save your Maya scene

The Attribute Editor

The Attribute Editor provides information about the various nodes and attributes for the objects and

materials in your scene. Like the Channel Box, you can view and edit the basic transform information and

many other keyable attributes. However, the Attribute Editor provides a more detailed display of all

attributes for a selected object.

To view object attributes using the Attribute Editor

1. In the scene view, select templeRoof so it becomes the selected object.

2. To view the Attribute Editor, click the Show/Hide icon on the Status Line.

The Attribute Editor displays the attributes for templeRoof. The various attributes for the

templeRoof object appear under various tabs. Each tab represents a node.

3. Click on the templeRoof tab to see its attributes.

This tab is known as the transform node, because the most important attributes on this tab

control templeRoof's transformation. Every visible object in Maya has a transform node, including

cameras and lights.

4. Click on the templeRoofShape tab to see its attributes.

This tab is called the shape node because the attributes establish the object's geometric shape or

physical properties when the object is first created. Most objects have shape nodes, some do not,

such as the group for the column objects. The shape node also includes other types of attributes,

such as object display attributes.

5. Click on the makeNurbSphere tab to see its attributes.

This is an input node that includes attributes related to the object's construction history. The

attributes of an input node are passed to another node subsequent in the construction history for

the object—in this case, to the templeRoofShape node.

6. The last two nodes are initialShadingGroup and lambert1. If you can't see them, click the display

arrow.

The initialShadingGroup and lambert1 nodes are default nodes that relate to the default shading

material for an object. Maya uses them to establish the initial color of objects and other settings

related to shading. If you create your own shading materials for the temple, as you will in the

following steps, these nodes are replaced by the new shading nodes you create.

Surface materials

The color, shininess, and reflectivity attributes of an object are controlled by its surface material

(sometimes referred to as a shader, or shading material). Material attributes relate to how the object

simulates a natural reaction to light in Maya's 3D computer world.

Maya assigns a default shading material to all objects when they are first created. In this section, you

learn how to assign a new material to your objects.

To assign a new material to the temple objects

1. Right-click the wireframe of Entablature and select Object Mode from the pop-up menu.

This changes the selection mask back to objects so you can select objects in the scene. It is a

shortcut to access this feature.

2. Drag a selection box around all the objects in your scene to select them.

Tip

If objects won't select in the Maya scene, check that your selection mask is set correctly on the

Status Line.

3. From the Status Line, select the Rendering menu set using the menu selector.

The main menu changes to display the menu set for Rendering.

4. From the main menu, select Lighting/Shading > Assign New Material > Blinn.

A Blinn shading material is assigned to all the objects in the scene and the Attribute Editor

updates. Blinn shading materials (named after the inventor of this shading algorithm) provide for

high-quality specular highlights on surfaces.

5. In the Attribute Editor, rename the blinn1 shading material to templeShader.

With a shading material assigned to all the objects, you need to edit the color attributes of the

templeShader material.

To edit the shading material's attributes

1. In the Attribute Editor, click in the gray box to the right of the word Color.

The Color Chooser appears.

2. Click inside the color wheel (hexagon) and drag the pointer to achieve a sand color.

The exact color is unimportant for this lesson. As you adjust the color wheel indicator, the temple

objects become the same color you select in the Chooser.

3. Click Accept to close the chooser.

You will learn more about Maya's shading and texturing capabilities in future lessons.

4. In the Attribute Editor menu, choose the Selected menu item, and select templeBase from the

list.

The attributes for templeBase display in the Attribute Editor.

5. Click on the templeShader node tab to see its attributes.

If you can't see this tab, click the display arrow to the right of the tabs.

These are the same attributes you edited when you assigned the templeShader shader to all the

objects in the scene. When you first create an object, you see two default nodes for shading,

initialShadingGroup and lambert1. When you assign a shading material, the two default nodes are

replaced by the attribute node for the assigned shading material.

You will encounter transform, shape, input, and shading nodes throughout your work with Maya.

There are other types of nodes that you'll learn about as you continue learning about Maya.

6. Close the Attribute Editor using the Show/Hide icon.

Save your work

You have completed this lesson. Save your work before proceeding.

To save your Maya scene

1. Select File > Save Scene As.

2. Type Lesson4Final in the file browser area reserved for file names, and then click Save.