How to view a 3D model's variables

After importing your 3D model into Storyboard, you will see that it gets converted to an SSG filetype. SSG files are a lightweight conversion of 3D model file-types like FBX and OBJ.

At first it can be a little confusing trying to manipulate the 3D model within Storyboard as the SSG model’s variables are not exposed by default. 

In order to view them in Designer: first make sure you have the control containing the 3D model selected.

Then in the Variables tab select the Import SSG Variable button, which is the icon that looks like a 3D Cube.

This will open the New 3D Model Variable dialog.

The Model Element tab lists the different parts of the 3D model, as they were named in their original file. The variables tab lists all the possible variables that can be referenced for a 3D element. Select your model element, then double-click the variable(s) you wish to modify or just select the variable and click the “>>” icon. Once you’ve populated the Selected Variables tab you can click Finish.

As you can now see, the variables have been imported into Storyboard Designer.

What’s important to note here is that you do not need to import these variables into Designer like this in order to manipulate them. This mostly just makes it easier to see and reference.

What this means is that you may find yourself importing a 3D sample that we’ve put together and not seeing any of the aforementioned 3D variables in the Variables view. 

The naming convention for the variables explicitly states what they are meant to manipulate.

For these variables, if you append "_[Operation][Axis]" this tells the engine which operation it is to perform and along what axis.

e.g. "_[T|R|S][X|Y|Z]"

These are defined as:

Translation

Rotation

Scaling

and of course which axis: X,Y, Z

So in the case of “_RZ”,  this means a Rotation around the Z axis.

This is interpreted by the engine, and so it doesn't need to have any bindings and is the reason why in a 3D sample you might be unable to find it in the Application.