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Working with Keys

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.

Cross-Reference

Chapter 21, “Understanding Animation and Keyframes,” 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 37.5. 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.

Caution

If the Key pane is not wide enough, then a key is shown as a thick, black line. •

FIGURE 37.5

In the Dope Sheet, Position keys are red, Rotation keys are green, Scale keys are blue, and Parameter keys are gray.

Selecting keys

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. •

Using soft selection

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⇒Soft Select Settings menu command opens a simple toolbar where you can enable soft selection and set the Range and Falloff values.

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⇒Soft Select Settings menu opens a hidden toolbar that lets you enable and disable the soft selection feature with a single button labeled Soft. The Range value sets how many frames the soft selection covers. This toolbar may be docked to the edge of the window.

Adding and deleting keys

You can add a key by clicking the Insert 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. This can be done whether the Auto Key button at the bottom of the Max interface is on or off.

To delete keys, select the keys and press the Delete key on the keyboard. If a key is deleted, the function curve changes to account for the missing key.

Moving, sliding, and scaling keys

The Move Keys button (keyboard shortcut M) lets you select and move a key to a new location. You can clone keys by pressing and holding the Shift key while moving a key. Using the flyout buttons, you can select to restrict the movement horizontally or vertically. You also can move the selected key to the cursor's location (the current frame) with the Keys⇒Align to Cursor menu command.