Who Auto-Keys?

[chepe297]

Hi there

I am using 3DS MAX 4.0 and I have never came across auto key before. Which application are you using?

Can you please tell me a bit about how auto key works? What are the pros and cons of auto key compared to manual key framing?

Thanks Kricket.

[Kricket]

I know you can turn Auto-Key off/on in Softimage|XSI, Lightwave 7.5 and Messiah:Animate. I dont know if it's in MAX or Maya.

Basically when auto-key is off what happens is when you move, roate or scale an object, the object isnt keyframed until you hit a "Make Keyframe" button. So you could pose your character in a really weird way.. if you like it, key it. If you don't like it, move the slider and *poof* it's gone.

Classmates of mine using XSI like to keep it off, that way when they rotate or move an object they can decide to key in 1, 2 or all 3 axis.. makes things neater. I leave it on cuz I always forget to hit the key button. Just curious as to what other animators do. I'm looking for more pros/cons myself.

Turning it off is really nice when rigging tho.. Thats about the only time I turn it off. Move your characters limbs to test deformation without setting any keys.

[Rudity]

I dont use auto key. Ticks me off.

Maya has it though, its the little button with a key on it in the bottom right.
Max has it as well.
its the huge button labaled animate.. (I think, its been a while)

Here's a tip to stop the "snapping" back to position for you in XSI.
Instead of sliding with the LMB use the RMB and then slide.
It will keep its position. (but not update either)
This is good for copying a single frame or deciding half way through a pose you want it 2 frames later.
eg.
Set your key, then RMB 5 frames later and set a key. Now theres two of the same keys, 5 frames apart.

I use this method In maya, its just MMB instead of RMB. :)

Later
Rudity

[Ibanezhead]

Auto Key in Max is just the animate button... I do both in Max and Maya, depending on the situation...

Vic

[bentllama]

I love it. Keep it on 24/7.

[MosaFacku]

:surprised



i hate auto key. i dont animate with the mindset that every time i move there character a little bit, thats where its keyed. i like to experiment with different poses. move this here, that there, see how it looks, maybe key it, maybe not.

[MrSolo]

I loved to.

It is easy if you KNOW that is turned ON.

[AWAKE]

I love autokey. ---It works smarter in maya than in XSI though. unless there is a setting I missed.

Yeah. autokey forever....

[StefanA]

I never use AutoKey. I like to manually set my keys, and I don't have to worry about my software doing things I didn't tell it to do :)

best regards

.stefan andersson

[Hugh]

I find I get much more annoyed when I find I've been setting keys all over the place that I didn't want, than I do when I have to press another key to set a keyframe...

[18th_Devil]

i don't really use it much...even though i should when i'm using FK

being trained in classical animation i'm used to key posing and keying them off manually.

[nottoshabi]

Well I have to say I like to use both I like auto key, but I also like to set maual keys. The difference between auto and manual is that auto sets keys only on the axis that u move, wich is good or bad. But what I like to do is make a script that selects all the locators that manupulates the character. Put it in the shelf, and then set the character in the posses that I need or just start animating. And every time I get ready to set a key I select the script and then I set a key. This way the all of the locators get a key at every movement, this gets rid of all foot sllidings and unwanted movements that sometimes happens when forgeting to set a key to something before u move it. All of this gets done with the auto key off, when I get ready to tweek the animation I turn the auto key on and start tweeking. Its more efficient this way for me cause I dont have to jump back and forth from the work area to the graph editor, and with the auto key on I know that it sets keys only on the axis that I move insted of seting keys on all of them wich can get pretty messy sometimes in the graph editor. I recomend this way of working, its a little getting used to but its really ease once u get used to it and fast. Ohh yeah I use Maya.

[kishchris]

i cant stay without autokey, as i tend to forget to press set key,

[verti]

cinema4d also has this function... but i dont use it much...

v.

[lricho]

Depends on how lazy or pressed for time i am. I actually quite like both methods :shrug:

[thesaint]

i use it when i animate with Maya, which is not very often these days. It helps me keep the pace and energy level up.

It seems to me that auto key a great way to forget about the software and get down to the business of animation.

However, it does create a lot of clean up for the tweening, which is always a pain.

All in all, i leave it on.

[LucentDreams]

not sure how to vote on this their really should be a BOTH option :) I auto key, more in the scene planning blocking stages, when I'm more worried about placement than the actual pose and timing. Once I'm tightening the poses and doing the details I find it easier to set manual keyframes, and prevent screwups.

[FKMaster]

i cant live without autotkey ! using in lightwave, messiah and maya........

[Matt Leishman]

I hate autokey!! (probably because I can be stupid at times and can't remember that I've got it on and i'm setting keys all over the place and don't know it)

but i still hate it, manual keyframing FOREVER!!!:)

[jadamburke]

Remembering to press the set-key button becomes second nature once you wean yourself off the autokey for a month or so. Don't be scared.

[CuTnPaste]

I've worked with automatic keyfr and not.....well...I think this only a matter of practicality....

..I don't think really that one of these methods is the best...


bye

CuTnPaste

[Maya Ayanami]

I have never done any complex animations before so i never really use the autokey function.

but what happens if you are at a frame that you already keyed and accidentally move some stuff and compleatly screws it up.

but forgetting to key would be equally if not a bigger problem

[keithlango]

I like my roast beef sandwiches to have lots of horseradish and I like my keys manually set.

To me Autokey is like soggy cereal. Sure it's more convenient because you don't have to chew it, but..... ewww.

But hey, some folks dig it.
-k

[bentllama]

I AUTO-KEY [but I also manually set keys too sometimes]

For me I can liken auto-key to 2D animation. In 2D when I draw a key that is it...that IS the key...until I go back and re-draw another one...;)

Manual setting of keys is more like stop-motion...you set the pose then click the shutter [or key it in 3d]



Auto-Key, at least for myself, promotes confidence in what you are animating...

(kind of like the old Shamus Culhane technique of not using your eraser in 2d animation [see Shamus Culhane: From Script to Screen] :))

[Grayscale]

I'm not a big fan of the auto key. I'm more of a manual keyer. I guess I was taught that most of the time, the auto key can be the "DEVIL"..so i've avoided it like the plague. But I believe that animating is all personal preference. Just like Pose-to-Pose or Straight Forward animating. I animating with Straight Forward...I will need to do some pose-to-pose soon though. So..there you have it.

[XD-0608-U]

Gotta say I leave the auto key on and manually press the set key button anyway. That way each frame is like a drawering :) like bentllama said.

:beer:

-XD

[ronny]

i used to manually set keys, but about a year ago i started auto keying, and now i can't live without it.

by the way, does anyone know how to set up hotkeys to manually key specific channels in maya? for instance, i know shift+w sets a key for Tx, Ty, and Tz, but what if i just want to key one of those?

ok i'm an idiot. i guess i do both auto keying and manual keying then. autokeying in the viewport, manual keying in the graph editor.

ronny

[nottoshabi]

Ronny if you use auto key, the auto should only key the axis that you move or rotate, another way is to selected and right click and select key selected in the channel. Hope that answers your question, but theres no way to auto that.

[ronny]

yeah, i knew about selecting from the channel box, right clicking, and keying selected, but i was wondering if there was a way to do that with the keyboard...

i'm all about hot keys...

[bentllama]

Originally posted by ronny
yeah, i knew about selecting from the channel box, right clicking, and keying selected, but i was wondering if there was a way to do that with the keyboard...

thats what MEL is for... ;)

easy script... ;)

[ronny]

man... i didn't even think of that. thanks!

[jadamburke]

Incase anyone doesn't know these things,

in maya, you should remove all attributes that you don't wish to key from the channel bar. You do this by going to Windows->General Editors->Channel Control and removing any attributes you don't want keyable. That way when you hit the "s" key it will only set keys on the attributes you want to animate.

You can also set translation keys only by pressing shift + w
rotation keys by pressing shift+e and scale keys by pressing shift+r

[eek]

In max i auto-key the first basic poses i.e body,head,etc just to get me started.Then f-curve the rest. In maya,xsi i just f-curve the lot, i read it like a book virtually now.

eek

[The Cross]

I never tried auto key's before....It does sound like fun all of a sudden, so i think i'll take a poke at it.

[jHromika]

I key my frames manually, but I throw everything on a character set, so I still end up with a lot of clean up. As long as it works though, I'm happy :thumbsup:

Heheh, and I hope you don't mind Keith, your line relating auto keys to soggy cereal was great. I've been looking for a good line like that to use in my sig for a while :)

[asparapani]

I auto key in XSI. I find it quicker to lay down my blocking....I turn it off of course while I'm refining my anims...:bounce:

[cwispy]

I used to always manually key stuff when I was working with Maya. Now that I animate in Max I ALWAYS auto key *shrug* just something you get used to working with. Going back to maya I find I'm using the autokey and its not bothering me anymore.

[MilitantPenguin]

I used to Auto Key back in my max days, but since switching to maya for school and reading Keith Langos key framing tut i'm hooked on auto key

thatnx for that tut btw Keith, its helped me out loads

[Wigaru Wiyamoto]

First pass of animation I set my poses and hit 's' while using character sets. This makes editing the key poses and timing incredibly quick and easy. Second time around I'll focus on arcs, timing, and all that good stuff by offsetting keys and manually setting new ones or auto-keying. So I guess "both." :)

Oh, a helpful thing in Maya, shift-w keys all the transform attributes, shift-e keys rotate, and etc. Can be useful sometimes.

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.