Apple Shake 4 - Manual (Page 79)

Chapter 1 An Overview of the Shake User Interface 79
Linking One Parameter to Another
You can link any parameter to any other parameter.
To link parameter A to parameter B within the same node:
m Enter the name of parameter A into the value field of parameter B, then press Return. A
plus sign appears to indicate that the parameter now contains an expression.
For example, in a Move2D node, you would link yPan to xPan by typing the following
into the yPan parameter:
xPan
Note: The default state of many parameters is an expression which links them to an
accompanying parameter. This is most common for pairs of parameters that define X
and Y values. For example, the default argument for yScale is a link to xScale.
To link to a parameter in a different node, preface the link with the following syntax:
nodeName.parameter
For example, to link the red channel parameter of the Add1 node to the red channel
parameter of the Add2 node, enter the following expression in the Add1 red channel:
Add2.red
To interactively copy a parameter from one field to another in the same node,
do one of the following:
m Click the parameter name you want to copy, and drag it to the parameter name (a
value or expression) that you want to copy the value to. This copies the value from the
first field to the second.
Note: This drag and drop behavior also works when you drag color from one Color
control to another.
m Select text in a value field and press Command-C or Control-C to copy the information.
Go to the second value field and press Command-V or Control-V to paste.
m To interactively link two parameters together, Shift-drag a parameter name and drop it
onto the parameter you want to link to. This creates an expression linking back to the
first parameter by listing its name.
Combining Links With Expressions
Parameter links can be used in conjunction with mathematical expressions as well. For
example, to double the value of a link, enter:
Add2.red*2
To link to a parameter at a different frame than the current one, use the @@ signs. For
example, to link to Mult1’s red parameter from two frames earlier, use the following
expression:
Mult1.red@@(time-2)