ANIMATION CONCEPTS

Part I

BY :Rahul Singh

E-Mail: [email protected]
[email protected]

Blog Address:
www.freewebs.com\3dcreative
Note:
No responsibilities of the writer if there is dramatic mistake.

Refer to autodesk max and maya help for more extra resources.
What is animation?
Animation is a creative process but also scientific.
Which includes some tolls like curve editor,timeline, timeline editor etc.

The basic difference between 2 D and 3 D animation is in 2 D we have to make

keyframes and also inbetweens but in 3 D we have to only make keyframes and it will
makes it motions….

Animation Concepts and Methods

With 3ds Max, you can create 3D computer animation for a variety of applications. You
can animate characters or vehicles for computer games, or you can animate special
effects for film or broadcast . You can create animation for serious purposes such as
medical illustration or forensic presentation in the courtroom. Whatever reason you have
to animate, you'll find 3ds Max a capable environment for achieving your goals.

The basic way to animate is quite simple. You animate the transform parameters of any
object to change its position, rotation, and scale over time. Turning on the auto key
button, then moving the time slider places you in a state in which any changes you make
will create animation for the selected objects in the viewport.

Animation is used throughout 3ds Max. You can animate the position, rotation, and scale
of an object, and almost any parameter setting that affects an object's shape and surface.
You can link objects for hierarchical animation, using both forward and inverse
kinematics, and you can edit your animation in track view.

Using Auto Key Mode

Start creating an animation by turning on the Auto Key button, setting a current time, and
then changing something in your scene. You can change the position, rotation, or scale of
an object, or change almost any setting or parameter.

When you make a change, a key storing the new value for the changed parameter is
created at the current time. If that key was the first animation key created for the
parameter, a second animation key is also created at time 0 to hold the parameter’s
original value.

Keys are not created at time 0 until you create at least one key at another time. After that,
you can move, delete, and re-create keys at time 0.

Turning Auto Key on has the following effect:

• The Auto Key button, the time slider and the border of the active viewport turn
red to indicate you are in animation mode.
• Keys are created whenever you transform an object or change an animatable
parameter.
• The time slider sets the time where keys are created.

To begin animating an object:

1. Click Auto Key to turn it on.

2. Drag the time slider to a time other than 0.
3. Do one of the following:
• Transform an object.
• Change an animatable parameter.

For example, if you have a cylinder that has not been animated yet, it has no keys. If you
turn on Auto Key, and at frame 20 you rotate the cylinder 90 degrees about its Y axis,
rotation keys are created at frames 0 and 20. The key at frame 0 stores the original
orientation of the cylinder, while the key at frame 20 stores the animated orientation of 90
degrees. When you play the animation, the cylinder rotates 90 degrees about its Y axis
over 20 frames.

Modeling Without Animating

Just as you can animate at any time by turning Auto Key on, you can also model at any
time in your animation without creating animation keys.

The results of changing an object or any other parameters with Auto Key off varies
according to whether or not the object or parameters have been animated yet.
 • If you create a new object, or change an object parameter that has not been
animated yet, you can work at any time with Auto Key off. The changes you make
are constant through the entire animation.

For example, you might animate an object bouncing around your scene and then
decide to create pads for the object to land on. To do that, you drag the time slider
to a time when the bouncing object hits the ground, and make sure Auto Key is
off before you proceed. You can then create a pad under the bouncing object and
repeat the process at the next time where it hits the ground. Because Auto Key
was off, it does not matter at what time the pad objects were created. They remain
inanimate through the entire animation.

• If you change an object or parameter that is already animated, while Auto Key is
off, the amount of change is applied equally across all the animation keys.

For example, you might animate a sphere’s radius to be 15 at frame 0, 30 at frame

10, and 50 at frame 20. If you drag the time slider to frame 10, turn Auto Key off,
and increase the sphere’s radius from 30 to 40, the change in the radius is applied
to the other two keys as well. Because you increased the radius by 10 units with
Auto Key off, all radius keys are increased by 10 units. The sphere’s radius is now
25 at frame 0, 40 at frame 10, and 60 at frame 20.

If Auto Key had been on when you changed the radius, it would have been an
animated change applied only to the key at frame 10.

Identifying What Can Be Animated

Because most parameters in 3ds Max can be animated, the easiest way to find out if
something can be animated is just to try it. Usually, if you want to animate a parameter, it
can be animated.

Sometimes you need to know in advance if you can animate a parameter. If so, you can
use Track View. The Track View Hierarchy list displays every parameter that can be
animated. You might also need to add a controller to a track before it can be animated.

Using Set Key Mode

The Set Key animation system is designed for the professional character animator who
wants be able to try out poses and then commit those poses to keyframes intentionally. It
can also be used by any animator to set keys on specific tracks of objects. This way of
working allows more control than the Auto Key method, because it gives you the chance
to try out ideas and discard them quickly without having to undo work. It lets you pose
your character, and selectively key certain tracks on certain objects through the use of
Key Filters and Keyable tracks in Track View.

Note: Although the following information uses the example of animating a character, it
also applies to animating a complex mechanical assembly.

Straight-Ahead and Pose-to-Pose

Traditional animation is created one of two ways, either straight-ahead animation or pose-
to-pose animation. Straight-ahead animation is drawn starting from the beginning and
then additional frames are drawn sequentially thereafter, moving straight ahead in time.
Pose-to-pose animation is created by drawing the important frames first, (extremes and
breakdowns), and then the intervening frames are filled in later.

Once a character has been correctly drawn for a specific frame, pose-to-pose animation
requires that all the keyable tracks needs to be keyframed. This creates a pose of the
character that will not be affected if animation for the character is edited at other points in
time. If all the animatable tracks are keyed in the extremes, the in-betweening work will
not destroy any of those poses.

Set Key and Pose-to-Pose Animation

The number of objects and tracks that require keying for a character, even a simple
character, is not something that can be easily handled manually. Set Key makes this
process easier by listing all the tracks that are parts of the character that have to be keyed
when you want to fix a pose and create a snapshot in time. Keyable tracks let you
determine which tracks can be keyed, then Key filters let you work on them selectively,
placing keys on only the tracks you want.

Differences Between Set Key and Auto Key Modes

Set Key mode differs from Auto Key in a number of ways.

In Auto Key mode, the workflow is to turn on Auto Key, move to a point in time,
then transform objects or change their parameters. All changes register as keyframes.
When you turn off Auto Key mode, you no longer are creating keys. Changes made to
objects when Auto Key mode is off are applied globally to the animation. This is referred
to as Layout mode.

In Set Key mode, the workflow is similar, but the behavior is fundamentally
different. Turn on Set Key mode, then move to a point in time. Before you transform or
change object parameters, you determine the tracks you want to set keys on using
Keyable icons in Track View and Filters. Once you know what you plan to key, you try
out poses in the viewport (transform the objects, change parameters, and so forth).

When you like what you see, click the large Set Keys button or press K on the
keyboard to set a key. If you don't do this, no keys are set.

If you move to another point in time, your changes are lost and have no effect on your
animation. For example, if you find that you have a posed character, but at the wrong
frame in time, you can hold down Shift and the right-mouse button and drag the time
slider to the correct frame without losing your pose.

Using Set Key with Inverse Kinematics

Choosing IK Parameters in Key Filters allows you to use Set Key to keyframe inverse
kinematics. This lets you set keys for IK goals and end effectors using Set Key as well as
other IK parameters such as Swivel Angle or Twist.

As always, when using Set Key, you can selectively keyframe tracks by combining
Keyable icons in Track View with Key Filters.

Set Key doesn't currently support IK/FK Enabling, so don't try to keyframe the Enable
button using the Set Key button or the keyboard shortcut. Use the Auto Key method when
you want to work with IK/FK blending.

Using Set Key with Materials

If you select Materials in Key Filters, you can use Set Key to create keys for materials.
Be forewarned that you need to use Keyable Icons to limit the tracks which get keyed. If
you simply turn on Materials and set a key, you will place keys on every Material track,
something you probably don't want to have happen.

Using Set Key with Modifiers and Object Parameters

When you want to set a key on an object's parameters, and you have the Object
Parameters Key Filter selected, every parameter will receive a key, unless you have
turned off the parameter track in the Controller window of Track View using Keyable
icons. It might be easier to simply Shift+right-click the parameter spinner to set the key.

Also make sure both Modifiers and Object Parameters are turned on in the Filters dialog
when you are keyframing a modifier gizmo.
Additional Set Key Tools

Additional Set Key Tools are found in the Customize User Interface dialog. On the
Keyboard panel, choose Set Key Tools from the Category field. Here, you can set
keyboard shortcuts to clear the set key buffer, as well as create keys on just a single axis
for a transform.

Using Set Key with Sub-Object Animation

When using Set Key with sub-object animation, you must first assign a controller before
creating a key. Sub-objects do not have a default controller assigned upon creation. The
controller is assigned by animating at the sub-object level.

Other Methods to Set Keys

You can also set position, rotation, and scale keys by right-clicking the Frame Indicator
of the time slider. To set keys on parameters that have spinners, hold down the Shift key
and right-click to set a key using the existing parameter value.

Procedures

To use Set Key animation:

1. Turn on the Set Key button.

When the button is red you are now in Set Key mode.

This is a mode where you can try out ideas before you commit to them.

2. Open Track View (either Curve Editor or Dope Sheet).

3. Click the Show Keyable button on the Track View toolbar.

4. Turn off all the other tracks you don't want to keyframe.

The red key means the track will be keyed. If you click the red key, it turns
to a gray key, which means that track will not be keyed.

Tip: You can toggle multiple tracks as keyable by using the Controller menu >
Keyable command.

When you are finished, minimize or close Track View.

 5. Click the Key Filters button, and turn on the Filters to choose the tracks you
want keyframed.

Position, Rotation, and Scale are on by default.

You can use the Key Filters button to work on individual tracks selectively. For
example, if you are in Track View and the Rotation and Position tracks of a
character's arm are keyable, you can use the key filters to turn off the Position
filter and only work on the Rotation tracks.

6. Move the time slider to another point in time, transform your objects or adjust
parameters in the command panels to create animation.

This does not yet create keyframes.

7. Click the Set Keys button or press K on the keyboard to set a key.

When the button turns red, it sets a key which appears on the time ruler. The
keys are color coded to reflect which tracks are being keyed.

If you don't click Set Keys and you move to another point in time, the pose is lost.

Tip: To move the pose to another point in time, use the right mouse button to
press and drag the time slider. This lets you move to another frame number
without losing the pose.

To animate a vertex using set key:

1. Create an editable spline.

2. Select a vertex.
3. Turn on Set Key mode.
4. Move the selected vertex.
5. Click the Set Keys button.

Now a controller has been assigned to the vertex. From this point forward, you
can animate.

To set a key on every keyable track of an object:

1. Select the object for which you need to set keys.

2. On the Key Filters dialog, click All.
 3. Click the Set Keys button or press K on the keyboard.

Viewing and Copying Transform Keys

The viewports display white brackets around objects that have transform keys at the
current time. These key brackets only appear in viewports using the wireframe shading
method.

Use the Track View to view all key types. You can also see all keys for the current
selection in the track bar.

For example, suppose you animate a sphere by moving it at frame 20, and scale and
rotate it at frame 50. When you drag the time slider, white brackets appear around the
sphere at frames 50, 20, and 0, and keys appear at the same frames in the track bar.

If you then apply a modifier such as Bend, and animate its Angle setting at frame 40, you
won't see a white bracket around the sphere at frame 40, but track bar displays a key for
the Bend animation.

Controlling Key Bracket Display

Animation panel of the Preference Settings dialog

You can control the display of key brackets using options in the Preference Settings
dialog > Animation panel.

Creating Transform Keys with the Time Slider

You can use the time slider to create transform keys by copying transform values from
one time to another. To specify the type of key to create and the source and destination
time for the key values, right-click the time slider to display the Create Key dialog.
You set parameters in the Create Key dialog:

Source Time—Specifies the time from which transform values will be copied.

Destination Time—Specifies the time where the key will be created.

Position, Rotation, Scale—Determine which transform key values will be copied to the
destination time.

When you click OK, new keys for the specified transforms are created at the destination
time, using values from the source time. Keys do not have to exist at the source frame,
because the interpolated values at the frame are used.

You might find it easier to create and manipulate keys with the track bar.

When Auto Key mode is on, you can right-click and drag the time slider at the same time.
When you do this, the Source time uses the frame number that you were on when you
pressed the mouse button, and the Destination time accepts the frame number that you
move the time slider to.

When Set Key mode is on, you can right-click and drag the time slider to move to another
frame in time, without losing your character pose. If you find you have posed your
character on the wrong frame, simply right-click and drag the time slider, and the pose
will be copied to the new frame. Click Set keys to set keys for the pose on the new frame.

Creating Position Lock Keys and Rotation Lock Keys

Creating a lock key creates a key with Linear interpolation. If you create the lock key
while an existing key is selected, it changes that key's interpolation from Smooth to
Linear.

You can create a lock key for position or for rotation.

Lock keys are useful when you want an object to be stationary, but smooth interpolation
is causing it to "wobble" on its stationary spot.

To create a lock key:

1. From the Customize menu, choose Customize User Interface.

2. On the Customize User Interface dialog, click the Quads tab, and then, from the
drop-down list at the upper right of the dialog, choose Animation.
3. Click the upper left quadrant of the four gray squares that define the quad menus.

The quad turns yellow.

 4. In the Action list to the left, find Create Position Lock Key. Drag it to the window
on the right below any menu item. Choose Save and click OK to apply this and
close the dialog.
5. (Optional.) Select a key.
6. Alt+right-click the object you're animating.

Note: The Auto Key button need not be on.

7. From the quad menu that appears, choose Create Position Lock Key .

You can also create keyboard shortcuts for these two commands. Create Position
Lock Key and Create Rotation Lock Key are main user interface shortcuts.

Controlling Time
You create animation by changing your scene over time. You can exercise great control
over time, as follows:

• How time is measured and displayed.

• The length of the active time segment (the part of the animation in which you're
currently working).
• How much time is covered by each rendered frame of your animation.

Other issues in the topics which follow describe how to move through time and how to
view animation in the viewports.

Choosing the Time Display Format

When you start 3ds Max, the default time display is in frames, but you can use alternative
time-display formats. For example, you might want to see time in seconds and minutes.

You can specify different time-display formats using the Time Configuration dialog >
Time Display group settings. When you change the time display format, you not only
change the way that time is shown in all parts of the software, but you also change the
method with which you access time.

You can use these time display formats:

Frames—Displays time in whole frames.

This is the default display mode. The amount of time covered by a single frame depends
on your choice for the current frame rate. For example, in NTSC video each frame
represents 1/30th of a second.

SMPTE—Displays time using the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
format.

This is the standard time-display format for most professional animation work. From left
to right, the SMPTE format displays minutes, seconds, and frames, delineated by colons.
For example, 2:16:14 represents 2 minutes, 16 seconds, and 14 frames.

FRAME:TICKS—Displays time using frames and the program's internal time

increment, called "ticks."

There are 4,800 ticks per second, so you can actually access time intervals as small as
1/4800 of a second.

MM:SS:TICKS—Displays time in minutes (MM), seconds (SS), and ticks, delineated

by colons. For example, 2:16:2240 represents 2 minutes, 16 seconds, and 2,240 ticks.

Moving Through Time

You can move to any time in your active time segment by using either the time slider, or
the Current Frame field in the time controls area. You can also move through time using
the playback control buttons.

Using the Time Slider

The time slider shows you the current time, and lets you move to any time in your active
time segment.

To change the current time using the time slider, do one of the following:

• Drag the time slider.

• Click in the empty track to either side of the time slider.
• Click the increment arrows at either end of the time slider.

When you click in the slider track, the time slider jumps to the time where you clicked.
This is a faster method of moving through time than dragging the time slider.
The time slider displays the current time, followed by a slash (/), followed by the total
time in the active time segment. For example 25/100 means frame 25 of 100 frames. The
current time also appears in the current time field. If your scene has been animated, it’s
played back in all viewports as you drag the time slider.

You can use the < and > keys on the keyboard to advance the time slider a frame at a
time. When Key mode is on, this will advance to the next keyframe.

Moving to an Exact Time

The Current Time field always displays the current time. You can also enter a time value
and press Enter to move to that time.

Using the Time Control Buttons

You use the Time Control buttons to move forward and backward in time and to play
your animation in one or more viewports. They work like VCR controls that you use to
move through frames and to start and stop animation playback. The Time Control buttons
include four buttons for moving through time and a center flyout for controlling
animation playback:

Go To Start

Previous Frame/Key

Play/Stop

Next Frame/Key

Go To End

They work like VCR controls that you use to move through frames and to start and stop
animation playback.

Choosing a Frame Rate and Playback

Speed
The frame rate of an animation is expressed in frames per second (FPS). This is the
number of frames the software displays and renders for every second of real time.
Because the program stores your animation keys using real time using an internal
precision of 1/4800 of a second, you can change the frame rate for your animation at any
time without affecting your animation timing.

For example, if you create three seconds of animation using the NTSC video frame rate
of 30 FPS, you will have a 90-frame animation. If you later discover you need to output
to PAL video, at 25 frames per second, you can switch to that frame rate, and your
animation is now set to 75 frames of output. No change in the timing of your animation
has occurred. Only the number of frames that 3ds Max will display and render has
changed.

Setting the Frame Rate

You use the settings in the Time Configuration dialog > Frame Rate group to switch back
and forth between frame rates at any time.

NTSC: U.S. and Japanese video standard of about 30 frames per second.

PAL: European video standard of 25 frames per second.

Film: Movie standard of 24 frames per second.

Custom: Frame rate set in the FPS parameter.

Configuring Animation Playback

You use settings in the Time Configuration dialog > Playback group to specify the
playback speed, and the number of viewports that play the animation.

Real Time: Animation plays at the selected playback speed, skipping frames, if
necessary, to maintain the correct speed. Turn this off and the animation will play every
frame without trying to maintain the correct speed. The different playback speeds are also
useful when using the Motion Capture utility.

Active Viewport Only: Animation plays only in the active viewport. Turn this off and
the animation will play in all four viewports at once.

Speed: Choose one of these options to multiply the frame rate by the selected speed.

Direction: When Real Time is off you have the option to change the direction of the
animation playback. Choosing Reverse will play the animation from end to start.
Choosing Pingpong will play the animation from start to end, and then end to start.

Loop: When Loop is turned off, the animation will play once and stop.
Viewport Playback Speed

The ability of the program to play your animation at a specified rate depends on many
things, including the complexity of the scene, the number of objects moving in the scene,
the geometry display mode, and so on. The worst case is a camera move in shaded mode,
in which the viewport is filled with detailed geometry. In such cases, it’s best to simplify
the viewport display, using either wireframe display or, in extreme cases, box display
mode.

Naturally, it takes more computing power to display your animation in four viewports,
and playback smoothness is reduced. When Active Viewport Only is on, you can switch
active viewports during playback either by clicking the label of an inactive viewport, or
by right-clicking in an inactive viewport.