Introduction
Control Boards are simple graphical user interfaces for everyday use.
It hides complex Flow Editor logic from studio operators while streamlining the use of an Aximmetry project.
We can add a Control Board by right-clicking in the Flow Editor-> New Special Compound-> Control Board:
NOTE: The Pilot program completely hides the Flow Editor and shows only Control Boards instead.
Adding Panels to a Control Board
A node in the Flow Editor can be added to a Control Board using the Add to Control Board right mouse click option:
Info notes can be attached to Control Board panels and to any pin or button that appears with the panels. This is a recommended practice as it can provide useful information and guidance to the studio operators.
Navigation
To switch between Control Boards and the Flow Editor click on their texts on the menu bar of Aximmetry:
Also, there are several shortcuts for easy navigation between the Control Boards:
- F2 - Go to the Control Boards or switch between them.
- F1 - Go to the Flow.
- ALT + 1...9 - Select Control Boards 1,2,3..9.
NOTE: It is possible to change these shortcuts at Edit->Preferences->Keyboard Shortcuts.
Control Board Order
To change the order of the Control Boards, go to Navigate->Set Control Board Order...:
NOTE: There are no limits on how many separate Control Boards one compound can have. But only the first 30 control boards can be chosen and seen on the navigation bar.
Go To Source
To locate the node in the Flow Editor which is linked to the panel on the Control Board, use the Go To Source Module option:
This won't work with panels that are inside a locked Linked Compound. For that, you first must select the Edit Compound In-Place option on the Linked Compound, mentioned in the previous chapter.
Buttons and Pin Collector
The Pin Collector is a special compound that can collect pins from different modules into one panel on the Control Board.
Pin Collectors and Compounds can show more complex UI elements like buttons on the Control Board panels. Find out more about Pin Collectors and possible UI elements in the Pin Collector documentation.
Color
Control Boards get their color from their source module's color.
But the Set Color... option can change the color to something different:
Also, the Reset Color option will change back the color to the source node's color.
Linked Compounds Control Board
It is not possible to add new panels to a locked Linked Compound's Control Board.
However, it is possible to create a new Control Board and move the panels from a locked Linked Compound to that new Control Board:
NOTE: In the above example, the CAMERAS and BILLBOARDS control boards aren't visible when using the Add to Control Board menu cause they are part of a Locked Linked Compound.
Presets
To create a Preset of a Control Board's panel's settings use the Create Preset... option:
NOTE: This is not possible on Control Boards that are located inside Locked Linked Compounds. For such a case, we suggest creating a new control board like it is described above in the Linked Compounds Control Board paragraph.
This will create a preset from every selected panel. In the screenshot above, it means that it saves the SELECT CAMERA, CAMERA 1 PATH, CAMERA 2 PATH, and CAMERA 3 PATH panel settings.
In the Create Preset window, the Group name refers to the panel's name that will be created. The Preset name refers to the button that will be created within the panel. If there is already a preset, then it is possible to select its panel as a Group name:
Once a preset is created, a new panel will appear on the Control Board:
A new module will also appear in the Flow:
NOTE: This module enables triggering Presets even from the Flow Editor.
Settings
It is possible to save and load a Control Board's every setting on every panel using the Save Settings... option:
This will save the settings into a file, which can be loaded by different compounds as long as their Control Board comes from the same Linked Compound. Or the Control Boards have the same panel and setting names.
For example, if different compounds (projects) use similar Camera compounds, it is possible to transfer between them all your studio-specific setups (camera paths, keying, billboard location...) using the Settings file.
Snap Panels
To neatly place panels next to each other, use the SHIFT key when moving the panels. This will snap panels to other panels' edge lines.
Snapping also works with every possible node in the Flow Editor. For example, you can snap modules and compounds to each other.
