9.5.2

752 • CHAPTER 17
OBJECT MANAGER • 753
To access the tag’s settings, select the tag. Its parameters will be shown on the Basic Properties and
Tag Properties in the Attribute manager. For some tags, the Basic Properties page is identical and has
just one setting, Name, which you can edit to change the tag’s name.
Expression tags
Some of the tags belong to a group of tags known as ‘expressions’. Expressions are small programs
that give specic types of behavior to objects. Expressions are particularly useful for automating
behavior. For example, the Target tag makes an object point at another object.
There are three types of expression tags in CINEMA 4D; the built-in expressions, C.O.F.F.E.E.
expressions and expressions created using the XPresso Editor. Expressions are evaluated in the
viewport in realtime.
Expression tags have additional properties on the Basic Properties tab:
Priority
You can assign a priority to each expression. This is especially useful when working with C.O.F.F.E.E. or
XPresso expressions that you have created yourself. Sometimes the priority is crucial for determining
exactly when the expression is evaluated. The same expression can produce different results
depending on whether it is executed before or after other expressions in the scene. Possible priority
values range from -500 to 500 and apply to the chosen category on the left: Initial, Animation,
Expressions, Dynamics or Generators. For example, say there are four expressions in your scene with
the following priorities:
 Expression A: Animation, 10
 Expression B: Animation, 0
 Expression C: Animation, -1
 Expression D: Expression, 5
This results in the following order of execution:
 Expression C (-1 being the lowest priority value of the four expressions).
 All animated objects in the scene (all animated objects in CINEMA 4D have
a priority of Animation, 0).
 Expression B (although this has the same priority as all animated objects,
animated objects are still preferred over expressions with the same priority).