9

Working with Transitions 617
Transitions ex tending into areas where clips don’t overlap can
create unpredictable results.
For the be st results, make sure all your transitions
cover only areas where two clips overlap
completely.
To aid in making your transitions as smooth as
possible, you c an selec t tr ansit ions and use the
Transitions menu > Optimize option. This feature
searches the two clips to find the start and end
time that will result in the smoothest transition,
and adjusts the transition accordingly.
If you want to snap the ends of a transition to
theendsofclips,turnonSnapClipsontheMotion
Mixer toolbar before dragging the transition edges.
When you move or scale a clip on a transition
track, by default its transitions are also move d or
scaled. To prevent transitions from changing when
you move or scale a clip, turn on Lock Transitions
on the Motion Mixer toolbar.
Using Tra nsition Br ack ets
On a transition track, transition brackets appear
around each transition, and at the start or end of
each clip that is not surrounded by a transition.
Transition brackets
When you load a clip onto a transition track where
clips already exist, the clip creates a transition
between the last clip on the track and the new clip.
Thetransitioniscreatedatthelocationofthelast
clip’s transition bracket.
You can move a transition bracket to create the
transition automatically exactly where you want it
before loading the next clip. This feature can make
it very quick and easy to load a long series of clips
into a transition track with correct transitions.
Wor k i ng with Foot-B ased Tra nsiti ons
Much like Motion Flow, transitions in the Mixer
between foot-based motion clips (clips where IK
constraints keep the feet planted at various times)
must b e carefully placed and adjusted to ma ke
the animation look as natural as p ossible. The
workflow depends on whether you are animating
a biped, or 3ds Maxobjects such as a rig ged
character.
Foot-Based Tran sitions with Biped
For the most natural transitions between
foot-based motions, follow this workflow:
1. Find a good place to start and end the
transition.