Setting Up the Project

Let’s begin by setting up our project, which is a good and structured way to begin. To create a new project, choose File ➤ Project ➤ Create Default (see Figure 2-1). (Choosing this option allows you to browse a folder and select it. Create a folder in a convenient location and select -. Choosing this option creates all the associated folders required for the project.)

When you save a file from this point on, it will default to your scenes folder that was created for you. If you notice the project folder in your folder explorer, you should see something like Figure 2-2. All these folders are created for organizing your project. We will not be going into what each folder is for, but you should be aware that the scenes folder is where the .max files are saved. When you download the source files for this chapter, you will see the same directory structure as follows (see Figure 2-2):

• Archives: These are for zipping a folder structure to send it to someone else.

• Autoback: This is where the software saves backup copies at regular intervals, as set in preferences.

• Downloads: This is where the files are saved when you download from the Asset Library.

• Export: This is the default location when you export anything from your scene express.

• Import: Browse to this directory to show files for import.

• Material libraries: You can save your materials into this folder for organizing purposes.

• Previews: This is where your animation previews are saved.

• Proxies: You don’t always need to work with high-resolution mesh and textures; you can swap them on the fly during render time.

• Render output: This is where you should save your renders for an organized workflow.

• Render presets: Save different presets of render to load them for later use on a different file.

• Scene assets: Other scene assets created from other packages can be stored here for easy accessibility.

• Scenes: Raw 3ds Max scene files should be saved here.

• Vpost: Post-production effects that are done using video posts inside 3ds Max can be saved here for later use.

• projectname.mxp file: This file holds the project settings and path.

Now that our project is set (in my case I called this project Chapter02_sourcefiles), let’s look at another important thing that we need to address before we begin.

Setting Up Duration and Frame Rates

Before you begin working on an animation, you should have an idea as to how long your animation is going to be and the desired frame rate you want the animation to play at. This should be adhered to and set in the initial stages of the project to avoid further headaches later on during the project. Otherwise, you might need to retime keys in order to change the frame rate and animation duration.

You can change the frame rate and animation duration using the time configuration button located in the bottom-right part of 3ds Max, as outlined in Figure 2-3.

Once you click on the Time Configuration button, a popup window, as shown in Figure 2-4, will open. The top box highlighted determines the frame speed and can be set according to TV broadcast standards, such as NTSC, PAL, Film, or custom speeds. The second highlighted area is used to determine the number of frames of your current file.

Creating Keyframes

Keyframes can be created in multiple ways in 3ds Max. Let’s look at two common methods—Auto Key and Set Key—which are located below the time slider, as shown in Figure 2-5.

• Auto Key: With Auto Key enabled/turned on, the viewport borders turn red. During this time, any change of an object’s parameters will get keyframed for that particular frame. Now, with this turned on, we can change the current frame by dragging the time slider and moving the object. Since auto key is on, our new position of the object gets keyframed automatically.

• Set Key: With Set Key on, the viewport border turns red again except for the keyframes not getting recorded as you move objects over time. In order to register a keyframe for a particular object and its parameters, the Set Key icon (the plus button next to auto key and set key) needs to clicked (or you can press K to use the shortcut). See Figure 2-6.

With that clear, let’s now move to the next section, where we refine our keyframes for varied motion using tangents.

Understanding Keyframes and Tangents

Tangents are a way of setting how a keyframe interpolates adjacent keyframes. By controlling the tangents, we can provide varied motion. Take the time to view the video located at < INSERT PATH/Chaoter02/Reference videos/Tangents.mp4>. All the boxes have a keyframe at 0 and at frame 100, we can see the boxes moving around. We will look at using tangents to achieve this animation.

Fire up 3ds Max and load the Tangent_Start_Excercise.max file from the source folder. If you minimize the top viewport (select the top wide port and press ALT+W), you’ll see something like Figure 2-7.

With box001 selected, open the motion panel in the control panel. You should see Figure 2-8a.

In that panel, I would like to direct your attention toward the Key Info panel, as shown in Figure 2-8b.

Note the arrows, which allow you to jump between keyframes. We have a total of three keyframes for box001, so we should be able to move among them using this instead of using the slider. If your current time is not on any active keyframe, all the values will be grayed out and no edits can be performed.

Note that the in and out categories have arrows on both sides of the icon. Clicking on a graph loads a few options for us. See Figure 2-9.

The keys are named Smooth, Linear, Step, Slow, Fast, Spline, and Auto Tangent. Let’s apply/modify this keyframe in/out type to all the boxes at keyframe 50 to see what it does.

Before we apply the graph to an in or out point, there’s one more thing we need to understand. The arrows on either side of the graphs that are visible along the in and out graphs are also known as a copiers, as shown in Figure 2-10.

Set the Animation graph of the in/out type of each box’s frame 50 keyframe to Smooth, Linear, Step, Slow, Fast, Spline, and Auto Tangent.

If you notice we get varied motion by just setting the graph type for one keyframe, and also you might wonder why boxes 005, 006, 007 still move uniformly. (They have the basic animation graph set to Fast, Spline, and Auto Tangent.) When we get into the next chapter, we discuss tweaking these handles using advanced editors.

You can load the Tangents_FinishedExercise.max file to preview the animation or alternatively load the rendered video in the video folder (Tangents.mp4). If you are wondering why we are learning this in a character animation book, the answer is that your default keyframe types are not going to cut it... the default animation keyframes are quite boring and appear better for robotic movements. If you look at an animation of a person thumping a table, the animation speed is not going to be same when the animation has begun and the speed will not be the same when the fist contacts the table. Animations need to eased in and out to convey fluid motion and that can be achieved using the previous techniques used. What we used are the basic version of them, and now let’s take this a step further and move to tweaking this for further refinement.

Invoking the Curve Editor

There are two variations of Curve Editors that can be opened. One is the mini Curve Editor that can be opened by clicking on the icon, as shown in Figure 2-11.

You can also go to the ribbon menu and click the Curve Editor icon, as shown in Figure 2-12.

Or you can right-click on any viewport and choose Curve Editor, as shown in Figure 2-13.

You can also use the Graph Editors ➤ Trackview - Curve Editor menu option, as shown in Figure 2-14.

Let’s take a look at the Curve Editor first and move ahead with the other one. Note that we will not be covering the Curve Editor as a whole, rather we will be focusing on the most used and relevant tools that ease an animator’s job. I recommend that you get familiar with the Curve Editor navigation and menus.

Working with the Curve Editor

In earlier pages we learned about using animation graphs to control the animation by applying easing to keyframes using the animation graph icon. What exactly is the graph, you might have asked? Or, can I plot my own graph to create a more customized animation? All these questions could have popped into your head. We’ll answer those here.

Fire up 3ds Max and open the Curve Editor from the menu option or from the ribbon bar. See Figure 2-15.

The editor menu in the Curve Editor allows you to switch between Curve Editor and Dope Sheet. Currently we are looking at understanding what a Curve Editor is, so let’s stick with Curve Editor. If you changed it to the Dope Sheet, switch back to Curve Editor. If your scene is empty, you might notice the list below World ➤ Object is empty too. Add a cube or a single object and notice that the list populates. See Figure 2-16.

Note that if you have multiple objects in the scene, the Curve Editor will show all the selected objects parameters in it. Try adding a sphere and a box in an empty scene and load the Curve Editor. Alternate and select the objects to see the Curve Editor populate the details of the object. If you select multiple objects, you should be able to see the list of objects and parameters on the left pane.

Before we move on, let’s look the right pane the graph viewer. The double vertical yellow line is your current time indicator. Scrub the timeline and it should update here. Or, if you drag the double yellow line, you the track bar updates as well. We said this is the Graph Editor, so what are the dimensions or readings of X and Y? The answer is that X is denoted by time, and Y is denoted by value.

Open the CurveEditor_BoxStart.max file. The scene is pretty simple with just a box at the 0, 0, 0 coordinates. Open the Curve Editor and follow along.

Pay attention to the line that is marked in Figure 2-17.

Since our box is on 0, 0, 0 and our selected axis on the left pane is Z, you see the line in blue at 0. Selecting a different axis will show the corresponding axis color. Now let’s move the box up by 100 units and observe the changes. See Figure 2-18.

Notice that the blue line is moved up overall to the reading of 100. So far we have not animated anything. The value is constant so the line is pretty straight. Now let’s animate it to see what we can do.

Understanding Graph View: Curve Editor

Fire up 3ds Max and load CurveEditor_Sphere.max or create a new file with a sphere. Set the coordinates of the sphere to 0, 0, 0.

Basically what we have done is make the ball go up and come back down to its initial position. If you notice the graph in the Curve Editor, it should look something like Figure 2-19.

Play the animation and preview the file. Notice that the ball is increasing its altitude at a smooth pace. Once it hits the peak, it reaches back to 0 at the inverse speed. I hope the graph viewer makes sense. We haven’t gotten into the power of it yet; we just got our feet wet!

Creating Keys Manually in the Curve Editor

Tangent _Auto

When an auto tangent is selected as a keyframe option, a Bezier flowing curve is created from the incoming keyframe to the outgoing keyframe. It’s a smooth interpolation with the exception that the Bezier handle can be controlled and manipulated using the handles . See Figure 2-24.

By holding Alt+Shift, the individual handles can be broken and controlled for interesting results, which turn the keyframe type to Tangent_spline. See Figure 2-25.

Tangent _Spline

The Tangent Spline option gives you adjustable tangents so that you can refine the animation. The handles can be moved independently using the Alt+Shift key drag option. Holding Control while dragging restricts a particular axis. Tangent splines are an enhanced version of Tangent_Auto.

Tangents can be unified again using the Tangent menu in the Curve Editor and then choosing Unify Tangents. This feature links the handles after a break so that moving one end keeps the other end of the handle in an unbroken line.

Tangent_Fast

In a fast tangent , the animation is faster when it’s closer to the keyframe and gets slower as it recedes away. See Figure 2-26.

Tangent_Slow

In a slow tangent , the animation rapidly decreases the closer to the keyframe it becomes and it accelerates as it recedes away. See Figure 2-27.

Tangent_Stepped

In a stepped tangent , the animation value is held until there is another keyframe to change it. In this scenario, the ball would just be warping to three different positions. This tangent type is very useful when blocking out animation.

Blocking out animation is a workflow used in animation, wherein you decide where a particular object has to be on various time intervals and then later decide on the type of easing or speed of the animation you want by choosing the right tangent type. With a stepped tangent set, you will see the object warping from place to place. See Figure 2-28.

Tangent_Linear

A linear tangent works best when the adjacent keyframes are set to linear as well in this case frame 0 and 100. The ball will travel at a constant speed overall through the animation. Linear tangents are better suited for mechanical motion. See Figure 2-29.

Tangent_Smooth

Smooth tangent eases in and out of the keyframe to create a smooth motion, more like a blend of fast and slow. Apply the tangent to only the keyframe 50 and preview the animation to visually understand what is happening, as shown in Figure 2-30a.

Now that you know what tangents are and how to use and modify them, open the Tangents_FinishedExercise.max file and view it in the Curve Editor.

Recall that boxes 004, 006, and 007 were moving the same way. If you analyze the graph, you will understand why. If you followed along with the tangents, tweak the animation graphs and you should get interesting results. For now, let’s stop with the Curve Editor at this point and look at the other untouched options as we move ahead in the chapters.

Mini Curve Editor

The mini Curve Editor can be opened by clicking on its icon, as shown in Figure 2-31.

Once the mini Curve Editor is open, the UI will look like Figure 2-32.

The Mini Curve Editor has a lot more options in the left pane compared to our normal Curve Editor. This editor includes every feature that can be manipulated for a given 3ds Max file, such as sound, materials, and any other data that can be animated. The last in the list is the objects, under which your objects will be populated. As in the normal Curve Editor, your objects need to be selected for them to be viewable in the list.

Let’s open the CurveEditor_SphereKey.max file and view the graph in the Curve Editor. In fact, I recommend that you look at both and identify what makes this mini Curve Editor a mini over the other one. See Figure 2-33.

Let’s fix that. To do so, go to the mini Curve Editor menu bar and choose Menu ➤ Frame ➤ Frame Horizontal Extents. This will frame your animation time range to fit and you should be able to see the key and curves. See Figure 2-34.

The tangents for the mini Curve Editor are located as marked in Figure 2-35.

One other feature of the mini Curve Editor is that it allows you to freehand sketch curves. See Figure 2-36.

Dope Sheet

The Dope Sheet lets you to work with keys on a one-dimensional graph (time), instead of curves like in Curve Editor. Note: We adjusted the position value in the previous examples, but value can be anything you want to animate (rotation, size, colors, etc.).

The Dope Sheet is used to retime your keyframes and offset your animation so that it begins at a different frame. Let’s say, for example, we have a ball rocket taking off at frame 50 and exploding at frame 100. What you could do with the Dope Sheet is have the rocket start at any other frame of your choice and play the animation from there. This helps us reposition our animation keys without having to redo it altogether.

Like the Curve Editor, there are two variations of the Dope Sheet. One is the mini Dope Sheet, which can be opened by clicking on the icon, as shown in Figure 2-40, and then choosing Dope Sheet from the Editor menu. If you notice in your mini Curve Editor, there is a close button to close the editor, but if you change your Curve Editor to the Dope Sheet, you lose the ability to close the editor. Even switching back to the Curve Editor will not bring back the close button. The only way to close it this way is to undock the panel and close it. Click and drag the left-most border of the Graph Editor to undock. This undocking method works for any panel in 3ds Max.

Alternative method 1: Right-click on any viewport and choose Dope Sheet from the menu, as shown in Figure 2-41.

Alternative method 2: Go to the Graph Editor ➤ Trackview - Dope Sheet menu, as shown in Figure 2-42.

Load DopeSheet_BallAnimation.max and open the Dope Sheet to see what we can do with it.

By default, you are in Edit Ranges, as shown in the toolbar in Figure 2-43. Edit Ranges and Edit Keys are the first two buttons in the toolbar of the Dope Sheet.

In Edit Ranges mode, the animations are shown as bars. You will not be able to see how many keyframes there are in the object. The range will show where the animation is starting and where it is ending. When you hover your mouse over an animation range, the cursor changes into three types. See Figure 2-44.

The Curve Editor and Dope Sheet are very powerful tools to aid animators.