Play/Stop

The Play button plays the animation in the active viewport. If you click another viewport to make it active, the animation continues playing in that viewport. When the animation is playing, the Play button becomes a Stop button. The Play button is a flyout for playing only the animation of selected objects.

• Status bar > Time controls > (Play Animation)
• Status bar > Time controls > (Stop Animation)
• Keyboard > / (to play) (3ds Max mode)
• Keyboard > Alt+V (Maya mode)
• Keyboard > Esc (to stop)

Tip: You can play the animation in all the viewports simultaneously by turning off Active Viewport Only in the Time Configuration dialog.

Procedures

To play the animation in the viewport:

1. Activate the viewport where you want to play the animation.
2. Click (Play Animation).

   The animation plays in the viewport. The Play button becomes a Stop button.

3. Click (Stop Animation) to end the playback.

   The speed of the animation playback is determined by the settings in the Time Configuration dialog, the complexity of the scene and the speed of the graphics card and processor.

To play the animation looped backward:

1. In the animation controls, click (Time Configuration).
2. In the Time Configuration dialog Playback group, turn off Real Time.

   The Direction buttons are now available.

3. Turn on Reverse and click OK.
4. Click (Play Animation).

   The animation plays backward.

5. To play the animation front-to-back and then back-to-front in a continuous loop, turn on Ping-Pong as the Direction.

To play the animation of a selected object only:

1. In a viewport, select a single animated object or a set of animated objects.
2. Choose (Play Selected) from the Play/Stop flyout.

   Only the selection is animated in the viewport.

3. To end playback, click (Stop Animation) or press Esc.

Interface

The Play/Stop flyout contains two buttons. Both buttons become a Stop button when in use.

Play

Plays the animation in the active viewport.

Play Selected

Plays the animation for selected objects only in the active viewport.

Stop Animation

Replaces the Play button when an animation is playing. Click to stop the playback.

Stop Animation (Selected)

Replaces the Play Selected button when an animation is playing. Click to stop the playback.