8

554 Chapter 12: Animation
• Copy modifiers between objects.
Unlike pasting other items, modifiers do not
replace the highlighted item when you click P aste.
Instead, the pasted modifier is inserted above the
selected item.
M aking I ns ta nce and R efer ence
Cont roll ers and Obj ects Uni que
You can convert instanced and referenced objects
into unique objects by clicking Make Controller
Unique on the Track View toolbar or by choosing
Make U nique on the Controller menu. The result
of clicking Make Unique depends on how the
object was instanced or refer enced, and which
object container you select in the Hierarchy list.
When you make an instance or reference object,
you cause the data flow to branch on its way from
the m aster object to two or more named objects.
• In Track View, these branches usually occur at
Modified Object containers and sometimes at
thebaseObjectcontainer.
• In Track View, instances and r eferences ar e
displayedinboldface.
• In the modifier stack, these branches display as
a horizontal line, called a
derived object line.
For descriptions of object data flow and instance
objects, see
Understanding Object Data Flow
(page 1–480)
.
You can make an object unique by selec t ing a
Modified Object or an Object container and
clicking Make Unique on the Track View toolbar.
Your result depends on whether or not the data
flow branches at the selected container.
• If the data flow does not branch anywhere
below the selected container, nothing happens.
• If the data flow does branch at or below the
selected container , the data flow above the
branch is split from the current data flow as a
unique object. The data flow from the selected
container to the master object is copied and
attached to the new unique object.
Making a Selection of Multiple I nstances
Unique
If you select multiple objects that are instances of
each other, or share instanced modifiers, you can
choose how to make them unique. After you click
Make Unique, the Make Unique dialog appears,
w ith the question, “Do you want to make the
selected items unique with respect to each other?”
•ClickYestomakeeachobjectintheselection
completely unique.
• Click No to leave the objects in the select ion as
instances, but to make them unique from other
objects not in the selection.
Curve Editor
Curve Editor Overview
Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Op e n ) > Highlight animated
tracks. > Curves are displayed in Key Wind ow.
Graph Editor s > Track View - Curve Editor > Highlight
animated tracks. > Curves appear in Key window.
Right-click any animated object. > Curve Editor > Curves
appear in Key window.
The Curve Editor displays animation as func tion
curves, charting the controllers’ changes of value
over time.