Work with widgets

A rig has no effect until it contains a widget with assigned snapshots (parameter states). Widgets are special controls used to drive parameters in the project.

Widgets are represented in four places in the Motion window:

Widgets can be reordered and renamed. Renaming widgets can be important if you have multiple widgets of the same type. Otherwise you see a list of controls that have identical, generic names.

When viewing the Widget Inspector, the controls for the selected widget are displayed.

Widget Inspector

When viewing the Rig inspector, controls for all widgets in the rig are displayed.

Rig Inspector

The Widget Inspector and Rig Inspector both display the parameter controls used to modify the widget (an Edit Mode button and the parameters you’ve assigned to it). However, the HUD displays only the assigned widget control (the checkbox, pop-up menu, or slider that toggles or adjusts the widget), not the parameters used to modify the widget.

HUD showing Widget controls

When a rig is selected, the HUD shows all widget controls assigned to that rig.

Add a widget and assign a parameter in a single step

As an alternative to creating a widget using the buttons in the Rig Inspector, you can create a rig and a widget and then apply a parameter to the widget in a single step.

Do one of the following:

A new widget appears in the Layers list, under its parent rig. In the Widget Inspector, the parameter you chose appears under the Edit Mode button, ready for snapshot assignment. For more information, see Create and manage snapshots and Control rigs from parameter Animation menus.

Inspector showing newly added pop-up menu widget

Reorder widgets in a rig

Rename a widget

By default, each widget is named according to its type (“Checkbox,” for example). However, you can assign a custom name to identify the settings the widget will affect.

Move a widget to another rig

If there are multiple rigs in a project, widgets can be moved easily between the different rigs.

Delete a widget from a rig

Select the widget, then do one of the following:

SEE ALSOCheckbox widgetPop-up menu widgetSlider widget