9

Using Auto Key Mode 279
key is also created at time 0 to hold the parameter’s
original value.
Keysarenotcreatedattime0untilyoucreateat
least one key at another time. After that, you can
move, delete, and re-create keys at time 0.
TurningAutoKeyonhasthefollowingeffect:
• The A uto Key button, the time slider and
the b order of the active viewport turn red to
indicate you are in animation mode.
• Keys are created whenever you transform an
object or change an anim atable parameter.
• The time slider sets the time where keys are
created.
To begin a nima ting an obj ect:
1.
Click Auto Key to turn it on.
2. Dragthetimeslidertoatimeotherthan0.
3. Do one of the following:
•Transformanobject.
• Changeananimatableparameter.
For example, if you have a cylinder that has not
been animated yet, it
has no keys. If you turn on
Auto Key, and at frame 20 you rotate the cylinder
90 degrees about its Y axis, rotation k eys are
created at frames 0
and 20. The key at frame 0
stores the original orientation of the cylinder,
while the key at frame 20 stores the animated
orientation of 90
degrees. When you play the
animation, the cylinder rotates 90 degrees about
its Y axis over 20 fr ames.
Modeling Without Animating
Just as you can an
imate at any t i me by turning
Auto Key on, you can also model at a ny ti me in
your animation without creating animation keys.
The results of c
hanging an object or any other
parameters with Auto Key off varies according to
whether or not the object or parameters have b een
animated yet.
• If you create a new object, or change an object
parameter that has not been animated yet, you
can work at any time with Auto Key off. The
changes you make are constant through the
entire animation.
For example, you might animate an object
bouncing around your scene and then decide
to create pads for the object to land on. To do
that, you drag the time slider to a time when t he
bouncing object hits the ground, and make sure
Auto Key is off before you proceed. You can
then create a pad under the bouncing object
and repeat the process at the next time where it
hits the ground. Because Auto Key was off, it
doesnotmatteratwhattimethepadobjects
were created. They remain inanimate through
theentireanimation.
• If you change an object or parameter that is
already a nimated, w h ile Auto Key is off, the
amount of change is applied equally across all
the animation keys.
For example, you might animate a sphere’s
radius to be 15 at frame 0, 30 at f rame 10, and
50 at frame 20. If you d r ag the time slider to
frame 10, turn Auto Key off, and increase the
sphere’s r adius from 30 to 40, the change in the
radius is applied to the other two keys as well.
Because you increased the radius by 10 units
withAutoKeyoff,allradiuskeysareincreased
by 10 units. The sphere’s radius is now 25 at
frame 0, 40 at f rame 10, and 60 at f r ame 20.
If Auto Key had been on when you changed the
radius, it would have b e en an animated change
appliedonlytothekeyatframe10.
Identifying What Can B e Animated
Because most parameters in 3ds Max can be
animated, the easiest way to find out if something