As you move objects around in a viewport, you often find yourself eyeballing the precise location of an object in the scene. If you've ever found yourself wishing that you could precisely see all the values behind the scene, then you need to find the Track View. The Track View can be viewed using three different layouts: Curve Editor, Dope Sheet, and Track Bar. Each of these interfaces offers a unique view into the details of the scene.
These Track View layouts can display all the details of the current scene, including all the parameters and keys. This view lets you manage and control all these parameters and keys without having to look in several different places.
The Track View also includes additional features that enable you to edit key ranges, add and synchronize sound to your scene, and work with animation controllers using function curves.
Although the Track View can be viewed using different layouts, the basic interface elements are the same. They all have menus, toolbars, a Controller pane, a Key pane, and a Time Ruler. Figure 34.1 shows these interface elements. You can hide any of these interface elements using the Show UI Elements option in the pop-up menu that appears when you right-click the title bar.
The Track View includes three different layouts: a Curve Editor, a Dope Sheet, and the Track Bar. The Curve Editor layout displays all parameter and motion changes as graphs that change over time. You manipulate these curves just like normal splines. You can use the Dope Sheet layout to coordinate key ranges between the different parameter tracks. And the Track Bar layout offers a way to quickly view the Track View within the viewports.
You can open the Curve Editor and Dope Sheet layouts using the Graph Editors menu. You can open the Curve Editor window by choosing Graph Editors
Note
You also use the Graph Editors menu to access the Schematic View interface. For more on the Schematic View interface, see Chapter 1, "Working with the Schematic View."
After the Track View opens, you can give it a unique name using the Track View–Curve Editor field found on the Name: Track View toolbar. If the Name toolbar isn't visible, right-click the title bar and select Show Toolbars
To open the Track Bar layout in the viewports, expand the Track Bar using the Open Mini Curve Editor button at the left end of the Timeline. Close the Track Bar layout by clicking the Close button on the toolbar. Figure 34.2 shows this Track View.
After you open a Track View, you can switch between the Curve Editor and the Dope Sheet using the Modes menu or by right-clicking the menu bar or toolbar (away from the buttons) and selecting a new layout from the Load Layout menu. You can also save customized layouts using the Save Layout or Save Layout As menu commands.
In many cases, the menus and the toolbars provide access to the same functionality. One difference is the Modes menu, which lets you switch the current interface between the Curve Editor and the Dope Sheet layouts. The Curve Editor menus include Modes, Controller, Tracks, Keys, Curves, Options, Display, View, and Utilities. The Dope Sheet menu loses the Curves menus and adds a Time menu in its place. The Track Bar menus are the same as the Curve Editor menus, except that the Modes menu is absent.
The Track View consists of several toolbars. You can open these toolbars by right-clicking the toolbar (away from the buttons) and selecting the Show Toolbars submenu. The available toolbars depend on the layout (either Curve Editor or Dope Sheet), but they can include Name, Navigation, Key Stats, Key Tangents, Controllers, Track Selection, Keys, Time, Ranges, Display, Extras, Curves, Tools, and Biped. All these toolbars can be docked, floated, and hidden. You can also add and delete new toolbars using the right-click pop-up menu.
Note
You can learn more about docking and floating toolbars in Chapter 1, "Exploring the Max Interface."
For the Track View–Curve Editor layout, four toolbars appear by default at the top of the interface. These toolbars include the Keys, Curves, Key Tangents, and Name toolbars. For the Track View–Dope Sheet, the default toolbars at the top of the interface include the Keys, Time, Display, and Name toolbars.
Note
Depending on the size of the Track View window, you may need to drag the toolbar to the left to see the buttons at the right end of the toolbar.
The Keys toolbar is one of the default toolbars for the Curve Editor and for the Dope Sheet. The toolbar is slightly different in each layout. Table 34.1 describes these buttons.
Table 34.1. Keys Toolbar Buttons
Toolbar Button | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Filters | Opens the Filter dialog box, where you can specify which tracks will appear |
 | Move Keys, Move Keys Horizontal, Move Keys Vertical | Enables you to move the selected keys or limit their movement to horizontal or vertical |
 | Slide Keys | Enables you to slide the selected keys |
 | Scale Keys | Enables you to scale the selected keys |
 | Scale Values | Scales the selected keys' values vertically; Curve Editor layout only |
 | Add Keys | Enables you to add new keys to a track |
 | Draw Curves | Creates a function curve by dragging the mouse; Curve Editor layout only |
 | Reduce Keys | Optimizes the current time selection by eliminating unnecessary keys; Curve Editor layout only |
 | Edit Keys | Enables edit keys mode; Dope Sheet layout only |
 | Edit Ranges | Enables edit ranges mode; Dope Sheet layout only |
The Curves toolbar is another of the default toolbars for the Curve Editor. This toolbar shares some buttons with the Display toolbar, which is a default toolbar in the Dope Sheet layout. Table 34.2 describes these buttons.
Table 34.2. Curves and Display Toolbar Buttons
Toolbar Button | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Lock Selection | Prevents any changes to the current selection |
 | Snap Frames | Causes moved tracks to snap to the nearest frame |
 | Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types | Opens the Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types dialog box, where you can make tracks loop and cycle; Curve Editor layout only |
 | Show Keyable Icons | Displays a key icon next to all tracks that can be animated |
 | Show All Tangents | Displays the Bézier curve handles for all keys; Curve Editor layout only |
 | Show Tangents | Displays the Bézier curve handles for the selected keys; Curve Editor layout only |
 | Lock Tangents | Prevents the curve handles from moving; Curve Editor layout only |
 | Modify Subtree | Causes changes to a parent to affect all tracks beneath the parent in the hierarchy; Dope Sheet layout only |
 | Modify Child Keys | Causes changes to child keys when parent keys are changed; Dope Sheet layout only |
The Key Tangents toolbar is another of the default toolbars for the Curve Editor. It is used to set the In and Out curve types. This toolbar is also available in the Dope Sheet layout. Table 34.3 describes these buttons.
Table 34.3. Key Tangents Toolbar Buttons
Toolbar Button | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Set Tangents to Auto, Set In Tangents to Auto, Set Out Tangents to Auto | Sets curve to approach and leave the key in an automatic manner |
 | Set Tangents to Custom, Set In Tangents to Custom, Set Out Tangents to Custom | Sets curve to approach and leave the key in a custom manner defined by the handle positions |
 | Set Tangents to Fast, Set In Tangents to Fast, Set Out Tangents to Fast | Sets curve to approach and leave the key in an ascending manner |
 | Set Tangents to Slow, Set In Tangents to Slow, Set Out Tangents to Slow | Sets curve to approach and leave the key in a descending manner |
 | Set Tangents to Step, Set In Tangents to Step, Set Out Tangents to Step | Sets curve to approach and leave the key in a stepping manner |
 | Set Tangents to Linear, Set In Tangents to Linear, Set Out Tangents to Linear | Sets curve to approach and leave the key in a linear manner |
 | Set Tangents to Smooth, Set In Tangents to Smooth, Set Out Tangents to Smooth | Sets curve to approach and leave the key in a smooth manner |
The Time toolbar is one of the default toolbars for the Dope Sheet. It is used to work with time ranges. Table 34.4 describes these buttons.
Table 34.4. Time Toolbar Buttons
Toolbar Button | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Select Time | Enables you to select a block of time by clicking and dragging |
 | Delete Time | Deletes the selected block of time |
 | Reverse Time | Reverses the order of the selected time block |
 | Scale Time | Scales the current time block |
 | Insert Time | Inserts an additional amount of time |
 | Cut Time | Deletes the selected block of time and places it on the clipboard for pasting |
 | Copy Time | Makes a copy of the selected block of time and places it on the clipboard for pasting |
 | Paste time | Inserts the current clipboard time selection |
The Controllers toolbar is available in both the Curve Editor and the Dope Sheet. It is used to assign controllers to tracks. Table 34.5 describes these buttons.
Table 34.5. Controllers Toolbar Buttons
Toolbar Button | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Filters | Opens the Filter dialog box, where you can specify which tracks will appear; same button as found in the Keys toolbar |
 | Copy Controller | Copies the selected track for pasting elsewhere |
 | Paste Controller | Pastes the last copied track |
 | Assign Controller | Enables you to assign a controller to the selected track |
 | Delete Controller | Removes the current controller |
 | Make Controller Unique | Changes an instanced track to one that is unique |
The Tools toolbar is available in the Curve Editor and includes buttons to add some additional tracks, such as the Notes and Visibility. Table 34.6 describes these buttons.
Table 34.6. Tools Toolbar Buttons
Toolbar Button | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Add Note Track | Adds a note track to the current track for recording information |
 | Delete Note Track | Deletes an associated note track |
 | Add Visibility Track | Adds a track to an object for controlling its visibility |
 | Snap Frames | Causes moved tracks to snap to the nearest frame; also found in the Curves toolbar |
 | Lock Selection | Locks the current selection of keys so that no other keys can be selected |
 | Properties | Displays a dialog box of properties associated with the track |
 | Track View Utilities | Opens a dialog box of available Track View utilities |
The Biped toolbar is available only in the Curve Editor and includes buttons to display the various biped tracks. Table 34.7 describes these buttons.
Table 34.7. Biped Toolbar Buttons
Toolbar Button | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Show Biped Position Curves | Displays the position curves for the selected biped |
 | Show Biped Rotation Curves | Displays the rotation curves for the selected biped |
 | Show Biped X Curves | Displays the X-axis curves for the selected biped |
 | Show Biped Y Curves | Displays the Y-axis curves for the selected biped |
 | Show Biped Z Curves | Displays the Z-axis curves for the selected biped |
The Dope Sheet layout includes two additional toolbars: Ranges and Extras. Table 34.8 describes these buttons.
Table 34.8. Ranges and Extras Toolbar Buttons
Toolbar Button | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Edit Ranges | Enables edit ranges mode; same button as found in the Keys toolbar |
 | Position Ranges | Enables position ranges mode |
 | Recouple Ranges | Lines up the keys with the range |
 | Exclude Left End Point | Leaves the left end point out of the current time block |
 | Exclude Right End Point | Leaves the right end point out of the current time block |
Below the menus (and below the topped docked toolbars) are two panes. The left pane, called the Controller pane, presents a hierarchical list of all the tracks. The right pane is called the Key pane, and it displays the time range, keys, or function curves, depending on the layout. You can pan the Controller pane by clicking and dragging on a blank section of the pane: The cursor changes to a hand to indicate when you can pan the pane.
Each track can include several subtracks. To display these subtracks, click the plus sign (+) to the left of the track name. To collapse a track, click the minus sign (–). You can also use the Settings menu to Auto Expand a selected hierarchy. Under the Options
The Options
Note
You can also select, expand, and collapse tracks using the right-click pop-up quadmenu.
The Controller pane includes many different types of tracks. By default, every scene includes the following tracks: World, Sound, Global Tracks, Video Post, Anim Layer Control Manager, Raytrace Engine Globals, Max MotionClip Manager, Environment, Render Effects, Render Elements, Renderer, Global Shadow Parameters, Scene Materials, Medit Materials (for materials in the Material Editor), and Objects, as shown in Figure 34.3.
The Shift, Ctrl, and Alt keys make selecting and deselecting multiple tracks possible. To select a contiguous range of tracks, select a single track and then select another track while holding down the Shift key. This selects the two tracks and all tracks in between. Hold down the Ctrl key while selecting tracks to select multiple tracks that are not contiguous. The Alt key removes selected items from the selection set.
Below the right pane is the Time Ruler, which displays the current time as specified in the Time Configuration dialog box. The current frame is marked with a light blue time bar. This time bar is linked to the Time Slider, and moving one updates the other automatically.
At the top right of the Key pane (above the vertical scroll bar) is a split tab that you can use to split the Controller and Key pane into two separate views, as shown in Figure 34.4. Using this feature, you can look at two different sections of the tree at the same time. This makes it easy to copy and paste keys between different tracks.
Tip
You can drag the Time Ruler vertically in the right pane.
At the bottom edge of the Track View window are three toolbars that appear by default. These toolbars are the Track Selection, Key Stats, and Navigation. Using these toolbars, you can locate specific tracks, see information on the various keys, and navigate the interface.
In the Track Selection toolbar is the Zoom Selected Object button and the Select by Name field, in which you can type a name to locate any tracks with that name.
Note
In the Select by Name field, you can also use wildcard characters such as * (asterisk) and ? (question mark) to find several tracks.
The Key Stats toolbar includes Key Time and Value Display fields that display the current time and value. You can enter values in these fields to change the value for the current time. You can also enter an expression in these fields in which the variable n equals the key time or value. For example, to specify a key value that is 20 frames from the current frame, enter n + 20 (where you supply the current value in place of n). You can also include any function valid for the Expression controller, such as sin( ) or log( ). Click the Show Selected Key Stats button to display the key value in the Key pane.
Note
Chapter 21, "Animating with Constraints and Controllers," presents the functions that are part of the Expression controller.
Table 34.9 describes the buttons found in the lower interface toolbars consisting of the Track Selection, Key Stats, and Navigation toolbars.
Table 34.9. Track Selection, Key Stats, and Navigation Toolbar Buttons
Status Bar Button | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Zoom Selected Object | Places current selection at the top of the hierarchy |
 | Edit Track Set | Opens a dialog box where selected sets of tracks can be edited |
 | Filter Selected Tracks | Toggle to show only the selected tracks in the Controller pane |
 | Filter Selected Objects | Toggle to show the tracks for the selected objects in the Controller pane |
 | Filter Animated Tracks | Toggle to show only the animated tracks in the Controller pane |
 | Show Selected Key Statistics | Displays the frame number and values next to each key |
 | Pan | Pans the view |
 | Zoom Horizontal Extents, Zoom Horizontal Extents Keys | Displays the entire horizontal track or keys |
 | Zoom Value Extents | Displays the entire vertical track |
 | Zoom, Zoom Time, Zoom Values | Zooms in and out of the view |
 | Zoom Region | Zooms within a region selected by dragging the mouse |
Keys define the main animation points in an animation. Max interpolates all the positions and values between the key points to generate the animation. Using the Track View, you can edit these animation keys with precision. Keys can be edited in either layout but are probably easiest to edit in the Dope Sheet layout with the Edit Keys button enabled.
Note
Chapter 20, "Understanding Animation and Keyframe Basics," covers key creation in more detail.
In the Curve Editor, keys are shown as small squares positioned along the curve. In the Dope Sheet, keys are shown as colored lines that extend across the applicable tracks, as shown in Figure 34.5. The keys for the Position track are red, the Rotation track keys are green, the Scale track keys are blue, and the Parameter tracks (all non-transformation keys) are gray. Parent tracks (such as an object's name) are colored gray. Selecting a parent key selects all its children keys. Any selected keys appear white. A track title that includes a key is highlighted yellow.
Figure 34.5. In the Dope Sheet, Position keys are red, Rotation keys are green, Scale keys are blue, and Parameter keys are gray.
Before you can move and edit keys, you need to be able to select them. Just like selecting keys on the Track Bar, you select keys by clicking them. Selected keys turn white. To select multiple keys, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking several keys, or drag an outline over several keys to select them. Click away from the keys to deselect all the selected keys.
With a key or multiple keys selected, you can lock the selection with the Lock Selection button. The spacebar is the keyboard shortcut for this button. With the selection locked, you cannot select any new keys.
Tip
If you want to access a specific parameter in the Track View, you can right-click the parameter and select the Show in Track View command from the pop-up menu, and the Track View loads with the parameter visible.
The Keys menu also includes a Use Soft Select option. This feature is similar to the soft selection found in the Modify panel when working on a subobject, except that it works with keys causing adjacent keys to move along with the selected keys, but not as much. The Keys
When enabled, all keys within a specified range are also selected and moved to a lesser degree than the selected key. When enabled, the function curve is displayed with a gradient for the Curve Editor layout and as a gradient across the key markers in the Dope Sheet layout. This shows the range and falloff for the curve.
The Keys
You can add a key by clicking the Add Keys button (or pressing the A key) and clicking the location where the new key should appear. Each new key is set with the interpolated value between the existing keys.
To delete keys, select the keys, and click the Delete Keys button or press the Delete key on the keyboard. By selecting the track name and pressing the Delete key, you can delete all keys in a track.
The Move Keys button (keyboard shortcut, M) lets you select and move a key to a new location. You can clone keys by holding down the Shift key while moving a key. Using the flyout buttons, you can select to restrict the movement horizontally or vertically. You can also move the selected key to the cursor's location with the Keys
The Slide Keys button lets you select a key and move all adjacent keys in unison to the left or right. If the selected key is moved to the right, all keys from that key to the end of the animation slide to the right. If the key is moved to the left, then all keys to the beginning of the animation slide to the left.
The Scale Keys button lets you move a group of keys closer together or farther apart. The scale center is the current frame. You can use the Shift key to clone keys while dragging.
If the Snap Frames button (keyboard shortcut, S) is enabled, then the selected key snaps to the nearest key as it is moved. This makes aligning keys to the same frame easy.
To edit the key parameters for any controller, click the Properties button; this opens the Key Info dialog box for most controllers. You can also access this dialog box by right-clicking a key and selecting Properties from the pop-up menu. These commands can also be used when multiple keys on the same or on different tracks are selected.
The Randomize Keys utility lets you generate random time or key positions with an offset value. To access this utility, select the track of keys that you want to randomize and choose Utilities
In this dialog box, you can specify positive and negative shift values for both Time and Value. Click the Apply button to apply the randomization process.
Euler rotations are easy to understand and use. They provide rotations about each of the three axis or can be thought of as yaw, pitch, and roll, but they have an inherit flaw—they are susceptible to Gimbal flipping and Gimbal lock. Gimbal flipping can occur when the rotation is directed straight up or straight down. This causes the object to instantly flip 180 degrees to continue its rotation. Gimbal lock can occur when two Euler rotation angles are aligned causing the object to lose a degree of freedom.
To counter these problems, Max has the ability to use Quaternions instead of Euler angles. Quaternions are vector-based instead of angle-based, so they aren't susceptible to the Gimbal flipping and lock problems, but many animators find Quaternions difficult to understand and use, so they stick to Euler rotations and are watchful for potential problems.
The Track View has a utility that can help if you're dealing with Euler rotations. The Euler Filter utility analyzes the current frame range and corrects any Gimbal flipping that it detects. Selecting this utility from the Track View Utilities dialog box opens a simple dialog box where you can set the range to analyze. You also have an option to Add Keys if Needed.
If you're not careful, you could animate a track that you didn't mean to (especially with the Auto Key mode enabled). By marking a track as non-keyable or keyable, you can control which tracks can be animated. To do this, open the Curves toolbar and click the Show Keyable Icons button (which looks like a no-key icon), or choose the Display
In some cases, directly working with keys isn't what you want to do. For example, if you need to change the animation length from six seconds to five seconds, you want to work in the Dope Sheet's Edit Ranges mode. To switch to this mode, click the Edit Ranges button on the Keys toolbar. In this mode, the key ranges are displayed as black lines with square markers on either end, as shown in Figure 34.8.
Before you can scale, cut, copy, or paste time, you need to select a track and then select a time block. To select a section of time, click the Select Time button and drag the mouse over the time block.
The Select Keys by Time utility lets you select all the keys within a given time block by entering the frame or time values. To use this utility, click the Track View Utilities button or select the Utilities
After you select a block of time, you can delete it by clicking the Delete Time button. Another way to delete a block of time is to use the Cut Time button, which removes the selected time block but places a copy of it on the clipboard for pasting. The Copy Time button also adds the time block to the clipboard for pasting, but it leaves the selected time in the track.
After you copy a time block to the clipboard, you can paste it to a different location within the Track View. The track where you paste it must be of the same type as the one from which you copied it.
All keys within the time block are also pasted, and you can select whether they are pasted relatively or absolutely. Absolute pasting adds keys with the exact values as the ones on the clipboard. Relative pasting adds the key value to the current initial value at the place where the key is pasted.
You can enable the Exclude Left End Point and Exclude Right End Point buttons on the Extras toolbar when pasting multiple sections next to each other. By excluding either end point, the time block loops seamlessly.
The Reverse Time button flips the keys within the selected time block.
The Insert Time button lets you insert a section of time anywhere within the current track. To insert time, click and drag to specify the amount of time to insert; all keys beyond the current insertion point slide to accommodate the inserted time.
The Scale Time button scales the selected time block. This feature causes all keys to be pushed closer together or farther apart. The scaling takes place around the current frame.
The Position Ranges button on the Ranges toolbar enables you to move ranges without moving keys. In this mode, you can move and scale a range bar independently of its keys, ignoring any keys that are out of range. For example, this button, when enabled, lets you remove the first several frames of an animation without moving the keys. The Recouple Ranges button can be used to line up the keys with the range again. The left end of the range aligns with the first key, and the right end aligns with the last key.
When an object is moving through the scene, estimating the exact point where its position changes direction can sometimes be difficult. Function curves provide this information by presenting a controller's value as a function of time. The slope of the function curve shows the value's rate of change. Steep curves show quick movements. Shallow lines are slow-moving values. Each key is a vertex in the curve. Function curves are visible only in the Curve Editor and the Track Bar layout.
Function curves mode lets you edit and work with these curves for complete control over the animation parameters. Figure 34.9 shows the Position curves for a sphere that moves about the scene.
Function curves with only two keys have slow in and out tangents, making the animation start slow, speed up, and then slow down. You can add more curvature to the line with the addition of another key. To add another key, click the Add Keys button, and then click the curve where you want to place the key.
Tip
Keep the total number of keys to a minimum. More keys make editing more difficult.
If the curve contains multiple curves, such as a curve for the Position or RGB color values, then a point is added to each curve. The Move Keys button enables you to move individual keys by dragging them. It also includes flyouts for constraining the key movement to a horizontal or vertical direction.
Click the Scale Keys button to move the selected keys toward or away from the current time. The keys move only horizontally. Click the Scale Values button to move the selected keys toward or away from the zero value. The keys move only vertically.
As an example of working with function curves, you'll animate a monorail that moves around its track, changing speeds, and stopping for passengers.
To animate the monorail using function curves, follow these steps:
Open the Monorail.max file from the Chap 34 directory on the DVD.
This file contains a simple monorail setup made from primitives.
Click the Play button, and watch the train move around the track.
As a default, the Path Constraint's Percent track has a Linear controller that causes the train to move at a constant speed. To refine the animation, you need to change it.
Open the Track View–Curve Editor, and locate the train group's Percent track. (You can find this track under the Objects
Note
If the Objects track isn't visible, open the Filter Tracks dialog box and make sure the Objects option is enabled.
Click the Play button. The train starts slowly (represented by the flattish part of the curve), accelerates (the steeper part of the curve), and slows down again (another flattish part).
Tip
When "reading" function curves, remember that a steep curve produces fast animation, a shallow curve produces slow animation, a horizontal curve produces no movement or value change, and a straight curve produces a constant animation.
You need the train to stop for passengers at the station, so click the Add Keys button (or right-click and choose Add Keys) and add a key somewhere around frame 115 when the train is near the dock.
Select the newly created key, and choose the Move Keys Horizontal button from the Move Keys flyout. Hold down the Shift key, and drag right to copy the key to frame 135.
The curve is flat, so the train stops at the station.
To adjust the actual position where the train stops, choose the Move Keys Vertical button from the Move Keys flyout, select both keys, and move them up or down until the train's position at the station is correct.
Because the default in and out tangent types cause the curve to flatten out at the keys, the train slows as it reaches the station and then starts out slow and picks up speed as it leaves the station. Anyone who has ever ridden on a train knows that stopping and starting are not always smooth operations. Next, you add a few more keys to make the train shudder to a stop and lurch as it starts out again.
Click the Add Keys button (or right-click and choose Add Keys), and add keys somewhere around frames 105, 109, 113, 142, and 150. Use Zoom Region to zoom in on the keys where the train pulls into the station to stop.
Change the Move Keys Vertical button back to Move Keys by selecting it from the flyout, and move the keys slightly up or down to send the train backward and forward along the path.
As you can see, a little movement goes a long way, so the keys need only to be offset a very small amount. Use the Zoom Values button from the Zoom flyout and the Pan button to help in making the small changes to the animation. Figure 34.10 shows the zoomed in view of this section of the curve.
Repeat for the keys where the train leaves the station.
The train also needs to slow down to look at one of the famous buildings in "Primitive Town," the Tubular "building" on the far side of the track.
Add a couple more keys somewhere around frames 18 and 50. Lower the second of the new keys until the curve is shallower but not horizontal. Again, adjust the train's position on the track (Percent along the path) by raising or lowering the two new keys.
Adjust the Out tangent handle of the very first key and the In tangent handle of the very last key to produce a smooth looping animation.
Figure 34.11 shows the final curve after you've completed the editing, and Figure 34.12 shows the monorail along its path.
If you know what the curve you want is supposed to look like, you can actually draw it in the Key pane with the Draw Curves button enabled. This mode adds a key for every change in the curve. You may want to use the Reduce Keys optimization after drawing a curve.
Tip
If you make a mistake, you can just draw over the top of the existing curve to make corrections.
Figure 34.13 shows a curve that was created with the Draw Curves feature.
The Reduce Keys button enables you to optimize the number of keys used in an animation. Certain IK (inverse kinematics) methods and the Dynamics utility calculate keys for every frame in the scene, which can increase your file size greatly. By optimizing with the Reduce Keys button, you can reduce the file size and complexity of your animations.
Clicking the Reduce Keys button opens the Reduce Keys dialog box. The threshold value determines how close to the actual position the solution must be to eliminate the key. Figure 34.14 shows the same curve created with the Draw Curves feature after it has been optimized with a Threshold value of 0.5 using the Reduce Keys button.
Function curves for the Bézier controller have tangents associated with every key. To view and edit these tangents, click the Show All Tangents button. These tangents are lines that extend from the key point with a handle on each end. By moving these handles, you can alter the curvature of the curve around the key.
You can select the type of tangent from the Key Tangents toolbar. These can be different for the In and Out portion of the curve. You can also select them using the Key dialog box. The default tangent type for all new keys is set using the button to the left of the Key Filters button at the bottom of the Max interface. Using this button, you can quickly select from any of the available tangent types.
You open the Key dialog box, shown in Figure 34.15, by selecting a key and clicking the Properties button or by right-clicking the key. It lets you specify two different types of tangent points: Continuous and Discontinuous. Continuous tangents are points with two handles on the same line. The curvature for continuous tangents is always smooth. Discontinuous tangents have any angle between the two handle lines. These tangents form a sharp point.
Tip
Holding down the Shift key while dragging a handle lets you drag the handle independently of the other handle.
Figure 34.15. The Key dialog box lets you change the key's Time, Value, or In and Out tangent curves.
The Lock Tangents button lets you change the handles of several keys at the same time. If this button is disabled, adjusting a tangent handle affects only the key of that handle.
The default auto-tangent types create a function curve that has ease-in and ease-out built into the curve. This causes the animation to start slowly, speed up, and then slow to a stop. While this may be a good starting point for many animations, it won't work for those that should have a constant speed. This example shows how to create a river with a material animated to a constant speed.
To create a flowing river, follow these steps:
Open the River.max file from the Chap 34 directory on the DVD.
This file contains a river surface made from a loft. The V Offset for the River Water material's diffuse channel has been animated to simulate flowing water (yes, this river has a checkered past . . .).
Click the Play button.
The river flow starts out slow, speeds up, and then slows to a stop.
Note
The river flows using a checker texture map. Make sure to select a viewport with textures enabled to see the flowing effect.
Open the Track View–Curve Editor, and locate and select the V Offset track for the river's material. (You can find this track under the Objects
You have two easy options for creating an animation with a constant speed. The first changes the entire controller type; the second changes the individual key's tangent types.
Option 1: Right-click over the V Offset track and choose Assign Controller or choose Assign from Controller on the menu bar to open the Assign Float Controller dialog box. Select Linear Float, and click OK.
or
Option 2: Select both keys by clicking one key, holding down the Ctrl button, and clicking the other, or by dragging an outline around both keys. Click the Set Tangents to Linear button.
Whichever method you use, the line between the two keys is now straight.
Click the Play button.
The river now flows at a constant speed.
To increase the speed of the flow, select Move Keys Vertical from the Move Keys button flyout, and select and move the end key higher in the graph.
The river flows faster.
Figure 34.16 shows the river as it flows along.
Out-of-range curves define what the curve should do when it is beyond the range of specified keys. For example, you could tell the curve to loop or repeat its previous range of keys. To apply these curves, select a track and click the Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types button on the Curves toolbar (or select the Out-of-Range menu command from the Controller menu). This opens a dialog box, shown in Figure 34.17, where you can select from the available curve types.
Note
You can also apply an out-of-range curve to a select range of frames using the Create Out-of-Range Keys utility. This utility is available via the Track View Utilities button.
By clicking the buttons below the types, you can specify a curve for the beginning and end. This Out-of-Range dialog box includes six options:
Constant: Holds the value constant for all out-of-range frames
Cycle: Repeats the track values as soon as the range ends
Loop: Repeats the range values, like the Cycle option, except that the beginning and end points are interpolated to provide a smooth transition
Ping Pong: Repeats the range values in reverse order after the range end is reached
Linear: Projects the range values in a linear manner when out of range
Relative Repeat: Repeats the range values offset by the distance between the start and end values
You can apply ease curves (choose Curves
Ease and Multiplier curves add another layer of control on top of the existing animation and allow you to edit the existing animation curves without changing the original animation keys. For example, if you have a standard walk cycle, you can use an ease curve to add a limp to the walk cycle or you can reuse the walk cycle for a taller character by adding a multiplier curve.
Figure 34.17. The Param Curve Out-of-Range Types dialog box lets you select the type of out-of-range curve to use.
Note
Not all controllers can have an ease or multiplier curve applied.
You can delete these tracks and curves using the Delete Ease/Multiplier Curve button. You can also enable or disable these curves with the Enable Ease/Multiplier Curve Toggle button.
After you apply an ease or multiplier curve, you can assign the type of curve to use with the Ease Curve Out-of-Range Types button. This button opens the Ease Curve Out-of-Range Types dialog box, which includes the same curve types as the Out-of-Range curves, except for the addition of an Identity curve type.
Note
In the Ease Curve Out-of-Range Types dialog box is an Identity option that isn't present in the Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types dialog box. The Identity option begins or ends the curve with a linear slope that produces a gradual, constant rate increase.
When editing ranges, you can make the range of a selected track smaller than the range of the whole animation. These tracks then go out of range at some point during the animation. The Ease/Multiplier Curve Out-of-Range Types buttons are used to tell the track how to handle its out-of-range time.
As an example of working with multiplier curves, you'll create a wind-up teapot that vibrates its way across a surface.
To animate the vibrations in the Track View, follow these steps:
Open the Wind-up teapot.max file from the Chap 34 directory on the DVD.
This file contains a teapot with legs.
Click the Play button.
The teapot's key winds up to about frame 40 and then runs down again as the teapot moves around a bit. To add the random movement and rotation to make the vibrations, you use Noise controllers and Multiplier curves to limit the noise.
Open the Track View–Curve Editor, and navigate down to the Wind-up Key's X Rotation track, located at Objects, Teapot Group, Key, Rotation: Euler XYZ, X Rotation. Take a moment to observe the shape of the curve, shown in Figure 34.18.
The key is "wound up" in short spurts and then runs down, slowing until it stops. The vibration, then, should start midway and then taper off as the key runs down.
Click the teapot in the viewport to have the curves for its transforms selected and centered in the Track View.
When adding the Noise controller, you should assign a List controller first to retain the ability to transform the object independently of the Noise.
Note
Assigning controllers through the Animation menu automatically creates a List controller first.
Select the teapot's Position track, and click the C key to access the Assign Controller dialog box. Choose Position List. Under the Position track are now the X, Y, and Z Position tracks and an Available track. Select the Available track, access the Assign Controller dialog box again, and choose Noise Position. The default controller should remain the Position XYZ controller, so close the List Controller dialog box. Click Play.
Note
Remember that the C keyboard shortcut works only if the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle button on the main toolbar is enabled.
The teapot vibrates the entire animation. You add a multiplier curve to correct the situation.
Select the Noise Position track, and choose Curves
The noise curve now conforms to the multiplier track.
With the Noise Position track still selected, right-click and choose Properties. In the Noise Position dialog box, set the X and Y Strength to 30, set the Z strength to 20, and check the >0 check box to keep the teapot from going through the floor. Close the dialog box, and click Play.
The animation is much better. Next, you add some noise to the Rotation track.
Select the Rotation track, right-click, and choose Assign controller or click the C key to bring up the Assign Controller dialog box. Select Rotation List, and click OK. Select the Available track, access the Assign Controller dialog box again, and choose Noise Rotation.
Click Play. Again, the noise is out of control.
This time, select the Noise Strength track and add a multiplier curve.
You already have a perfectly good multiplier curve, so you can instance it into the new track.
Select the position multiplier track, right-click, and choose Copy. Now select the rotation Noise Strength multiplier track, right-click, and choose Paste. Choose Instance, and close the dialog box.
Click the Play button, and watch the Teapot wind up and then vibrate itself along until it winds down.
Figure 34.20 shows the teapot as it dances about, compliments of a controlled noise controller.
With all the information included in the Track View, finding the exact tracks you need can be difficult. The Filters button on the Keys toolbar (or on the Controllers toolbar) can help. Clicking this button opens the Filters dialog box, shown in Figure 34.21.
Tip
Right-clicking the Filters button reveals a quick list of filter items.
Using this dialog box, you can limit the number of tracks that are displayed in the Track View. The Show section contains many display options. The Hide by Controller Type pane lists all the available controllers. Any controller types selected from this list do not show up in the Track View. You can also elect to not display objects by making selections from the check boxes in the Hide By Category section.
The Show Only group includes options for displaying only the Animated Tracks, Selected Objects, Selected Tracks, Visible Objects, Keyable Tracks, Active Layer, or any combination of these. For example, if you wanted to see the animation track for a selected object, select the Animated Tracks option and click OK; then open the Filters dialog box again, choose Selected Objects, and click OK.
You can also specify whether the function curve display includes the Position, Rotation, and Scale components for each axis or the RGB color components.
A selection of tracks can be saved into a track set by clicking the Edit Track Set button located at the bottom of the Track View interface. This button opens the Track Sets Editor, shown in Figure 34.22. Clicking the Create a New Track Set button in the Track Sets Editor creates a new track set containing all the currently selected tracks and lists it in the editor window. Selected tracks can be added, removed, and selected using the other editor buttons.
After a track set is created, its tracks can be instantly selected by choosing the track set's name from the drop-down list located next to the Edit Track Set button at the bottom of the Track View window.
Controllers offer an alternative to positioning keys manually. Each controller can automatically control a key's position or a parameter's value. The Controller toolbar includes several buttons for working with controllers. The Copy Controller and Paste Controller buttons let you move existing controllers between different tracks, and the Assign Controller button lets you add a new controller to a track.
Note
Chapter 21, "Animating with Constraints and Controllers," covers all the various controllers used to automate animated sequences.
Although the buttons are labeled Copy Controller and Paste Controller, they can be used to copy different tracks. Tracks can be copied and pasted only if they are of the same type. You can copy only one track at a time, but that single controller can be pasted to multiple tracks. A pasted track can be a copy or an instance, and you have the option to replace all instances. For example, if you have several objects that move together, using the Replace All Instances option when modifying the track for one object modifies the tracks for all objects that share the same motion.
All instanced copies of a track change when any instance of that track is modified. To break the linking between instances, you can use the Make Controller Unique button.
Clicking the Assign Controller button opens the Assign Controller dialog box, where you can select the controller to apply. If the controller types are similar, the keys are maintained, but a completely different controller replaces any existing keys in the track.
When an object track is selected, you can add a visibility track using the Add Visibility Track button or the Object Properties dialog box. This track enables you to make the object visible or invisible. The selected track is automatically assigned the Bézier controller, but you can change it to an On/Off controller if you want that type of control. You can use function curves mode to edit the visibility track.
You can add note tracks to any track and use them to attach information about the track. The Add Note Track button is used to add a note track, which is marked with a yellow triangle and cannot be animated.
After you've added a note track in the Controller pane, use the Add Keys button to position a note key in the Key pane by clicking in the note track. This adds a small note icon. Right-clicking the note icon opens the Notes dialog box, where you can enter the notes, as shown in Figure 34.23. Each note track can include several note keys.
The Notes dialog box includes arrow controls that you can use to move between the various notes. The field to the right of the arrows displays the current note key number. The Time value displays the frame where a selected note is located, and the Lock Key option locks the note to the frame so it can't be moved or scaled.
You can use the Tracks
As an example of working with the Track View, you'll animate a flashing hazard light in this tutorial.
To animate a flashing hazard light using function curves, follow these steps:
Open the Hazard.max file from the Chap 34 directory on the DVD.
This file contains a hazard barrier with a light.
Select Omni01, open the Track View–Curve Editor, and locate the omni light's Multiplier track. (You can find this track under the Objects
Select the first key and set its position to 0 by moving the key down or by typing 0 in the value display field. Click the Zoom Value Extends button to better see the shape of the curve. Click the Play button.
The light comes on slowly. It should be either on or off, so you need to change the tangent types to Stepped.
Select both keys, and click the Set Tangents to Stepped button. Click the Play button.
The light turns on at frame 15.
Select the first key, and choose the Move Keys Horizontal button from the Move Keys flyout. Hold down the Shift key and drag right to copy the key at frame 30.
The light now turns off at frame 30. You can continue to make the rest of the keys in that fashion, but using the Parameter Out of Range feature to complete the animation is easier.
With the Multiplier curve selected, click the Parameter Curves Out-of-Range Types button or Choose Out-of-Range Types from the Controller menu item. The Out-of-Range Types dialog box appears. Choose Cycle, and click OK.
Figure 34.24 shows the Stepped tangents.
Click Play.
The light flashes off and on. The animation would be more convincing if the light lens object appeared to turn off and on as well. Next, you animate the self-illumination of the lens material.
With the omni light's multiplier track still selected, right-click over the track in the controller pane and choose Copy. Locate and select the Light Lens material's Self-Illumination track. (You can find this track under the Scene Materials
Because the Self-Illumination should top out at 100 percent, not 120 percent, select the second key and change its value to 100. Click the Play button.
The Omni light and lens flash off and on together.
Figure 34.25 shows the hazard light as it repeatedly blinks on and off.
As an example of working with function curves, you'll animate a checkers move in this tutorial. It is often easiest to block in the animation using key-framing and then to refine the animation in the Track View.
To animate a white checker making its moves, follow these steps:
Open the Checkers.max file from the Chap 34 directory on the DVD.
This file contains a simple checkerboard with one white piece and three red pieces.
The white checker is on the wrong colored square to start, so first you move it into place and then to each successive position.
Turn on Auto Key. Move the time slider to frame 25, and move the white checker to the square with the "1" text object (visible in the Top viewport). Move the time slider to 50, and move the white piece to the "2" position. At frame 75, move it to the "3" position, and at 100, move it to the "4" position. Turn off Auto Key.
Right-click over the white piece, and choose Curve Editor to open the Track View–Curve Editor. The white piece's X, Y, and Z Position tracks should be highlighted, and you should be able to see the function curves in the graph editor. If not, find them by choosing Objects
Keeping in mind that RGB (red, green, blue) = XYZ, you can see the white checker's movement across the board. From 0 to 25, it moves only in the X direction. From 25 to 100, it moves diagonally across the board as indicated by the slope of both the X and Y curves. Note that when the object goes back the other way in the X direction at frame 75, the curve goes in the opposite direction, as shown in Figure 34.26.
Click the Play button.
The white piece slides sloppily around the board. Next, you create keys to make it hop over the red pieces.
Click the Add Keys button, or select Add Keys from the right-click menu. Click to add keys on the Z-position track between the second, third, fourth, and fifth keys.
Select Move Keys Vertical from the Move Keys flyout, and select the three new keys. Move them up about 50 units, as shown in Figure 34.27.
The white piece hops over the red pieces, but the motion is not correct. The In and Out tangents should be fast so the piece does not spend much time on the board.
With the new keys still selected, hold the Shift key down, and move the handles on the keys to make them discontinuous tangent types, as shown in Figure 34.28.
The hopping looks better, but the sliding motion would look better with a slight pause before hopping over the first red piece.
Select Move Keys Horizontal from the Move Keys flyout, and choose the second X-position track key. Hold down the Shift key, and move the key a few frames to the left to make a copy of the original key. Click the play button.
The red pieces should disappear as the white piece hops over them.
Scroll down the Controller pane on the left, and select the three red pieces. Under Tracks on the menu bar, choose Visibility
A visibility track has been added to each of the red pieces, directly below the root name.
With visibility, a value of 0 is invisible, and a value of 1 is visible. You could change the tangent types to Stepped to turn the red pieces invisible from one frame to the next, but changing the entire track to an On/Off controller helps to visualize what is happening.
Select the visibility track for Red Piece 01. Right-click, and choose Assign Controller. Choose On/Off.
Nothing seems to have happened. The Off/On controller is best used in Dope Sheet mode.
Choose Dope Sheet from the Modes menu. The On/Off controller track is represented with a blue bar. Blue indicates "on" or visible. Click the Add Keys button, and click to add a key at frame 50. The blue bar stops at the key at frame 50. Click Play.
The first red piece disappears at frame 50. You can copy and paste tracks to save yourself a bit of work.
Select Red Piece 01's visibility track in the Controller pane. Right-click, and choose Copy. Select the visibility tracks for Red Piece 02 and Red Piece 03 (hold down the Ctrl key to add to the selection). Right-click, and choose Paste.
Paste as a Copy because the other pieces should disappear at different times.
Move Red Piece 02's key to 75 and Red Piece 03's key to 100. Click Play.
Things are looking pretty good, but the animation would look better if the whole thing were faster.
Click the Edit Ranges button and the Modify Subtree button. A World track bar appears at the top of the Key Pane. Click and drag the rightmost end of the range bar to frame 75 to scale all the tracks at one time. Click Play.
The animation is quite respectable as the white piece slides into the correct square and then hops over and captures the three red pieces.
Figure 34.29 shows the checkerboard.
One of the default tracks for any scene is the sound track. Included in the Sound hierarchy is the metronome track. You can also set up a sound file using the Sound Options dialog box, shown in Figure 34.30. You can open this dialog box by right-clicking the Metronome track and selecting Properties from the pop-up menu.
You can make the sound track appear as a waveform curve under the Track Bar. This helps as you try to synchronize the sound to the movements in the viewports. To see this sound track, right-click the Track Bar and choose Configure
You can use the Audio section of the Sound Options dialog box to load a sound or remove an existing sound. The Active option causes the sound file to play when the animation is played. The Choose Sound button can load AVI, WAV, and FLC file types. The dialog box also includes buttons to Remove Sound and Reload Sound.
You can also set up a regular metronome beat with two tones. For a metronome, you can specify the beats per minute and the beats per measure. The first option sets how often the beats occur, and the second option determines how often a different tone is played. This dialog box also contains an Active option for turning the metronome on and off.
As an example of adding sound to an animation, you'll work with a hyper pogo stick and synchronize its animation to a sound clip.
To synchronize an animation to a sound clip, follow these steps:
Open the Hyper pogo stick with sound.max file from the Chap 34 directory on the DVD.
In the Track View–Dope Sheet window, right-click one of the sound tracks and select Properties from the pop-up menu to open the Sound Options dialog box. In this dialog box, click the Choose Sound button. Then locate the boing.wav file from the Chap 34 directory on the DVD, and click OK. Make sure the Active option is selected.
The sound file appears as a waveform in the Track View, as shown in Figure 34.31.
Note
The Open Sound dialog box includes a play button that lets you play the sound before loading it.
Although it can't be edited in Max, the sound file can be shifted left or right to change its starting point.
Click the Move Keys button (or press the M key), and move the pogo stick position keys to line up with the waveforms in the sound track.
Click the Play Animation button, and the sound file plays with the animation.
Figure 34.32 shows the sound track under the Track Bar for this example.
Using the Track View, you have access to all the keys, parameters, and objects in a scene in one convenient location. Different features are available in the different layouts. In this chapter, you accomplished the following:
Learned the Track View interface elements
Learned about the different Track View layouts, including the Curve Editor, Dope Sheet, and Track Bar
Discovered how to work with keys, times, and ranges
Controlled and adjusted function curves
Selected specific tracks using the Filter dialog box
Assigned controllers
Explored the different out-of-range types
Added notes to a track
Synchronized animation to a sound track
The next chapter shows how the Motion Mixer can be used to create new animation sequences by combining existing animations.