Apple Motion 5.1.1 - Manual (Page 370)

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Rigs and widgets overview
Even a relatively simple Motion project can contain numerous parameters. Keeping track of them
can be difficult. Often, you might want to modify a variety of parameters simultaneously. Finding
and changing them individually would interrupt your workflow and slow you down.
Rigging lets you map multiple parameters to a single control. For example, you can create a
single slider that changes the size, color, and tracking of a text object, while simultaneously
adjusting the Throw Velocity of a background graphic. Similarly, you can create a checkbox that
controls shadows and reflections for all objects in the project.
This chapter explains how to create and modify rigs to organize and simplify your workflow.
When you rig an object in Motion, you create a set of master controls called widgets. Widgets
reside inside the rig and can affect nearly any parameter in any rigged object, including
behaviors, filters, particle systems, replicators, lights, cameras and so on. Widgets can even control
other widgets. There is no limit to the number of parameters each widget affects, and you can
use multiple widgets in a rig to create a customized control panel where a few controls modify a
wide range of parameters in the project.
The following image shows a Rig in the Inspector with a single checkbox widget controlling the
color of multiple objects. The name of the checkbox has been customized.
In addition to creating widgets to simplify Motion projects, you can publish widgets for use
in Final Cut Pro X so that only the rig controls you specified in Motion are visible. As a result,
Final Cut Pro users can modify a complex of parameters with a small set of controls. Rigging can
also be used to limit the kind and value of changes allowable in a template, ensuring that junior
compositors and others in the production pipeline adhere to established specs and client needs.
To learn more about working with rigs and widgets, choose a topic in the Help table of contents
(the sidebar to the left of this window).
Rigs and widgets
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