How do I hide groups in Maya outliner?

You can hide groups in the Maya Outliner by using grouping and layer visibility options. Here's how:

Grouping Objects

• Select objects: Begin by selecting the objects you want to group together.
• Create a group: Press Control+G (or Command+G on macOS). This will group the selected objects under a new parent node.
• Rename the group: You can rename the new group node to something descriptive, making it easier to find in the Outliner.

Using Layers for Visibility Control

• Create a new display layer: In the Outliner, click "Display" > "Create New Layer" > "Create Empty Layer."
• Add group to layer: Right-click on the created group in the Outliner and select "Add Selected Objects" or middle-click drag the group node to the layer. This adds the group node to the layer.
• Toggle visibility: In the newly created layer, there is a visibility icon (usually a box). Clicking this toggles the visibility of all the objects within the group on and off.

Practical Example

Let's say you have a curve and lofted surfaces that you want to hide together in your Maya scene, as mentioned in the provided reference. You would:

1. Select the curve and the lofted surfaces.
2. Press Control+G to group them.
3. Rename the group (e.g., "LoftedShapeGroup").
4. Create a new display layer.
5. Add "LoftedShapeGroup" to that layer.
6. Toggle the layer’s visibility icon to show or hide all the grouped objects.

This grouping and layer approach allows you to easily manage visibility of complex groups of objects directly through the Maya Outliner, making it easier to organize and control your scene’s display.