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Simple, customizable user interface |
XSI’s intuitive interface is designed to make all the tools you need immediately accessible. Color–coded menus group tools according to function and can be torn off into floating views for quick access to the tools you use most. Common selection, animation, transformation, snapping, and material management tools are conveniently grouped in sidebars. All of XSI’s data and geometry views can be docked in viewports or in floating windows. Viewport presets give you one-click access to useful combinations of tools and views.
The Main Command Panel (MCP) contains tools for selection, transformation, snapping, and more. Download video - right-click and save as... |
Viewports |
XSI viewports are your windows onto your scenes. You can view scenes from the point of view of any camera or spotlight, as well as orthographic (top, right and front) and perspective views. Myriad display modes let you view the scene as anything from a simple wireframe display to real-time shaders. Animators can employ several animation ghosting modes. Because 3D scenes can get complicated very quickly, you can toggle the display of all scene elements from a single menu.
XSI's viewports give you complet control over what is displayed, and how. Here you'll see how to change display modes and set visibility options. Download video - right-click and save as...
Navigating 3D views is easy, with keyboard shortcuts for standard panning, zooming, orbiting, dollying and tracking, as well as first-person walkthrough navigation modes that allow you to walk through your scenes from a character’s point of view. If you want to save a particular point of view, each viewport features four “memo-cam” regions that store the current view settings for quick access and comparison.
XSI viewports also have a built-in rotoscopy mode so you can use background plates for modeling or animation by tracing objects from the images, matching your objects with the images’ motion, or matching your camera’s point of view with that of the image.
Avanced display options give you precise control over the appearance of objects in the viewports, and include some handy tools to enhance object visibility. Download video - right-click and save as... |
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Configurable Mouse and Keyboard Interactions |
XSI’s keyboard interactions and navigation are 100% customizable, so you can change whatever you need to work the way you want. A powerful keyboard mapping editor lets you switch between different key maps and modify any shortcut or key mapping to suit your way of working. If you’re transitioning from other 3D package, XSI includes a comprehensive set of migration tools, including interaction models similar to other 3D packages.
The XSI keymap editor lets you completely customize your mouse and keyboard interactions using an intuitive interface and drag & drop workflow. Download video - right-click and save as...
If you're switching from another 3D package, we applaud your choice. XSI's alternate interaction models will help ease your transition. Download video - right-click and save as... |
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Next generation 64-bit multi-threaded architecture |
GigaCore II is the 3D engine that powers XSI. It enables professional artists to handle massive models and scenes. GigaCore II is a next-generation engine that is multi-threaded, so it takes advantage of the latest 64-bit, multi-core CPU’s. GigaCore II also enables ICE (Interactive Creative Environment), the new visual programming platform for XSI. |
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Fully Customizable Task-Specific Layouts |
For more specific tasks, like animation, compositing, tool development & scripting and ICE visual programming, XSI lets you switch between present layouts quickly. Layouts are completely customizable, so you can modify any of the presets to suit your needs or create your own layout from scratch. Any modifications you make are saved to an XML file that you can edit further using your favorite text editor.
XSI's has a variety of preset layouts that are suited to different tasks. This video will show you where to find them and how to switch between them. Download video - right-click and save as...
XSI layouts are 100% customizable, so you can tweak the existing layouts to make them work just so, or build your own layout from scratch. Download video - right-click and save as... |
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Navigating a Scene: Explorers, Schematic Views, Spreadsheets |
In complex 3D scenes, it’s important to be able to get at the elements you need quickly and intuitively. XSI’s data views let you sort through thousands of elements to find what you’re looking for. |
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Explorer
One of the most useful data views in XSI, the explorer shows all of your scenes objects and their properties in a hierarchical tree structure. Using the explorer, you can quickly find and select scene elements and edit their properties. You can also create parent/child relationships between objects by dragging and dropping, add objects to groups, layers, and partitions, duplicate elements and more.
The explorer is your go-to tool for quick and easy selection in complex 3D scenes. Download video - right-click and save as... |
Schematic View
The Schematic view gives you a graphical representation of your scene that lets you analyze the way the scene is built, the relationships between objects, material nodes, and texture nodes. You can also use the schematic view to create and edit hierarchies, making it a useful tool for building skeletons and character rigs. Like the geometry viewports, the schematic view has 4 memo-cam regions, so you can quickly save different snapshots of your scenes’ hierarchies.
The schematic view (bottom left pane) is invaluable for rigging. You can see your character hierarchies as well as the constraints and expressions linking the component parts. |
Spreadsheet The XSI spreadsheet helps retrieve information about your scene elements, and bulk-edit parameters. Using pre-built or custom queries, you can display and change information about a wide variety of scene elements, including geometry, animation, materials, lights, particles, and more. For example, you could change the diffuse shading values for all of the materials in your scene in one operation—no scripting required. |
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