3ds Max® 2009 Bible

Chapter 20. Understanding Animation and Keyframe Basics

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Controlling time

• Using the animation mode buttons to create keys

• Using the Track Bar

• Viewing and editing key values

• Using the Motion panel and trajectories

• Enabling ghosting

• Setting animation preferences

• Animating materials

• Creating previews

Max can be used to create some really amazing images, but I bet more of you go to the movies than go to see images in a museum. The difference is in seeing moving images versus static images.

In this chapter, I start discussing what is probably one of the main reasons you decided to learn 3ds Max in the first place—animation. Max includes many different features to create animations. This chapter covers the easiest and most basic of these features—keyframe animation.

Along the way, you'll examine all the various controls that are used to create, edit, and control animation keys, including the Time Controls, the Track Bar, and the Motion panel. Keyframes can be used to animate object transformations, but they also can be used to animate other parameters such as materials. If you get finished with this chapter in time, you may have time to watch a movie.

Using the Time Controls

Before jumping into animation, you need to understand the controls that make it possible. These controls collectively are called the Time Controls and can be found on the lower interface bar between the key controls and the Viewport Navigation Controls. The Time Controls also include the Time Slider found directly ...