Glossary

Button - A button refers to an area on the screen that you click on with your mouse to cause some function to occur. Generally, only a single click is required. There are also special types of buttons, like toggle, pop-up menu, and envelope buttons. Some buttons become highlighted, indicating a chosen or active status.

Contextual Pop-ups - This refers to context-sensitive pop-up menus. Such menus appear when you Shift + Ctrl +LMB and are aware of the area the mouse pointer is over.

Dialog - See Requester

Drag Button - A drag button is similar in effect to a slider, except the button does not move. To use, just click on it and hold the mouse button, then drag the mouse. Depending on the parameter being adjusted, the direction and mouse button used will have different specific effects.

Envelope Button - An Envelope button is a small button marked with an E. Selecting this button will display the Graph Editor where you can create an envelope for the setting. A highlighted envelope button indicates a value has an envelope applied. To turn off (i.e., remove) an envelope, hold the Shift key and click on the Envelope button.

Ghosted Item - LightWave will ghost out parameters that are not available to you. This is usually the result of a certain option not being activated. Selecting a ghosted item will display a message informing you why it cannot be used.

Information Field/Display - Information Fields/Displays are text displays found throughout the different panels. These displays cannot be changed directly and simply provide information and feedback.

Input Field - Input fields are areas on the screen where you can enter data.

Mini-Slider - A mini-slider is a button with two arrows on it, pointing right and left. Clicking on one and holding the LMB, then dragging to the right or left will raise or lower the value of the parameter next to it. In many cases, however, the slider does not encompass the entire spectrum of possible values.

Panels - Panels are any one of the windows that open when you click on a button in LightWave. Many panels have additional tabbed sections that are selected when you click on a tab. Panels may be Modal or Non-modal. A modal panel must be closed before you can continue working with the rest of the application. A non-modal panel lets you shift the focus between it and another part of the application without having to close the panel - you can continue to work elsewhere in the current application while the panel is displayed. Modeler’s Numeric Panel is non-modal because you can do other things while it is open. In contrast, Modeler’s Display Options Panel is modal because you must close it before you can continue working.

Pop-up Menu - Pop-up menu buttons have a downward facing arrow on their right edge. To use, click on it and hold the LMB. The menu will pop up and as you move your pointer over the menu, each item will become highlighted. When the desired selection is highlighted, release the LMB. If you decide not to select an item, simply move the pointer off the menu and release the LMB. Certain pop-up menus contain lists of objects, images, and lights, which are normally listed in the order they were loaded or created.

Requester - A requester is also known as a dialog box. These appear on the screen for operations like file loading and saving. This also refers to smaller windows that appear requesting you to input data into various fields.

Reset Area - The reset area is a non-active open area (e.g., not a button) on the Modeler toolbar that acts as a reset button, much like you might use the ESC key on other applications.

Scrollbar - See Slider

Shaded Display - See Solid-Shaded Display.

Slider - A slider allows you to modify a setting by dragging the slider’s button along the bar. Alternatively, you can click to the right or left of the button or use the arrow buttons at either end to incrementally change the setting value. (Also known as a scrollbar.)

Solid Shaded Display - Solid shaded display refers to a non-wireframe display mode where some level of surface texture detail is visible.

Texture Button - A Texture button is a small button marked with a T. Selecting this button will present a texture panel allowing you to define a texture for the chosen parameter. A highlighted texture button indicates a texture in use for the given parameter. To turn off (i.e., remove) a texture, hold the Shift key and click on the Texture button.

Toggle Button - A Toggle button is a small button that becomes highlighted with a check mark when clicked. This indicates the adjacent feature is active.