Document Explorer Panel

../../_images/document_explorer.png

Overview

  • The Document Explorer Panel lists the Objects of a Document in alphabetical order.

  • One Document Explorer panel instance is docked by default in the upper right area of the startup UI layour, above the Object Properties panel.

  • Multiple Document Explorer instances can be created using the Main Menu > Panels > DOCUMENT EXPLORER - Create New Panel menu item, for example to lock them to and display the objects of multiple Documents at the same time.

  • By default, the Objects of the Active Document will be displayed.

  • The Document Explorer can be locked to a specific Document via its []> Options menu.

  • Selecting an object in a Document Explorer locked to a particular Document will also activate the Viewport associated with that Document, if any.

Document Explorer Display

  • The Document Explorer displays

  • The Document Color and Document Name with an arrow icon in front to collapse/expand the display of the Document’s objects tree.

    • The Names of the Objects in the Document, sorted alphabetically, indented to the right and prefixed by an Object Type icon.

    • The Operators of each Object (if any) in a collapsed sub-list beneath the Object, e.g. Mesh Reduction under a Mesher object.

    • The Animation of each Object (if any) in a collapsed sub-list beneath the Object.

  • Hidden objects will be drawn in darker color and in Italic font.

  • Objects with Frozen Transforms (by default, the Mesher object) will be drawn in a blue color.

Filtering The Document Explorer Display

  • The text field above the Document Explorer tree can be used to filter the display.

  • Typing a search pattern will perform case-insensitive search for any part of the object name, for example

    • Typing “lo” will perform search for the pattern “*lo*” and list both Point Loaders and Mesh Loaders with default names since both contain that sub-string.

    • Documents that do not contain any filtered objects will not be displayed, in this example the Blue document Untitled 3 was hidden:

../../_images/document_explorer_filter_anim.gif

Document Explorer Options Menu

  • The Options []> menu of the Document Explorer provides the options to lock the panel to a specific Document, as well as commands to hide and unhide objects.

../../_images/document_explorer_options_menu.png

Document Explorer Left-Click Behavior

  • Left-clicking an object in the Document Explorer will select the object, updating the selection in the Viewport, and any selection-centric panels including Object Properties, Transforms, etc.

  • Double-clicking an object will both select the object and focus the active Viewport on it by performing the Zoom Extents command also available via the Toolbar, Z key, and the right-click menu (see below).

  • Left-clicking and holding the left mouse button will let you move the mouse to swipe-select multiple objects at once.

  • Holding down the CTRL key lets you add and remove individula objects to / from the selection.

  • Holding down the SHIFT key lets you block-select from the first clicked to the last clicked object.

Document Explorer Right-Click Context Menu

  • Right-clicking on an object in the Document Explorer will open a context menu offering:

    • An Animations sub-menu containing Animation nodes applicable to the selected object

    • An Operations sub-menu containing Operators applicable to the selected object

    • A CENTER On Selected Objects option equivalent to performing ZOOM Extets one one or more objects selected in the Document Explorer.

    • A DELETE Selected Objects equivalent to pressing the DEL key or using the Main Menu > Edit > DELETE Selected.

    • The same hiding/unhiding options found in the options menu (see above).