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29
Working with Objects
About working with objects
Once you get the hang of working with objects, building a world is easy. Even in a complex
world, you can use different techniques to simplify the workflow. For example, you can use
the Objects palette to view all the objects in a world (see "Using the Objects palette" on
page 29). You can connect objects to each other to make resizing a structure easier (see
"Aligning and connecting objects" on page 34). You can lock objects, hide objects, create
hierarchies, and apply transformations.
Some people prefer to build a world methodically, others dynamically. Atmosphere
Builder facilitates many work styles, so experiment and find the techniques that work best
for you.
Using the Objects palette
Working in a world becomes more complex as you add objects to it. Objects may overlap
each other, making them difficult to select. In addition, identifying objects becomes a
challenge. For example, if you have ten box objects in a world, how do you tell which one
is a table and which one is a chair? This is where the Objects palette comes into play.
The Objects palette lists all of the objects in a world and provides an easy way to select and
name objects. For example, you might create a group called "Dining Room" that contains
all of the objects you want to add to a dining room, such as a table, chairs, paintings, and
so on. The relationship between objects and groups is called a hierarchy. A hierarchy adds
structure to the objects in a world and makes arranging and manipulating objects much
easier. For more information on creating groups, see "Grouping objects" on page 36.
To display the Objects palette:
Choose Window > Objects.
To expand or collapse a group in the Objects palette:
Click the plus icon
to the left of the group name.
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