The Attachment constraint determines an object's position by attaching it to the face of another object. This constraint lets you attach an object to the surface of another object. For example, you could animate the launch of a rocket ship with booster rockets that are attached with the Attachment constraint. The booster rockets would move along with the ship until the time when they are jettisoned.

The pivot point of the object that the constraint is applied to is attached to the target object. At the top of the Attachment Parameters rollout is a Pick Object button for selecting the target object to attach to. You can use this button to change the target object or to select the target object if the Animation

The Key Info section of the Attachment Parameters rollout displays the key number and lets you move between the various keys. The Time value is the current key value. In the Face field, you can specify the exact number of the face to attach to. To set this face, click the Set Position button and drag over the target object. The A and B values represent Barycentric coordinates for defining how the object lies on the face. You can change these coordinate values by entering values or by dragging the red crosshairs in the box below the A and B values. The easiest way to position an object is to use the Set Position button to place the object and then to enhance its position with the A and B values. The Set Position button stays active until you click it again.

The TCB section sets the Tension, Continuity, and Bias values for the constraint. You can also set the Ease To and Ease From values.

When part of a model is deformed, such as applying the Melt modifier to a snowman's body, smaller parts like the eyes either get left behind or get the full weight of the modifier applied to them. If the Melt modifier weren't applied to these items, they would stay floating in the air while the rest of the snowman melted about them. This problem can be fixed with the Attachment constraint, which causes the eyes to remain attached to the snowball as it melts.

To constrain the solid objects to a melting snowman, follow these steps:

Figure 21.1 shows the resulting melted snowman.

Figure 21.1. The Attachment constraint sticks one object to the surface of another.

The Surface constraint moves an object so that it is on the surface of another object. The object with Surface constraint applied to it is positioned so that its pivot point is on the surface of the target object. You can use this constraint only on certain objects, including Spheres, Cones, Cylinders, Toruses, Quad Patches, Loft objects, and NURBS objects.

In the Surface Controller Parameters rollout is the name of the target object that was selected after the menu command. The Pick Surface button enables you to select a different surface to attach to. You can also select specific U and V Position values. Alignment options include No Alignment, Align to U, Align to V, and a Flip toggle.

Moving a vehicle across a landscape can be a difficult procedure if you need to place every rotation and position key, but with the Surface constraint, it becomes easy. In this tutorial, you use the Surface constraint to roll a tire down a hill.

To roll a tire down a hill with the Surface constraint, follow these steps:

Figure 21.2 shows the tire as it moves down the hill. In the Top view, you can see the function curves for this motion.

Figure 21.2. The Surface constraint can animate one object moving across the surface of another.

The Path constraint lets you select a spline path for the object to follow. The object is locked to the path and follows it even if the spline is changed. This is one of the most useful constraints because you can control the exact motion of an object using a spline. With Max's spline features, you can control very precisely the motions of objects that are constrained with the Path constraint. A good example of this constraint is an animated train following a track. Using a spline to create the train tracks, you can easily animate the train using the Path constraint.

When you choose the Animation

The Path Parameters rollout also includes Add and Delete Path buttons for adding and deleting paths to and from the list. If two paths are added to the list, then the object follows the position centered between these two paths. By adjusting the Weight value for each path, you can make the object favor a specific path.

The Path Options include a % Along Path value for defining the object's position along the path. This value ranges from 0 at one end to 100 at the other end. The Follow option causes the object to be aligned with the path as it moves, and the Bank option causes the object to rotate to simulate a banking motion.

The Bank Amount value sets the depth of the bank, and the Smoothness value determines how smooth the bank is. The Allow Upside Down option lets the object spin completely about the axis, and the Constant Velocity option keeps the speed regular. The Loop option returns the object to its original position for the last frame of the animation setting up a looping animation sequence. The Relative option lets the object maintain its current position and does not move the object to the start of the path. From its original position, it follows the path from its relative position. At the bottom of the Path Parameters rollout, you can select the axis to use.

Another way to use splines is to create animation paths. As an example, you use a Line spline to create an animation path. You can use splines for animation paths in two ways. One way is to create a spline and have an object follow it using either the Path constraint or the Path Follow Space Warp. The first vertex of the spline marks the first frame of the animation. The other way is to animate an object and then edit the Trajectory path.

In this tutorial, you use a simple path and attach it to a spaceship model. Viewpoint Datalabs provided the spaceship model.

To attach an object to a spline path, follow these steps:

Figure 21.3 shows the spaceship as it moves between the asteroids.

Figure 21.3. The spaceship object has been attached to a spline path that it follows.

You can use the Position constraint to tie the position of an object to the weighted position of several target objects. For example, you could animate a formation of fighter jets by animating one of the jets and using Position constraints on all adjacent jets.

The Position constraint menu option lets you select a single target object, enabling you to place the pivot points of the two objects on top of one another. To add another target object, click the Add Position Target button in the Position Constraint rollout in the Motion panel. This button enables you to select another target object in the viewports; the target name appears within the target list in the rollout.

If you select a target name in the target list, you can assign a weight to the target. The constrained object is positioned close to the object with the higher weighted value. The Weight value provides a way to center objects between several other objects. The Keep Initial Offset option lets the object stay in its current location, but centers it relative to this position.

Figure 21.4 shows a sled positioned between four tree objects using the Position constraint. Notice how the weight of the downhill tree object is weighted higher than the other targets and the sled is close to it.

Figure 21.4. You can use the Position constraint to control the position of an object in relation to its targets.

The Link constraint can transfer hierarchical links between objects. This constraint can cause a child's link to be switched during an animation. Anytime you animate a complex model with a dummy object, the Link constraint makes it possible to switch control from one dummy object to another during the animation sequence. This keeps the motions of the dummy objects simple.

The Link Params rollout includes Add Link and Delete Link buttons, a list of linked objects, and the Start Time field. To switch the link of an object, enter for the Start Time the frame where you want the link to switch, or drag the Time Slider and click the Add Link button. Then select the new parent object. The Delete key becomes active when you select a link in the list.

All links are kept in a list in the Link Params rollout. You can add links to this list with the Add Link button, create a link to the world with the Link to World button, or delete links with the Delete Link button. The Start Time field specifies when the selected object takes control of the link. The object listed in the list is the parent object, so the Start Time setting determines when each parent object takes control.

The Key Mode section lets you choose a No Key option. This option does not write any keyframes for the object. If you want to set keys, you can choose the Key Nodes options and set keys for the object itself (Child option) or for the entire hierarchy (Parent option). The Key Entire Hierarchy sets keys for the object and its parents (Child option) or for the object and its targets and their hierarchies (Parent option).

This constraint also includes the PRS Parameters and Key Info rollouts.

For an animated object to switch its link from one parent to another halfway through an animation, you need to use the Link constraint. Rotating an object about a static point is easy enough: Simply link the object to a dummy object, and rotate the dummy object. The figure-eight motion is more complex, but you can do it with the Link constraint.

To move an object in a figure eight, follow these steps:

Figure 21.5 shows the skater as she makes her path around the two dummy objects.

Figure 21.5. With the Link constraint, the figure skater can move in a figure eight by rotating about two dummy objects.

The LookAt constraint won't move an object, but it rotates the object so it is always orientated toward the target object. For example, you could use the LookAt constraint to animate a character's head that is watching a flying bumblebee. It is also very useful to apply to camera objects that follow a specific object throughout the animation.

After you select a target object, a single line extends from the object and points at the target object. This line, called the Viewline, is visible only within the viewports.

The LookAt Constraint rollout, like many of the other constraints, includes a list of targets. With the Add and Delete LookAt Target buttons, you can add and remove targets from the list. If several targets are on the list, the object is centered on a location between them. Using the Weight value, you can cause the various targets to have more of an influence over the orientation of the object. The Keep Initial Offset option prevents the object from reorienting itself when the constraint is applied. Any movement is relative to its original position.

You can set the Viewline length, which is the distance that the Viewline extends from the object. The Viewline Length Absolute option draws the Viewline from the object to its target, ignoring the length value.

The Set Orientation button lets you change the offset orientation of the object using the Select and Rotation button on the main toolbar. If you get lost, the Reset Orientation button returns the orientation to its original position. You can select which local axis points at the target object.

The Upnode is an object that defines the up direction. If the LookAt axis ever lines up with the Upnode axis, then the object flips upside-down. To prevent this, you can select which local axis is used as the LookAt axis and which axis points at the Upnode. The World is the default Upnode object, but you can select any object as the Upnode object by deselecting the World object and clicking the button to its right.

To control the Upnode, you can select the LookAt option or the Axis Alignment option, which enables the Align to Upnode Axis option. Using this option, you can specify which axis points toward the Upnode.

When you assign the LookAt constraint, the Create Key button for rotation changes to Roll. This is because the camera is locked to point at the assigned object and cannot rotate; rather, it can only roll about the axis.

You can use the LookAt constraint to let cameras follow objects as they move around a scene. It is the default transform controller for Target camera objects.

You can use the Orientation constraint to lock the rotation of an object to another object. You can move and scale the objects independently, but the constrained object rotates along with the target object. A good example of an animation that uses this type of constraint is a satellite that orbits the Earth. You can offset the satellite and still constrain it to the Earth's surface. Then, as the Earth moves, the satellite follows.

In the Orientation Constraint rollout, you can select several orientation targets and weight them in the same manner as with the Position constraint. The target with the greatest weight value has the most influence over the object's orientation. You can also constrain an object to the World object. The Keep Initial Offset option maintains the object's original orientation and rotates it relative to this original orientation. The Transform Rule setting determines whether the object rotates using the Local or World Coordinate Systems.

One alternative to using the Path and Look At constraint is to use the Walkthrough Assistant. This tool is accessed from the Animation menu. It opens up a utility panel with several rollouts, as shown in Figure 21.6. Using this panel, you can create a new camera, select a path, and set the viewport to use the created camera. You can then use the View Controls rollout to cause the view to tilt to the left or right as you move through the path. This automates the process of getting a camera to follow a path.

The Walkthrough Assistant also includes a Render Preview that you use to see the results. If you drag the Time Slider to a different frame and click on the Render Preview pane, the preview is updated. At specific frames, you can drag the Turn Head slider to change where the camera is looking. You can even tilt the camera up and down as well as side to side.

In the Advanced Controls rollout are options for changing the Field of View and the Target Distance, which is useful if you're using a Depth of Field effect. You can also set the camera to move at a constant speed and an option to cause the camera to follow the path.

Figure 21.6. The Walkthrough Assistant automates several constraints into a single interface.

The PRS Parameters rollout, shown in Figure 21.9, lets you create and delete keys for Position, Rotation, and Scale transforms. The Position, Rotation, and Scale buttons control the fields that appear in the Key Info rollouts positioned below the PRS Parameters rollout.

Figure 21.9. The PRS Parameters rollout is the default transform controller.

If you have a defined motion used by an object in another file that you want to access, you can use the XRef controller. This controller can only be assigned to the Transform track. When this controller is assigned, a file dialog box opens where you can select the XRef file; then in the Merge Object dialog box, you can select a specific object that has the controller and motion you want to use.

The Real Time Control drop-down list lets you specify a device to control the system. To control the sound input, you can specify a Sample Threshold and Oversampling rate. You can also set Base Point and Target Point values for each axis. The Channel options let you specify which channel to use: Left, Right, or Mix.

Figure 21.10. The Audio Controller dialog box lets you change values based on the amplitude of a sound file.

The Bézier controller parameters are displayed in the Motion panel under two rollouts: Key Info (Basic) and Key Info (Advanced).

At the top of the Key Info (Basic) rollout are two arrows and a field that shows the key number. The arrows let you move between the Previous and Next keys. Each vertex shown in the function curve represents a key. The Time field displays the frame number where the key is located. The Time Lock button next to the Time field can be set to prevent the key from being dragged in Track View. The value fields show the values for the selected track; the number of fields changes depending on the type of track that is selected.

At the bottom of the Key Info (Basic) rollout are two flyout buttons for specifying the In and Out curves for the key. The arrows to the sides of these buttons move between the various In/Out curve types. The curve types include Smooth, Linear, Step, Slow, Fast, Custom, and Tangent Copy.

Figure 21.11. The Bézier controller produces smooth animation curves.

The In and Out values in the Key Info (Advanced) rollout are enabled only when the Custom curve type is selected. These fields let you define the rate applied to each axis of the curve. The Lock button changes the two values by equal and opposite amounts. The Normalize Time button averages the positions of all keys. The Constant Velocity option interpolates the key between its neighboring keys to provide smoother motion.

The Linear controller doesn't include any parameters and can be applied to time or values. Figure 21.12 shows the curves from the previous example after the Linear controller is assigned—all curves have been replaced with straight lines.

Figure 21.12. The Linear controller uses straight lines.

The Motion Clip Slave controller lets a linked motion clip that is loaded and defined in the Motion Mixer control the object's transform.

Figure 21.13. The Noise controller properties let you set the noise strength for each axis.

You also have an option to enable Fractal Noise with a Roughness setting.

The Ramp in and Ramp out values determine the length of time before or until the noise can reach full value. The Characteristic Graph gives a visual look at the noise over the range. Figure 21.14 shows the Noise controller assigned to the Position track. If you need to change any Noise properties, right-click the Noise track and select Properties from the pop-up menu.

Figure 21.14. The Noise controller lets you randomly alter track values.

After you assign the Motion Capture controller to a track, right-click the track and select Properties from the pop-up menu to open the Motion Capture panel, shown in Figure 21.15. This dialog box lets you select the devices to use to control the motion of the track values. Options include Keyboard, Mouse, Joystick, and MIDI devices.

Figure 21.15. The Motion Capture controller lets you control track values using external devices.

For the Keyboard control, the Keyboard Input Device rollout appears, as shown in Figure 21.16. The Assign button lets you select a keyboard key to track. The other settings control the Envelope Graph, which defines how quickly key presses are tracked.

Figure 21.16. The Keyboard Input Device rollout lets you select which key press is captured.

The Motion Capture dialog box defines only which device controls which values. The actual capturing of data is accomplished using the Motion Capture utility. Selecting the Motion Capture utility in the Utility panel displays the Motion Capture rollout. This rollout includes buttons to Start, Stop, and Test the data-capturing process.

Before you can use the Start, Stop, and Test buttons, you need to select the tracks to capture from the Tracks list. The Record Range section lets you set the Preroll, In, and Out values, which are the frame numbers to include. You can also set the number of Samples Per Frame. The Reduce Keys option removes any unnecessary keys, if enabled.

Some motions, such as drawing with a pencil, are natural motions for our hands, but they become very difficult when you're trying to animate using keyframes. This tutorial uses the Motion Capture controller and utility to animate the natural motion of drawing with a pencil.

To animate a pencil drawing on paper, follow these steps:

Figure 21.17 shows the scene after the Motion Capture controller has computed all the frames.

The parameters for this controller are displayed in a single Key Info rollout. Like the Bézier controller rollouts, the Quaternion (TCB) controller rollout includes arrows and Key, Time, and Value fields. It also includes a graph of the TCB values; the red plus sign represents the current key's position, while the rest of the graph shows the regular increments of time as black plus signs. Changing the Tension, Continuity, and Bias values in the fields below the graph changes its shape. Right-clicking the track and selecting Properties from the pop-up menu opens the TCB graph dialog box, shown in Figure 21.18.

Figure 21.17. The Motion Capture controller and utility let you animate with a mouse, keyboard, joystick, or MIDI device.

Figure 21.18. This dialog box shows, and lets you control, a curve defined by the Tension, Continuity, and Bias values.

The Tension value controls the amount of curvature: High Tension values produce a straight line leading into and away from the key, and low Tension values produce a round curve. The Continuity value controls how continuous, or smooth, the curve is around the key: The default value of 25 produces the smoothest curves, whereas high and low Continuity values produce sharp peaks from the top or bottom. The Bias value controls how the curve comes into and leaves the key point, with high Bias values causing a bump to the right of the key and low Bias values causing a bump to the left.

The Ease To and Ease From values control how quickly the key is approached or left.

Figure 21.19. The TCB controller offers a different way to work with curves.

Figure 21.19 shows three TCB curves assigned to the Position track of an object.

After the Reaction controller is assigned to a track, you can define the reactions using the Reaction Manager dialog box, shown in Figure 21.20. Selecting and right-clicking the track with this controller assigned and selecting Properties from the pop-up menu opens this dialog box. You can also open the Reaction Manager dialog box using the Animation

The Reaction Manager is made up of two lists and a graph of function curves. The top list holds all the object values that are involved in reactions. These are listed in a hierarchy with the master object listed above the slave object. A single master object can control several slave parameters.

The buttons above the Reactions list let you add new masters, slaves, and selected objects to the list. The cursor changes after you click any of these buttons, allowing you to click an object in the viewport and select a value from a pop-up menu.

For the slave objects selected in the Reactions list, you can set states using the buttons above the States list. To set a state, click the Create Mode button, drag the Time Slider to appropriate frame, and change the slave object's value. Then click the Add State button to create the target object state. Several unique states can be defined for each slave object.

State values can be changed by accessing the Edit Mode button or by editing the curves displayed at the bottom of the Reaction Manager dialog box.

Figure 21.20. The Reaction Manager dialog box lets you set the parameters of a reaction.

In the Spring Dynamics rollout, you can change the Mass and Drag values. Higher mass values result in greater secondary motion as the object is moved, and the Drag value controls how quickly the bouncing motion stops. You can add multiple springs, each with its own Tension and Damping values to be applied Relative or Absolute.

The Forces, Limits, and Precision rollout lets you add forces that affect the spring motion. The Add button lets you identify these forces, which are typically Space Warps, and you can limit the effect to specific axes.

Figure 21.21. The Spring controller rollouts can add additional springs and forces.

One of the best uses of the Spring controller is to gain the secondary motion associated with an existing motion. For example, if a character moves, then an appendage such as a tail can easily follow if you apply a Spring controller to it.

To wag a row of spheres using the Spring controller, follow these steps:

Figure 21.22 shows a frame of the final motion. Notice that the spheres aren't lined up exactly. The smallest sphere is moving the greatest distance because all the springs are adding their effect.

Figure 21.22. The Spring controller adds secondary motion to the existing motion of the largest sphere.

The Rotation tracks use a variety of controllers, many of them common to the Position track. This section lists the controllers that can be used only with the Rotation track.

The main difference is that Euler rotation gives you access to the function curves. Using these curves, you can smoothly define the rotation motion of the object.

The Euler Parameters rollout lets you choose the Axis Order, which is the order in which the axes are calculated. You can also choose which axis to work with.

The Scale XYZ Parameters rollout lets you select which axis to work with. This controller works the same way as the other position and rotation XYZ controllers.

Figure 21.23. The Limit controller dialog box lets you set upper and lower limits for the current controller value.

The upper limit is the maximum value to which the controller can be set, and the lower limit is the minimum value that the controller uses. Controller values may exceed the upper and lower limit values, but the object's motion stops at the limit values when the Limit controller is enabled. The Smoothing Buffer value provides a range that gradually alters the value as it approaches the limit value.

After a Limit controller is applied to an object, you can quickly change its upper and lower limit values by right-clicking the object in the Track View and accessing the Limit Controller option in the quadmenu.

Tip

You can disable all limits at once using the Animation

When the List controller is applied, the default track appears as a subtrack along with another subtrack labeled Available. By selecting the Available subtrack and clicking the Assign Controller button, you can assign additional controllers to the current track.

All subtrack controllers are included in the List rollout of the Motion panel. You also can access this list by right-clicking the track and selecting Properties from the pop-up menu. The order of the list is important because it defines which controllers are computed first.

The Set Active button lets you specify which controller you can interactively control in the viewport; the active controller is marked with an arrow, which is displayed to the left of the name. You also can cut and paste controllers from and to the list. Because you can use the same controller type multiple times, you can distinguish each one by entering a name in the Name field.

When you select a waveform in the list, you can give it a name and edit its shape using the buttons and values. Preset waveform shapes include Sine, Square, Triangle, Sawtooth, and Half Sine. You can also invert and flip these shapes.

Figure 21.25. The Waveform Controller dialog box lets you produce sinusoidal motions.

The Period value defines the number of frames required to complete one full pattern. The Amplitude value sets the height of the wave, and the Phase value determines its location at the start of the cycle. The Duty Cycle value is used only for the square wave to define how long it stays enabled.

You can use the Vertical Bias options to set the values range for the waveform. Options include Centered, which sets the center of the waveform at 0; Auto > 0, which causes all values to be positive; Auto < 0, which causes all values to be negative; and Manual, which lets you set a value for the center of the waveform.

The Effect option determines how different waveforms in the list are combined. They can be added, multiplied, clamped above, or clamped below. The Add option simply adds the waveform values together, and the Multiply option multiplies the separate values. The Clamp Above and Clamp Below options force the values of one curve to its maximum or minimum while not exceeding the values of the other curve. The Characteristic Graph shows the selected waveform, the output, or the final resulting curve. Figure 21.26 shows the Characteristic Graph for each Effect option when a sine wave and a square wave are combined.

Figure 21.26. Combining sine and square waves with the Add, Multiply, Clamp Above, and Clamp Below Effect options.

The Color RGB controller splits a track with color information into its component RGB tracks. You can use this controller to apply a different controller to each color component and also to animate any color swatch in Max.

Figure 21.27 shows the function curves for the Color RGB controller assigned to the Diffuse Color track under the Material #1 track, including subtracks for Red, Green, and Blue. The figure shows the Bézier controller applied to the Red track, the Noise controller that is assigned to the Green track, and the Waveform controller with a triangle wave applied to the Blue track.

Figure 21.27. The Color RGB controller lets you assign different controllers to each color component.

You can assign the Cubic Morph controller to a morph compound object. You can find the track for this object under the Objects track. A subtrack of the morph object is the Morph track, which holds the morph keys.

The Cubic Morph controller uses Tension, Continuity, and Bias values to control how targets blend with one another. You can access these TCB values in the Key Info dialog box by right-clicking any morph key or by right-clicking the Morph track and selecting Properties from the pop-up menu.

The Barycentric Morph controller is automatically applied when a morph compound object is created. Keys are created for this controller based on the morph targets set in the Modify panel under the Current Targets rollout for the morph compound object. You can edit these keys using the Barycentric controller Key Info dialog box, which you can open by right-clicking a morph key in the Track View or in the Track Bar.

The main difference between the Cubic Morph controller and the Barycentric Morph controller is that the latter can have weights applied to the various morph keys.

The Barycentric Morph controller Key Info dialog box includes a list of morph targets. If a target is selected, its Percentage value sets the influence of the target. The Time value is the frame where this key is located. The TCB values and displayed curve control the Tension, Continuity, and Bias parameters for this controller. The Constrain to 100% option causes all weights to equal 100 percent; changing one value changes the other values proportionally if this option is selected.

To add a Block controller, select the Available track under the Block Control track under the Global Tracks track, and click the Assign Controller button. From the Assign Constant Controller dialog box that opens, select Master Block and click OK. Right-click the Master Block track and select Properties to open the Master Block Parameters dialog box, shown in Figure 21.28.

Figure 21.28. The Master Block Parameters dialog box lists all the tracks applied to a Block controller.

In the Master Block Parameters dialog box, you can add a track to the Block controller with the Add button. All tracks added are displayed in the list on the left. You can give each track a name by using the Name field. You can also use the Add Selected button to add any selected tracks. The Replace button lets you select a new controller to replace the currently selected track. The Load and Save buttons enable you to load or save blocks as separate files.

The Add button opens the Track View Pick dialog box, shown in Figure 21.29. This dialog box displays all valid tracks in a darker color to make them easier to see, while graying out invalid tracks.

Figure 21.29. The Track View Pick dialog box lets you select the tracks you want to include in the Block controller.

Select the tracks that you want to include, and click OK. The Block Parameters dialog box opens, shown in Figure 21.30, in which you can name the block, specify Start and End frames, and choose a color. Click OK when you've finished with this dialog box.

Figure 21.30. The Block Parameters dialog box lets you name a block.

Back in the Master Block Parameters dialog box, click the Load button to open a file dialog box where you can load a saved block of animation parameters. The saved block files have the .blk extension. After the parameters have loaded, the Attach Controls dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 21.31. This dialog box includes two panes. The Incoming Controls pane on the left lists all motions in the saved block. By clicking the Add button, you can add tracks from the current scene, to which you can copy the saved block motions.

Because the saved motions in the Incoming Controls pane will match up with the Copy to entries in the right pane, the Add Null button adds a space in place of a specific track if you don't want a motion to be copied. The Match by Node button matches tracks by means of the Track View Pick dialog box.

Figure 21.31. The Attach Controls dialog box lets you attach saved tracks to the Block controller.

The IK controller works on a bones system for controlling the bone objects of an IK (inverse kinematics) system. The IK controller includes many different rollouts for defining joint constraints and other parameters.

Right-clicking a green master key opens the Master Track Key Info dialog box, shown in Figure 21.32. This dialog box shows the Key number with arrows for selecting the previous or next key, a Time field that displays the current frame number, and a list of all the vertices. Selecting a vertex from the list displays its parameters at the bottom of the dialog box.

Figure 21.32. The Master Track Key Info dialog box lets you change the key values for each vertex.

Figure 21.33 shows the Master Point controller that was automatically assigned when a selection of vertex subobjects was moved with the Auto Key button enabled. A separate track is created for each vertex.

Figure 21.33. The Master Point controller defines tracks for each subobject element that is animated.