Animation - Animating with Blender: How to Create Short Animations from Start to Finish - page 195

using Shift-left mouse button to build the selection, and pressing Ctrl-Shift-G to create a channel group.
The new group's name can be changed by hovering the mouse over the existing group name, pressing the
N key (which is the generic “properties” key command throughout Blender), and typing a new name into
the pop-up that appears. Figure 11.13 shows a name being assigned to a new bone channel group.

NOTE
All of these commands are available from the Channel > Grouping menu on the Action Editor
header.

When groups are created, they can be rearranged by left mouse
button selecting the group header and using Shift-PageUp and
Shift-PageDown to shuffl e them. Individual channels that are
not part of any groups can also be arranged like this, but Groups
will always sit above nongrouped channels.

Channel groups can be used to conveniently select several bones
at once. When animating, you will fi nd that you need to set a key
on, for example, all of the arm bones on a particular frame. Ctrl-
Shift-right mouse button clicking on a Group name
in the Action Editor selects all of that Group's bones in
the 3D view.

Figure 11.13 N key panel for naming groups

Finally, Groups can be collapsed and expanded by click-
ing on the triangle to the left of their name. Putting the
bone channels for each limb into their own groups, facial
controls into another, and “miscellaneous” bones into yet
another group can really clean up the Action Editor for
you, making your job as an animator much easier. Figure
11.14 demonstrates an Action Editor that is only showing
the bones for the right arm. All other groups are collapsed.

With all that under your belt, we return to animation where
you have created an initial pose. How to proceed? There
are several methods, each having strengths and weaknesses.

Straight Ahead Animation

Figure 11.14 A decluttered Action Editor

The “Straight Ahead” method is used heavily in the stop motion animation industry. Each pose and motion is
built in full detail, going forward in the timeline. In the case of the Beast throwing the ball from the previous
section, straight ahead animation would require you to fi rst create a full pose in the anticipation phase. Then you
would create a pose midway between anticipation and the start of the throw, building in the proper overlap