# Schematic View

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The Schematic viewport can seem mystical and frightening as it is wields much power, however its use is actually pretty simple and straightforward; the power lies in the users ability to use it for manipulating the various channels. In this video Rich covers what Channel Links are, how they work, and then how those relate to the Schematic view. He then goes over using the Schematic view for the creation of advanced rigs.

Users can jump ahead to a specific section by using the Chapter selection widget on the right side of the player or by directly clicking any of the Chapter Title links below.

Tab | Time | Chapter | Description
1 | 00:30 | Channel Links | Demonstration of the Channels Links palettes for making simple channel to channel connections.
2 | 04:39 | Schematic View | Detailed coverage of using the Schematic Viewport.
3 | 09:35 | Channel Types | Working with different channel types and connecting them together.
4 | 15:37 | Advanced Rig | Demonstration for why the Schematic View is so important to the rigging process.
| 20:17 | Total Video Time |

Frequently Asked Questions--

Q.) Why don't all the channels load into the schematic view when you drag an item in from the item list?

> A.) This is mentioned in the training but it is by design, to prevent the schematic view from becoming overly crowed with channels. Each items has a LOT of native channels that help describe it in the scene... a lot of which have no bearing on rigging whatsoever.

Q.) Why aren't the different channel types represented differently in the schematic view?

> A.) I honestly don't know why that was not added in 501, lets hope we get this in future service packs. For now its IS smart enough to show you when a connection can't be made into an incorrect channel type.

Q.) If I change an items thumbnail in the schematic will it persist in my scene?

> A.) Yes, if you save your scene then the connection to your new thumbnail will stay and that item always appear with that icon (even if you re-drag it out of the item list into the schematic).

Q.) You called your suspension rig a "system". Is that sort of like a program?

> A.) It is... and this is an important concept for rigging. When you craft a rig that you give to someone else to use, you are in essence making an application. You are taking a series of complex actions and providing an simple interface for your user to use. Instead of running this in a general operating system you are using modo.

Q.) Is there a quicker way to remove a channel link than to drag them off the input?

> A.) Yes and no, you can select the link itself and hit delete to remove it, but it being faster or slower will depend on where your mouse is at the time I suppose :)

Q.) Can you replace a channel connection with another without first removing the existing connection?

> A.) No. Unfortunately you have to first remove a connection before you can add a new one. Maybe in a future modo will allow this kind of functionality.

Resources--

Links to the modo in-line help system
Docs: Channel List

Links to other pages in this training
Training: Channels
Training: Transform Items
Training: Building Rig Interfaces

Files--

Links to the modo scenes used in the video
(click to open in modo)
File: Schematic_01.lxo
File: SuspensionRig.lxo

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