GlossaryΒΆ

body
(simulation body) Bone, tissue or cloth objects.
build()
The act of assembling a Maya scene from the scene items stored in a builder object.
builder
The main entry point into using zBuilder. A builder object manages a bundle of scene items. There are different types of specialized builders, each one defining what types of nodes and parameters they allow you to inspect, modify and build in the Maya scene.
map
A type of parameter consisting of per-vertex data on a mesh, typically created in Maya through the weight painting tool. Commonly used by deformers, as well as many Ziva nodes.
node
A Maya dependency graph (DG) node. These are the fundamental building blocks that define the state of a Maya scene. Therefore they are the primary scene items that a builder retrieves from and rebuilds into a scene.
parameter
A specific piece of data in the Maya scene, for example a mesh or an attribute of a node. These are the secondary type of scene item managed by a builder, and are always associated in some way with the nodes in the scene.
retrieve()
Capturing the Maya scene with a builder and storing it as a set of scene items in the builder object.
rig
The set of all components that go into creating an animatable character in Maya. A typical Ziva rig includes geometry defining the shape of the anatomy, and a suite of dependency graph nodes that define the physical characteristics of all the simulation bodies. Often used interchangeably with setup.
scene item
Nodes and associated parameters that together define the current state of a scene in Maya. These are the items that a builder retrieves from the scene, allowing you to inspect them, modify them, and re-apply them to a scene at a later time.
setup
Used as a synonym for rig in the context of creating characters in Maya with ZivaVFX.
zNode
A Maya DG node specific to Ziva. Examples include zTet, zTissue, zAttachment, etc.
zUi
A Maya UI to help you navigate scenes containing Ziva rigs. Currently in Beta.