LiveGroup

The LiveGroup node is similar to the Group node except the contents are loaded from an external file. The contents of the LiveGroup can be locked (non-editable) or unlocked, and is used mainly during look development. To change the contents of a LiveGroup, you can modify the file it references or change the contents of a LiveGroup in a Katana session, then publish it back to the source file. The LiveGroup context menu is dynamic, and the options that appear in the menu change depending whether the node is in a non-editable or editable state.

Note: The source file is automatically reloaded each time a scene is opened in Katana. If the file has been changed, the changes are picked up automatically. If the source file cannot be read or no longer exists, a copy stored in the scene file is used instead, and a warning is printed to the shell.

Control (UI)	Default Value	Function
source	N/A	Sets the path to load in the source (file) as the contents of the LiveGroup. For more information, refer to the Asset and File Path Widget Types in the Common Parameter Widgets.
	N/A	Opens the Parameters tab.
[Right-click menu] (when non-editable)
Load...	N/A	Opens the Load LiveGroup dialog to allow you to select a LiveGroup source for the node.
Revert	N/A	Reloads the LiveGroup from its current source, thus discarding any changes made while it was unlocked. Revert is only available when a source has been set.
Edit Contents	N/A	Changes the state of the node to be editable, so that contents of the node can be modified.
Convert to Group	N/A	Converts the LiveGroup node to a Group node.
Other \| Show Parameters	N/A	Opens the Parameters tab.
[Right-click menu] (when non-editable)
Load...	N/A	Opens the Load LiveGroup dialog to allow you to select a LiveGroup source for the node.
Revert	N/A	Reloads the LiveGroup from its current source, thus discarding any changes made while it was unlocked. Revert is only available when a source has been set.
Publish...	N/A	Opens the Publish LiveGroup dialog for publishing the parameters and contents of the LiveGroup node as a LiveGroup source file or asset. This leaves the node in an editable state for further changes.
Publish and Load...	N/A	Opens the Publish and Load LiveGroup dialog for publishing the parameters and contents of the LiveGroup node as a LiveGroup source file or asset, and for loading the published source file or asset. This sets the node to be non-editable and locks the node against further changes.
Convert to Group	N/A	Converts the LiveGroup node to a Group node.
Other \| Show Parameters	N/A	Opens the Parameters tab.