[Figure 5-6] The Object Parent dialog box

Attaching a Prop to a Figure Element
You attach a prop to a figure element by making the figure element the prop’s parent with the Object, Change Parent menu command or by clicking the Set Parent button in the Properties panel. Both of these commands cause the Object Parent dialog box, shown in Figure 5-6, to appear.

[Figure 5-7] Microphone prop attached to the figure’s

hand

Once parented to a figure element, the prop will move with the element as it is posed. Figure 5-7 shows a figure with a microphone prop attached to its left hand element. As the hand element is posed, the prop is moved with it.

Be sure to position and orient the prop before selecting an element as its parent. It is more difficult to orient it once it attached to an element.

Making an Attached Prop Bend with its Parent
Enabling the Inherit Bends of Parent option in the Object Parent dialog box causes the attached prop to bend along with the parent. This is correct behavior for props that are attached to the body parts like a shirt or a necklace, but can distort the prop incorrectly for objects that don’t move with the body like a hat or a sword.

Changing the Prop’s Parent
Once a prop is made a child object of another object, the assignment isn’t permanent. You can change a prop’s parent at any time using the Object, Change Parent menu command or the Set Parent button in the Properties palette. To remove a prop from its parent, simply make the root Universe object the new parent. Since objects can only have a single parent, the set parent is dropped and the root becomes the new parent.

[Figure 5-8] Parents can be set using the Hierarchy

Editor.

Setting a Prop’s Parent in the Hierarchy Editor
The Hierarchy Editor shows the parent-child relationships of all scene objects using an indented list. The Hierarchy Editor can also be used to reassign parents. To assign a new parent for a prop in the Hierarchy Editor, simply select the prop in the Hierarchy Editor and drag and drop it on the object that you want to be the new parent. Once dropped, the new child appears as a sub-object under its parent, as shown in Figure 5-8.

Saving Smart Props
When a prop that is being saved to the Library is parented to another scene object, a dialog box appears asking if you want to save the prop as a Smart Prop. A Smart Prop is a prop that maintains a link to its parent. By maintaining its parent, the prop will continue to move with its parent as the parent is moved.

If you select more than one object using the Select Subset button, then you will not be given the option to make the saved object a Smart Prop.