Shortcuts
Alt W = Move tool
Alt E = Rotate tool
Alt R = Scale tool
Shift E – Set keyframe rotate
Shift R – Set keyframe scale
Shift W – Set keyframe translate
Shift and drag = Highlight timeline and
right click snap
E & left mouse button = choose
different rotate settings
Useful settings
Show > Nurb curves on
Preferences > Settings > keep
keys at current frames = when the framerate is changed it adjusts it
to match and keep to a whole frame.
Key Modified Attributes = Will only
keyframes in the selected controller (ie translate X or Rotate Z)
Rotation Interpolation > New curve
default > Quaternion = to prevent gimble lock where the rotation
axis overlaps
Tangents > change tangents like
auto, linar, stepped
Camera Sequencer > good selections
for camera cuts in a scene.
Time Slider > Key ticks >
selection for channel box will show only selected controller.
>Tick span = set to 1 and can see
all frames numbered, 4 every 4th frame and 0 is default.
Playback > All = playback animation
in all views
Set key options > Set keys at:
prompt will transfer a key to another frame(s)
Graph editor
pin rotate or translate to keep showing
on graph editor
Shift, Alt & right mouse button to
stretch view in GE (like using F)
View > Buffer curves = outlines the
last place the graph editor was
Breaking tangent – tangent > break
tangents
Re-timing tool (stop watch icon) >
double click to create a timer handle = space out to speed up an
animation or slow down
Preferences > Settings >
Animation > Graph editor: Snap value to adjacent keys
Cycle animation tips:
- First and last frame the same
- playback range – last frame off timeslider
- 33 frames is good for breathing cycle, halfway (frame 17) for down
- Graph editor – shift click on both first and last keys and hold shift to grab both out tangents and adjust
- more important to get look rather than have clean values
Bake Cycle Animation
Getting an animation to stop after a
walk cycle:
- highlight all character's controls and go to graph editor
- Graph editor > Curves > Baked Channel > reset settings
- set start and end time
- sample by > click sparse curve bake channel – to match the keys done already
- Bake
- Curves > Pre and post-infinity >constant
- done
Motion Trails
Animate > Create editable motion
trail > reset settings > create
Highlight key on the screen to change
keyframe of position
Turn on modify keys > put to 1 >
click on screen to add a key frame > don't forget to turn off
Pinning keeps the control in view when
de-selected
Beads on are useful