Offset clip channels

You can offset the channels within an animation clip to change how Maya interprets channel values within that clip. Clip channels can have an absolute or relative offset. You can set a clip’s channel offsets when you right-click a clip, with the Channel Offsets controls, or in the Create Clip Options.

Note:

If two clips overlap in a pair of tracks for the same character set, Maya adds the values of any redundant attributes, regardless of whether you use Absolute or Relative offsets. This compounding effect is typically undesirable unless you blend the clips. For information on blending animation clips, see Create and edit blends.

Note: Absolute is the default Offset setting for new clips and imported clips.

To view or change the channel offset behavior for an animation clip, do either of the following:

• Right-click the clip in the Trax Editor to view the offset options in the pop-up menu that appears.

  If all channels in the clip are currently set to relative offset, a Relative Clip option is on in the pop-up menu. If Relative Clip is off, all clip channels are set to absolute offset.

  If the clip channels are currently set to use a mix of absolute and relative offsets, Make Clip Relative and Make Clip Absolute options display. Select either of these options to set the offset behavior for all channels at once.

• Right-click the clip in the Trax Editor and select Edit Per-Channel Offsets. Expand the Channel Offsets heading when the Attribute Editor displays the animClip tab and set each channel to Absolute or Relative.

  (You can also click All Absolute/All Relative to set all channels at the same time. To automatically set only top-level channels (except rotation channels) to Relative, and all other channels to Absolute, click Restore Defaults.)

To copy the channel offset settings from one clip to another clip

1. Select the clip that has the channel offset settings you want to copy. This clip is the source clip.
2. Shift + click the clip to which you want to apply the source clip’s channel offset settings. This clip is the destination clip.
   Note:

   • The source and destination clips must belong to the same character.
   • The source and destination clips must have common channels.
   • You cannot copy clip channel offset settings from one source clip to multiple destination clips.
3. In the Trax menu bar, select Edit > Copy Channel Offsets.

   The destination clip now has the same channel offset settings as the source clip.

Related topics

• Clip states