Offsetting keys in Maya...

[svenip]

sure. just drag select all the keys you wanna shift and shift them.

[Mangaka604]

no no...

I meant, say I want to just highlight one key, move it, and have the effect ripple down the timeline so all the other's get shifted also.

I don't want to have to highlight/select 350 frames worth of keys and shift it down...it's rather inefficent.

[svenip]

i don't really see the ineffeciency here. if you select one or 10000 keys doesn't really matter doesn't it !?!?

[sp0rk3d]

i think what mangaka is think about is called a "break down key" in maya... i forget exactly if you want to make the key you are trying to move a breakdown key or if you make the other keys break down but this will make the "ripple" effect in the dope sheet, graph editor, or whatever....
just set them back to regular keys after you are done :)

[Mangaka604]

svenip: Well, say I have Dopesheet open, and I have frames 10- 25 framed up. If I want to select all the keys, I have to frame my entire animation, then select all the keys, and then finally move it one frame. More steps = more time.

Spork: Thanks! I'll give it a try when I get home.

[goosh]

Mangaka.. what you want to do is a ripple effect right?

I can see what you would like to have it.. but honestly.. it wouldn't take you a heck of a lot more time to zoom out, select your frames and then shift them..

The thing is.. what if you don't what the keys to ripple? what if you just want to move some keys without the others moving?

I guess you could always write a script :)

Goosh

[stzaske]

Flash has a hotkey, I think F6 or F5, which will remove one frame from the selected layer and shift all of the keys one frame to the left. SHIFT-F5 does the opposite. It ADDS one frame and shifts all the keys to the right one frame.

I think this is what he is asking for, and I agree, it would be a nice hotkey.

-=STZ=-

[Mangaka604]

Goosh: I agree. It wouldn't take too much more time to select all the keys, but it's just a pain when I want to offset say, finger animation.

I use Soft3D at work and in the Dopesheet in Soft3D, there's a ripple option that you can toggle on and off. It's great.

Maybe there IS a script already. I'll have to dig...

Cheers.

[goosh]

Yeah.. I'm using Soft too :( that's why I knew what you were talking about..

still.. I have the ripple optioned turned off... then again... I never use the dopesheet in Soft.. I don't like it at all..

It's so nice to be working in Maya again :)

G

[sp0rk3d]

yeah i went and tried it and it is easy... not as easy as a ripple button but....
you select the keys that you want to ripple via dope sheet or graph editor then do
Keys > Convert to breakdown (the keys will turn from black to a blueish color)
now you can move the key before that and it will ripple to the breakdown keys....
to go bake to normal keys
Keys > convert to keys

an interesting note is that if you have a group of breakdown keys between to groups of regular keys the breakdown keys will scale evenly between either end key that you move...

well good luck :)

[Mangaka604]

Goosh: I see....I only use the Dopesheet for blocking out timing and offsetting. I'm just used to it I suppose...I honestly like working with both programs...they each have their strengths and weaknesses. Still, the interface in Maya is much nicer.

SpOrk3d: I just tried it. It's great! I haven't used Maya in awhile now so I'm sometimes hunting for something I could do in Soft.

Thanks a ton!
M604

[Tierackk]

I think that can be done in the TRAX EDITOR... umm you can read more about it in the help window in the TRAX EDITOR>help on Trax
check it out..could be it

[sp0rk3d]

Tierackk: yes you could do it in the trax editor but it would be more work ... the trax editor is a nonliniear editor in maya... you have to setup charater sets and and animation clips i think in order to make use of the trax editor....

[ronny]

just select all your animated objects, right click in the timeline, and go to keys->add/remove inbetween.

i use this a lot during blocking stages.

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