navigation - "Pick Walking"

  Down selects child
    If there is a shape node, pressing down once will select it
  Up selects parents
    select something in a group, keep pressing up to get the group
  Left/Right selects siblings (other objects in the same group, with the same parent)






Vertex Colors:

  Fill with a default color first

    Color > Apply Color

    Then paint

    Color > Paint Vertex Color Tool


  In UDK, make a material that uses the vertex color node
    it just spits out vertex colors and channels,
    which you can use for masks or anything else


  Ie:

  Material
    Diffuse
      Lerp
        A - Dirt texture
        B - Grass texture
        Alpha - vertexColor.red