Create groups of target shapes or blend shape deformers

When you're working with many target shapes within a blend shape deformer, it can be helpful to sort them into groups for quick identification. For example, you have a blend shape deformer with target shapes that affect the mouth, but you want to create separate groups for the shapes that affect the upper lips and another group for the lower lip shapes.

You can then set the weight value for a group and key it to quickly animate that group of shapes - see Key the blend shape weights.

Likewise, if you have many blend shape deformers on a base object, you can put them into groups in the same way, such as several blend shape deformers whose target shapes affect the eyes and several blend shape deformers whose target shapes affect the mouth.

To create a group

1. In the Shape Editor, select the target shapes or blend shape deformers that you want to group together.
   Note: You can't select a combination of target shapes and blend shape deformers when you create a group.

   Multiple target shapes must be under the same blend shape deformer.

   A target shape cannot be a member of more than one group.

2. Do one of the following:
   • Click the Group icon .
   • Press Ctrl+G.
   • Right-click a selected item and choose Group.
   • Choose Edit > Group in the Shape Editor menu bar.

This creates a group containing the selected target shapes or blend shape deformers. When you group blend shape deformers, all their target shapes are included beneath them in the group.

You can create any number of nested groups.

To create a group with nothing selected

• Click the Group icon or right-click in an empty area of the Shape Editor and choose New Group.

  You can also drag and drop a blend shape deformer or target shape onto another blend shape deformer or target shape to create a group that includes these two.

To add members to the group

• Drag and drop target shapes or blend shape deformers on the appropriate group folder or anywhere within the group list.

To rename a group

• Double-click the group name in the tree or right-click the group and choose Rename Group, then enter a new name.

To reorder the members of a group

• Drag them up or down in the list.

To remove a member from a group

• Drag it into another group, or drag it just below the blend shape deformer (BSD) so that it's not in any group but still within its related BSD.

To delete a group

• Select the group and click the Delete icon or press the Delete key, or right-click the group and choose Delete Group. All its members are also removed.