818 Part VII Animation

This expression says that if the Normalized Time is less than two-thirds of the time, then set the green value to its maximum; if it isn’t, then set its value to 0.

The third Point3 value is for blue. Blue doesn’t appear at all in green, yellow, or red, so its value is set to 0 for the entire animation.

The completed expression for the entire animation (which you entered in Step 4 of the tutorial) looks like this:

[if (NT >= .33, 255, 0), if (NT < .66, 255, 0), 0]

Summary

This chapter covered the basics of using the Expression controller. Using mathematical formulas to control the animation of an object’s transformation and parameters offers lots of power. You can also use the values of one object to control another object.

In this chapter, you

Practiced building expressions in the Expression dialog box

Learned about expressions and what they can do

Reviewed the available operators, variables, and functions

Tried out examples of controlling object transformations and parameters

In the next chapter, you learn to use the Track View to display and manage all the details of the current scene.

Working with the Track View

As you move objects around in a viewport, you’ll often find yourself eyeballing the precise location of an object in the scene. If

you’ve ever found yourself wishing that you could precisely see all the values behind the scene, then you need to find the Track View. The Track View can be viewed using three different layouts: Curve Editor, Dope Sheet, and Track Bar. Each of these interfaces offers a unique view into the details of the scene.

These Track View layouts can display all the details of the current scene, including all the parameters and keys. This view lets you manage and control all these parameters and keys without having to look in several different places.

The Track View also includes additional features that enable you to edit key ranges, add and synchronize sound to your scene, and work with animation controllers using function curves.

Learning the Track View Interface

Although the Track View can be viewed using different layouts, the basic interface elements are the same. They all have menus, toolbars, a Controller pane, a Key pane, and a Time Ruler. Figure 33-1 shows these interface elements. You can hide any of these interface elements using the Show UI Elements option in the pop-up menu that appears when you right-click the title bar.

The Track View layouts

The Track View includes three different layouts: a Curve Editor, a Dope Sheet, and the Track Bar. The Curve Editor layout displays all parameter and motion changes as graphs that change over time. You manipulate these curves just like normal splines. You can use the Dope Sheet layout to coordinate key ranges between the different parameter tracks. And the Track Bar layout offers a way to quickly view the Track View within the viewports.

33C H A P T E R

In This Chapter

Learning the Track View interface

Understanding the Track View Curve Editor and Dope Sheet layouts

Working with keys and time ranges

Adjusting function curves

Filtering tracks

Assigning controllers

Optimizing animation keys

Using out-of-range types

Adding notes to a track

Synching animation to a sound track

820 Part VII Animation

Controller pane

Key pane

Time ruler

Figure 33-1: The Track View interface offers a complete hierarchical look at your scene.

You can open the Curve Editor and Dope Sheet layouts using the Graph Editors menu command. You can open the Curve Editor window by choosing Graph Editors Track View–Curve Editor or by clicking the Curve Editor button on the main toolbar. You open the Dope Sheet interface in a similar manner by choosing Graph Editors Track View–Dope Sheet.

Cross-	You also use the Graph Editors menu to access the Schematic View interface. For more on
Reference	the Schematic View interface, see Chapter 9, “Working with the Schematic View.”

After the Track View opens, you can give it a unique name using the field found on the Name: Track View toolbar. If the Name toolbar isn’t visible, right-click the title bar and select Show Toolbars Name: Track View from the pop-up menu. These named views are then listed in the Graph Editors Saved Track Views menu. Any saved Track Views that are named are saved along with the scene file.

To open the Track Bar layout in the viewports, expand the Track Bar using the Open Mini Curve Editor button at the left end of the Track Bar. Close the Track Bar layout by clicking the Close button on the toolbar. Figure 33-2 shows this Track View.

After you open a Track View, you can switch between the Curve Editor and the Dope Sheet using the Modes menu or by right-clicking the menu bar or toolbar (away from the buttons) and selecting a new layout from the Load Layout menu. You can also save customized layouts using the Save Layout or Save Layout As menu commands.

Chapter 33 Working with the Track View 821

Figure 33-2: The Track Bar offers quick access to the Track View.

Track View menus and toolbars

In many cases, the menus and the toolbars provide access to the same functionality. One difference is the Modes menu, which lets you switch the current interface between the Curve Editor and the Dope Sheet layouts. The Curve Editor menus include Modes, Settings, Display, Controller, Tracks, Keys, Curves, and Utilities. The Dope Sheet menu loses the Display and Curves menus and adds a Time menu. The Track Bar menus are the same as the Curve Editor menu, except for the Modes menu.

The Track View consists of several toolbars. You can open these toolbars by right-clicking the toolbar (away from the buttons) and selecting the Show Toolbars submenu. The available toolbars depend on the layout, but they can include Name, Navigation, Key Stats, Key Tangents, Controllers, Track Selection, Keys, Time, Ranges, Display, Extras, Curves, and Tools. All these toolbars can be docked, floated, and hidden. You can also add and delete new toolbars using the right-click pop-up menu.

Cross-	You can learn more about docking and floating toolbars in Chapter 1, “Finding Your Way —
Reference	Exploring the Max Interface.”

822 Part VII Animation

For the Track View–Curve Editor layout, four toolbars appear by default at the top of the interface. These toolbars includes the Keys, Curves, Key Tangents, and Name toolbars. For the Track View–Dope Sheet, the default toolbars at the top of the interface include the Keys: Dope Sheet, Time, Display, and Name toolbars.

Note Depending on the size of the Track View window, you may need to drag the toolbar to the left to see the buttons at the right end of the toolbar.

Keys toolbar

The Keys toolbar is one of the default toolbars for the Curve Editor and for the Dope Sheet. The toolbar is slightly different in each layout. Table 33-1 describes these buttons.

Table 33-1: Keys Toolbar Buttons

Toolbar Button	Name	Description
	Filters	Opens the Filter dialog box, where you can specify which
		tracks will appear
	Move Keys, Move	Enables you to move the selected keys or limit their
	Keys Horizontal,	movement to horizontal or vertical
	Move Keys Vertical
	Slide Keys	Enables you to slide the selected keys
	Scale Keys	Enables you to scale the selected keys
	Scale Values	Scales the selected keys’ values vertically; Curve Editor
		layout only
	Add Keys	Enables you to add new keys to a track
	Draw Curves	Create a function curve by dragging the mouse; Curve
		Editor layout only
	Reduce Keys	Optimizes the current time selection by eliminating
		unnecessary keys Curve Editor layout only
	Edit Keys	Enables edit keys mode; Dope Sheet layout only
	Edit Ranges	Enables edit ranges mode; Dope Sheet layout only

Curves toolbar

The Curves toolbar is another of the default toolbars for the Curve Editor. This toolbar shares some buttons with the Display toolbar, which is a default toolbar in the Dope Sheet layout. Table 33-2 describes these buttons.

Chapter 33 Working with the Track View 823

Table 33-2: Curves and Display Toolbar Buttons

Toolbar Button	Name	Description
	Lock Selection	Prevents any changes to the current selection
	Snap Frames	Causes moved tracks to snap to the nearest frame
	Parameter Curve	Opens the Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types dialog
	Out-of-Range Types	box, where you can make tracks loop and cycle; Curve
		Editor layout only
	Show Keyable Icons	Displays a key icon next to all tracks that can be animated
	Show All Tangents	Displays the Bézier curve handles for all keys; Curve Editor
		layout only
	Show Tangents	Displays the Bézier curve handles for the selected keys;
		Curve Editor layout only
	Lock Tangents	Prevents the curve handles from moving; Curve Editor
		layout only
	Modify Subtree	Causes changes to a parent to affect its children; Dope
		Sheet layout only
	Modify Child Keys	Causes changes to child keys when parent keys are
		changed; Dope Sheet layout only

Key Tangents toolbar

The Key Tangents toolbar is another of the default toolbars for the Curve Editor. It is used to set the In and Out curve types. This toolbar is also available in the Dope Sheet layout. Table 33-3 describes these buttons.

Table 33-3: Key Tangents Toolbar Buttons

Toolbar Button

Name

Description

Set Tangents to Slow, Set In Tangents to Slow, Set Out Tangents to Slow

Set Tangents to Auto, Set In Tangents to Auto, Set Out Tangents to Auto

Set Tangents to Custom, Set In Tangents to Custom, Set Out Tangents to Custom

Set Tangents to Fast, Set In Tangents to Fast, Set Out Tangents to Fast

Sets curve to approach and leave the key in a descending manner

Sets curve to approach and leave the key in an automatic manner

Sets curve to approach and leave the key in a custom manner defined by the handle positions

Sets curve to approach and leave the key in an ascending manner

Continued

824 Part VII Animation

Table 33-3 (continued)

Toolbar Button

Name

Description

Set Tangents to Step, Set In Tangents to Step, Set Out Tangents to Step

Set Tangents to Linear, Set In Tangents to Linear, Set Out Tangents to Linear

Set Tangents to Smooth, Set In Tangents to Smooth, Set Out Tangents to Smooth

Sets curve to approach and leave the key in a stepping manner

Sets curve to approach and leave the key in a linear manner

Sets curve to approach and leave the key in a smooth manner

Time toolbar

The Time toolbar is one of the default toolbars for the Dope Sheet. It is used to work with time ranges. Table 33-4 describes these buttons.

Table 33-4: Time Toolbar Buttons

Toolbar Button	Name	Description
	Select Time	Enables you to select a block of time by clicking and dragging
	Delete Time	Deletes the selected block of time
	Reverse Time	Reverses the order of the selected time block
	Scale Time	Scales the current time block
	Insert Time	Inserts an additional amount of time
	Cut Time	Deletes the selected block of time and places it on the clipboard
		for pasting
	Copy Time	Makes a copy of the selected block of time on the clipboard for
		pasting
	Paste Time	Inserts the current clipboard time selection

Controller toolbar

The Controller toolbar is available in both the Curve Editor and the Dope Sheet. It is used to assign controllers to tracks. Table 33-5 describes these buttons.

Chapter 33 Working with the Track View 825

Table 33-5: Controller Toolbar Buttons

Toolbar Button	Name	Description
	Filters	Opens the Filter dialog box, where you can specify
		which tracks will appear; same button is found in the
		Keys toolbar.
	Copy Controller	Copies the selected track for pasting elsewhere
	Paste Controller	Pastes the last copied track
	Assign Controller	Enables you to assign a controller to the selected track
	Delete Controller	Removes the current controller
	Make Controller Unique	Changes an instanced track to one that is unique

Tools toolbar

The Tools toolbar is available in the Curve Editor and includes buttons to add some additional tracks such as the Notes and Visibility. Table 33-6 describes these buttons.

Table 33-6: Tools Toolbar Buttons

Toolbar Button	Name	Description
	Add Note Track	Adds a note track to the current track for recording
		information
	Delete Note Track	Deletes an associated note track
	Add Visibility Track	Adds a track to an object for controlling its visibility
	Snap Frames	Causes moved tracks to snap to the nearest frame; also
		found in the Curves toolbar
	Lock Selection	Locks the current selection of keys so that no other keys
		can be selected
	Properties	Displays a dialog box of properties associated with the track
	Track View Utilities	Opens a dialog box of available Track View utilities

826 Part VII Animation

Other toolbars

The Dope Sheet layout includes two additional toolbars: Ranges and Extras. Table 33-7 describes these buttons.

Table 33-7: Ranges and Extras Toolbar Buttons

Toolbar Button	Name	Description
	Edit Ranges	Enables edit ranges mode; same button is found in
		the Keys toolbar.
	Position Ranges	Enables position ranges mode
	Recouple Ranges	Used to line up the keys with the range
	Exclude Left End Point	Leaves the left end point out of the current time block
	Exclude Right End Point	Leaves the right end point out of the current time
		block

Controller and Key panes

Below the menus (and below the topped docked toolbars) are two panes. The left pane, called the Controller pane, presents a hierarchical list of all the tracks. The right pane is called the Key pane, and it displays the time range, keys, or function curves, depending on the layout. You can pan the Controller pane by clicking and dragging on a blank section of the pane: The cursor changes to a hand to indicate when you can pan the pane.

Each track can include several subtracks. To display these subtracks, click the plus sign (+) to the left of the track name. To collapse a track, click the minus sign (–). You can also use the Settings menu to Auto Expand a selected hierarchy. Under the Settings Auto Expand menu are options for Selected Objects Only, Transforms, XYZ Components, Base Objects, Modifiers, Materials, and Children. For example, if the Auto Expand Transforms options is enabled, then the Transform tracks for all objects is automatically expanded in the Track View. Using these settings can enable you to quickly find the track you’re looking for.

The Settings Auto Select Animated toggle automatically selects all tracks that are animated. You can also auto select Position, Rotation, and/or Scale tracks. The Settings Auto Scroll menu command can be set for Selected and/or Objects tracks. This command automatically moves either the Selected tracks or the Objects track to the top of the Controller pane.

Note	You can also select, expand, and collapse tracks using the right-click pop-up quadmenu.

The Controller pane includes many different types of tracks. By default, every scene includes the following tracks: World, Sound, Video Post, Global Tracks, Raytrace Engine Globals, Environment, Render Effects, Render Elements, Renderer, Global Shadow Parameters, Scene Materials, Medit Materials (for materials in the Material Editor), and Objects, as shown in Figure 33-3.

Chapter 33 Working with the Track View 827

Figure 33-3: Several tracks are available by default.

The Shift, Ctrl, and Alt keys make selecting and deselecting multiple tracks possible. To select a contiguous range of tracks, select a single track and then select another track while holding down the Shift key. This selects the two tracks and all tracks in between. Hold down the Ctrl key while selecting tracks to select multiple tracks that are not contiguous. The Alt key removes selected items from the selection set.

Below the right pane is the Time Ruler, which displays the current time as specified in the Time Configuration dialog box. The current frame is marked with a light blue time bar. This time bar is linked to the Time Slider, and moving one updates the other automatically.

At the top right of the Key pane (above the vertical scroll bar) is a split tab that you can use to split the Controller and Key pane into two separate views, as shown in Figure 33-4. Using this feature, you can look at two different sections of the tree at the same time. This makes it easy to copy and paste keys between different tracks.

Tip	You can drag the Time Ruler vertically in the right pane.

Figure 33-4: Drag the tab above the vertical scroll tab to split the Track View into two views.

828 Part VII Animation

Lower interface toolbars

At the bottom edge of the Track View window are three toolbars that appear by default. These toolbars include the Track Selection, Key Stats, and Navigation. Using these toolbars, you can locate specific tracks, see information on the various keys, and navigate the interface.

In the Track Selection toolbar is the Zoom Selected Object button and the Select by Name field, in which you can type a name to locate any tracks with that name.

Note In the Select by Name field you can also use wildcard characters such as * (asterisk) and ? (question mark) to find several tracks.

The Key Stats toolbar includes Key Time and Value Display fields that display the current time and value. You can enter values in these fields to change the value for the current time. You can also enter an expression in these fields in which the variable n equals the key time or value. For example, to specify a key value that is 20 frames from the current frame, enter n + 20 (where you supply the current value in place of n). You can also include any function valid for the Expression controller, such as sin( ) or log( ). Click the Show Selected Key Stats button to display the key value in the Key pane.

Cross-	Chapter 32, “Using the Expression Controller” presents the functions that are part of the
Reference	Expression controller.

Table 33-8 describes the buttons found in the lower interface toolbars consisting of the Track Selection, Key Stats, and Navigation toolbars.

Table 33-8: Track Selection, Key Stats, and Navigation Toolbar Buttons

Status Bar Button Name	Description
Zoom Selected Object	Places current selection at the top of the
	hierarchy
Show Selected Key Statistics	Displays the frame number and values next to
	each key
Pan	Pans the view
Zoom Horizontal Extents, Zoom	Displays the entire horizontal track or keys
Horizontal Extents Keys
Zoom Value Extents	Displays the entire vertical track
Zoom, Zoom Time, Zoom Values	Zooms in and out of the view
Zoom Region	Zooms within a region selected by dragging
	the mouse