Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
decreasing how much the ball passes through the ground with every landing until it
rests on top of the ground plane. Open the Graph Editor for a peek into the ball's ani-
mation curves (see Figure 8.4). (Choose Window
➔
Animation Editors
➔
Graph Editor.)
Figure 8.4
The Graph Editor
curves for the ball's
translate node
By holding down the Shift key as you pressed W in step 2, you set a keyframe for
Translate. Likewise, you can keyframe Rotation and Scale. Here's a summary of the key-
strokes for setting keyframes:
Shift+W
Sets a keyframe for the selection's position in all three axes at the current time
Shift+E
Sets a keyframe for the selection's rotation in all three axes at the current time
Shift+R
Sets a keyframe for the selection's scale in all three axes at the current time
You'll resume this exercise after a look at the Graph Editor.
The Graph Editor
The Graph Editor is a critical tool for an animator. You provide most of an animation's
finesse through work in this window. As a matter of fact, you can animate a number of
objects solely through this window. (See Chapter 3, “The Maya 2011 Interface,” for an
introduction to the Graph Editor.) Using its graph view of where in space and time each
keyframe lies, you can conveniently control your animation. Move a keyframe in time to
the right, for example, to slow the action. Move the same keyframe to the left in time to
speed up the action.
Reading the Curves in the Graph Editor
Understanding what animation curves do in the Graph Editor is crucial to getting your
animation right. Using the Graph Editor to
read animation curves
, you can judge an
object's direction, speed, acceleration, and timing.
