3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [391]
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.
Learning the Track View Interface
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 37.1 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. Also, you can quickly hide the Controller pane by clicking the triangle icon in the upper-left corner of the Key pane.
New Feature
The Show/Hide Controller pane button is new to 3ds Max 2012. •
FIGURE 37.1
The Track View interface offers a complete hierarchical look at your scene.
The Track View layouts
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⇒Track View–Curve Editor or by clicking the Curve Editor button on the main toolbar. You open the Dope Sheet interface in a similar manner by choosing Graph Editors⇒Track View–Dope Sheet.
Cross-Reference
You also use the Graph Editors menu to access the Schematic View interface. For more on the Schematic View interface, see Chapter 25, “Building Complex Scenes with Containers, XRefs, and 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⇒Name: Track View from the pop-up menu. These named views are then listed in the Graph Editors⇒Saved Track Views menu. Any saved Track Views that are named are saved along with the scene file.
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 37.2 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.
FIGURE 37.2
The Track Bar offers quick access to the Track View.
Track View menus and toolbars
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.
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