Create and edit time warps in Trax

You can change the timing of a clip without modifying the clip’s animation curves using time warps. Typically, you use time warps to reverse the animation in a clip, or to ease in or ease out of a clip’s animation.

You can create time warps automatically when you create or duplicate a clip, or you can select an existing clip and create a time warp for it. See Create Clip Options. By default, time warps are not created when a clip is created.

When you create a time warp for a clip, a time warp curve is added above the clip in its hierarchy and a green bar appears on the clip. See Time warps. You can manipulate this time warp curve to adjust how the time warp affects the animation in its clip.

Note: Multiple time warps can slow performance, so you should use them sparingly.

To create a time warp for a clip

1. Select the clip for which you want to create a time warp.
2. Do one of the following:
   • In the Trax menu bar, select Create > Time Warp.
   • Right-click the clip, and select Create Time Warp from the menu that appears.
     

   The Time Warp Enable attribute is turned on for the clip node, and a new time warp curve appears in the clip. By default, the time warp curve extends from 0 to 100 and represents a percentage of its animation clip. The time of 0 is the start of the clip and the time of 100 is the end of the clip.

   In the track view area, a green bar appears on the clip to indicate that the clip is now affected by a time warp.

To edit a time warp

1. Select the clip that has the time warp.
2. In the Trax toolbar, click the Graph Anim Curves button.
3. In the Graph Editor outliner, select the time warp curve and click the Frame All button or press f to frame the time warp curve.
4. In the graph view, use the Insert Keys Tool to insert keys and use the Move Tool to adjust the curve.

   When working in the graph view with these tools, use the middle mouse button.

To create a time warp when creating a clip

1. Select the character whose animation you want to put in a clip.
2. In the Trax menu bar, select Animate > Create Clip > .

   The Create Clip Options window appears.

3. Turn on Create Time Warp Curve.

   A clip appears containing its character’s animation curves and an active time warp curve. Now every time you create a clip, an active time warp curve is created for each clip.

To enable or disable a time warp curve

1. Select the clip that has the time warp curve you want to enable or disable.
2. In the Attribute Editor or Channel Box, set the Time Warp Enable attribute to on or off.

To turn off automatic time warps on clip creation

1. In the Trax menu bar, select Animate > Create Clip > .

   The Create Clip Options window appears.

2. Turn off Create Time Warp Curve.