Beyond the lesson

In this lesson, you learned how to:

• Set keys for attributes, then use the Graph Editor to refine the animation and remove unnecessary keys. This is a typical workflow when keyframing.

  You can animate most any attribute in Maya, not just the Translate, Rotate, and Scale attributes of a surface. For example, you can animate the intensity of a light, the transparency of a surface, the rotation of a camera view, or the position of CVs.

• Work with the Graph Editor to adjust the animation attributes animation curves directly.

  The Graph Editor is the best tool for editing keyed animation by reshaping animation curves. You can use it to change key positions, add or remove keys, and alter the fluidity and symmetry of animation.

  Each key point on an animation curve has a Tangent setting that specifies the curvature leading into that point. The default Tangent setting (Auto) creates rounded curvature—useful for animating attributes that change smoothly over time. The Linear setting creates angular curvature, useful for a bounce effect or any other abrupt change in attribute value. Other Tangent settings are available for different animation effects. For example, a Stepped setting lets you make an instantaneous leap in value, useful when you want to flash a light off and on.

• Use the Time and Range slider to play back your animation.

  Although the Graph Editor is a popular animation tool, you can also cut, copy, paste, and delete keys directly in the Time Slider to edit animation. Select a key position in the Time Slider, then right-click to select the desired operation from a pop-up menu.

You may find the following techniques useful when keyframing your animations:

• There are alternative object display modes that quicken the display of animation in the scene view. When you select Shading > Bounding Box (from the panel menu in the scene view), Maya displays simple box-shaped geometry in place of the actual objects in your scene. The simpler shapes enable Maya to respond to any camera and object movement faster. The drawback is that you cannot edit the shape of the objects in this display mode.
• It is generally a recommended practice to animate a parent (group) node rather than objects themselves. By animating a parent node, you can avoid problems that occur when the animation of one object in a hierarchy conflicts with the animation in another part of the hierarchy.