Some AE enhancements in V6…
February 24th, 2007 by Luc-Eric - Viewed 4100 times - Popularity: 9% [?]We’ve added a couple of things that are nice in the Animation Editor, which are enabled by default if you pick “Qwerty” Interaction Mode, aka the Maya Interaction Mode. They are also interesting for users who choose the XSI interaction mode, but we haven’t yet taken the risk changing of the default behavior, although we may do so in the future.
Selected Parameters View Mode
This existing view mode which works better in our opinion in V6. You can turn it with FCurve Editor->View->Selected Parameter.
In this mode, only the curves that you select in the Explorer at the left are visible on the right. If you select the top node (i.e. the object), they are all visible.
This mode makes it much easier to find what you’re looking for by hiding the rest, and avoid a host of work-arounds and filters you may be using to avoid selecting other curves or keys by mistake.
In this mode, selecting parameters is not connected to parameter marking, it’s simply a one-click way to quickly filter the view. If you’re a long-time XSI user, you have different reflexes, like marking and looking for selecting curves. If you work in Select Mode, you might have to stop thinking in those terms, and it makes some options like Show Handles On Unselected more useful. It’s a different approach to working with FCurces, and it’s an interesting one.
Selection Tool
These options are made to allow animators to work faster.
In the Animation Editor (not FCurve Editor) User Preference page, you have two new options for the main selection tool. These options are also implemented in the Dopesheet.
1) Translate on MMB is On by default currently for both interaction mode, and is different from XSI 5.x.
With this switch on, MMB (middle mouse button) is used to move keys, which leaves the right mouse button free for the context menu, similar to the tweak tool. To constain movement horizontally or vertically, hold down shift.
MMB doesn’t use the position where you click, you do not have to click on the selection. Since MMB doesn’t select, it makes it impossible to loose your selection by mistake by clicking off one pixel off when you work quickly.
2) Prevent movement on LMB (On by default in QWERTY mode)
With this switch on, it’s not possible to move keys with the left mouse button.
Why would you want this? It leaves the LMB entirely for rectangle selection, and therefore it makes it much easier to select without having to make sure you’re not clicking by mistake on a key or a handle.
In order to get these options we have also added the ability to rectangle-select handles in the FCurve Editor.p.s. : I wanted to call this entry ‘Version 6 enhancement of the day’ but I get the feeling ‘of the day’ is redundant in a blog entry :)
Other Enhancements For Everyone
- Copy/paste keys from multiple fcurves: Changed fcurve editor to use same cut/copy/paste commands as the dopesheet but there are a a couple of differences in behaviour between the fcurve editor and the dopesheet.
- In the fcurve editor when pasting a range of keys existing keys will be removed from the range. The dopesheet always inserts keys but the fcurve editor was changed to be more in line with the old cut/copy/paste behaviour.
- Options for relative pasting of keys in the fcurve editor preferences have been implemented
- If a single fcurve is selected (without any selected keys) the user can copy/paste an entire fcurve. This has been carried over form the old cut/copy/paste as a special-case.
- New cleaner dopesheet look. Aligned-mode is now the default.
- Unified selection model of keys in the dopesheet, in synch with the FCurve Editor. Selection commands log when you select in the dopesheet.
- Scene Summary Track in the dopesheet
- Simplification of menus and toolbar
- Many new OM API methods for Fcurve manipulation
Popularity: 9% [?]
Hm, actually enhancements are great but now for a pasting a single key I should move my time cursor, but in earlier versions all i need to do is just select a key on fcurve and after paste it just copied value to the key I`ve selected – well actually wanted to ask is there any chance to make optional button in FCurve editor something like “as it was before 6″ :) – and would be any corrections in FCurve Editor in future versions?
Нm, please give us back old animation editor :) – The new one – is not so comfortable as old was. :)
I like the enhancements – they are much appreciated. However I too miss the paste to tagged key feature! 8(
I agree :) – it was great feature when you working with the huge scene, now i should wait till the scene update, because time cursor should be moved in frame to paste the key :), and often key time is not integer – and when i paste the key fcurve is going to be more trashy because old key is on his time :) – sorry for my english =)
this copy/paste issue is being looked at
Hi Luc-Eric,
the enhancements in the AE are fantastic. Even more so in the dopesheet, really sweet.
2 things I’d like to mention though:
- holding down the “shift”-key to constrain movement as you described above works fine for keys, but more often than not screws up for slope handles. I often have flat (0 slope) handles and when using the “Shift”-move to make the handle shorter, the slope changes slightly too. I then have to select and zero out the key. This unfortunately renders the “Translate on MMB” pretty useless for me..
- It is awfully tedious to select say 8 slope handles (eg. the right one of each key) to simultaneously adjust them. In previous versions I only had to select the keys, and could instantly tweak all handles. Now I have to select the keys, THEN the handles and THEN I can finally adjust them. This is painfull, even with just 1 f-curve in the view.
Moreso, as soon as I release my mousebutton, all keys whose slope handle was modified gets deselected! So, for another minor tweak, I have to go through the whole selecting-procedure again.
Is there a workaround to that or maybe a hidden “Select slope handles from keys” or “modify handles without having to select them”?
Of course (as usual) these are only the problems I have with it, there’s tons of positive stuff too, I wouldn’t even know where to start! ;->
Thanks & keep up the great work!!
‘stoph
I believe we will have these two issues addressed in an update, Christoph
That’s good to know, thanks Luc-Eric!
Luc-Eric – now in version 6.01 fcurve editing is the best!!! =) Thanks a lot! =)