- [Instructor] We've seen
how the property panel Transform section
is used to apply 3D transforms to individual geometry.
The TransformGeo node adds the ability
to provide the same 3D transforms
to an entire group of geometry.
It also provides an input for an external axis
and it adds a Look at feature
that I think you'll find very interesting.
So, the first thing we have to do of course
is to group our geometry
and we do that with the MergeGeo node.
How to save a few clicks,
I could select all the geometry that I want to merge,
then come over to my 3D tab,
Modify, MergeGeo,
and it will hook 'em all up for me.
Conversely, if I want to hook 'em up one at a time,
when you hook the first one up,
you get this little protruding arrowhead
which you can hook up to the second.
You get another for the third and the fourth, ad infinitum.
Or alternately, you can grab your geometry
and pull it down to the MergeGeo node.
Either way got you covered.
Now, the MergeGeo node property panel
has the typical display
and render features we've seen before with a new twist.
By default, the MergeGeo node
will pass through your display and render settings unchanged
but this provides you an override,
so I could say I really want to see everything as a wireframe.
But normally, you're going to leave it unchanged.
All right, let's add the TransformGeo node
now that we have group.
So I'll select MergeGeo,
go to the 3D tab, Modify, TransformGeo.
Notice it's right next to MergeGeo.
They work together and you use them that way a lot.
All right, let's put that TransformGeo node in here.
Let's scooch in, see what we got.
And the TransformGeo node property panel
looks exactly like the Transform panel
of any one of our other geometries.
So for example,
I'll click in the Viewer to deselect everybody.
I don't like all that green wire.
I can do a transformation like this.
I could rotate them like that.
Or perhaps I feel like scaling something.
So, let me put that back to default.
The important thing about the TransformGeo
is it adds its own pivot point for the group.
There it is.
So now, I can pivot my entire group.
Back to default.
Deselect.
Okay, here is the Axis input for the TransformGeo node,
so let's hook up an Axis and let the fun begin.
We'll go to the 3D tab, pick an Axis.
Hook up the Axis data pipe.
And at first glance, nothing really important happens.
Let me show both property panels.
We want to see our TransformGeo and the Axis.
So, I could go to the Axis
and do the same exact transformations
that we did a moment ago.
And it appears that I haven't really gained anything,
have I?
Let me set that back to default.
Here's where the magic is.
At the TransformGeo panel,
I can offset the geometry from the Axis, like so.
Now, here's my Axis.
I'll light that up for you.
And my TransformGeo pivot is up here,
so I have this separation.
This is where the magic begins.
Now, I can apply a transform in the Axis node
and it will be applied off-centered
from the original geometry.
So the Axis node creates
an independent external pivot point.
It's like adding a selfie stick to your group.
Okay, let's take a look
at that very interesting Look function
we talked about a minute ago.
Look, there's the input right there.
So, let me clear my property bin
and I'm going to go get another Axis here.
Now here's the deal about this Look feature.
You can hook up a 3D object to it
and your group will look at it.
So as you move the target around,
your group will turn to stare at it.
Now, it changes the orientation of the group
but not its position.
It's just like turning their head to stare at your target.
You may use an Axis, a Camera, or a Light.
You may not use Geometry.
So, I've added the Axis node.
Let's hook up the Look data pipe to that new Axis node
and let's open up the TransformGeo node
and switch to the TransformGeo node Look tab.
This provide several options for the Look function.
Again, I'm going to deselect that here.
Now, I'm going to take my new Axis here
and I'm going to move it away from my geometry there,
and put my TransformGeo back.
Now watch what happens.
If I grab the Axis
and move it around,
look at that, the entire group
is staring or looking at my target.
I have a couple of options here.
I can, for example, restrict the rotation
to just the rotate Y function.
So now, if I move it left and right, it follows it nicely,
but it will not follow it vertically.
Another thing I can do is adjust the Look strength.
Let's get down from the top here.
Let me dial that way down.
So now, if my Look target moves a lot,
my geometry only moves a little bit.
Okay, let's delete that Axis
'cause we don't want to be doing any looking anymore.
Back to the TransformGeo property panel.
The next thing I wanted to show you
is the Apply Materials node.
Now, right now, all the geometry
has inherited its attributes from upstream.
The checkerboard material is upstream of the geometry.
What the ApplyMaterial node does
allows you to modify the geometry
downstream of the geometry.
So, let's make a hole, select the TransformGeo node,
come over to our 3D menu, go to Shader
and select ApplyMaterial.
Now, all of a sudden,
my geometry lost the checkerboard material.
Well, that's because the material input
on the ApplyMaterial node has nothing in it,
so it stripped out all the material coming downstream.
But if I hook it up to something, voila.
So the ApplyMaterial allows you
to apply material downstream to the geometry
and overrides any material that you had applied upstream.
Again, the property panel of ApplyMaterial
gives you some display options.
You can say I want to see wireframe,
but normally, again, you're going to leave it unchanged.
This Filter option here, we'll look at at a later time.
All right, now let's take a look
at a completely different workflow
using the Axis and the TransformGeo node.
You have situations where you want the individual geometry
to maintain all of its individual motion.
So what I have here is each one of these geometries
has its own separate animation.
Look at that, pretty wild.
Now, I want to apply a transformation to the group,
but I don't want to lose the individual animation
that each object has.
Now, the animation may be coming
from the original geometry node's transform controls
or it could be coming from the TransformGeo node, or both.
If you have it in both, it will simply sum them together.
But the punch line is that by hooking an Axis
to the Axis input of all three TransformGeo nodes,
now I can provide an overriding animation
to the entire group
that does not alter the individual animations
of the objects within the group.
Very nice.
You can't hook the Axis up to the individual geometry nodes
'cause they don't have an Axis input.
Okay, so let's stop that 'cause that's rather annoying.
You can even stream together several Axis nodes
to create hierarchical animations,
so use the TransformGeo node
to add 3D animation to a group of objects
that were created with the MergeGeo node.