8

Parameter Collector 135
To conclude this exercise, you’ll use Parameter
Collector to set and edit animation keyframes.
23. On the Collection menu, turn on Show Keys In
Track Bar if necessary.
24. On the 3ds Max status bar, turn on
Auto Key .
25. ChangetheSphereYLoc.(theoldYPosition)
parameter value to 20.0.
Becauseyou’reatframe0,nokeyisset.Thisis
thesamewayAutoKeyworksnormally.
26. Go to frame 20 and then set Sphere Y Loc. to
30.0.
This sets animation keys at frames 0 and 20.
27. Right-click the key at frame 20.
The menu shows that a key exists at frame 20
only for Y Position. Normally, 3ds Max would
create keys for all three axes, even if you moved
thesphereonlyononeaxis.
Parameter Collector can set keys for unselected
objectsaswell.
28. Click in an empty area of the active viewport
to deselect the sphere, and then go to frame 30
and change the Sphere Y Loc. value to 40.0.
This sets another key for Y Position at fr ame 30.
29. In Parameter Collector, select the X
Position and Z Position parameters, and then
click Key S elected.
This button is available only when Auto Key is
on.
30. Checkthetrackbarkeyagain.Nowthereare
keys for all three p arameters, as demonstrated
by the red brackets on the spinners in Parameter
Collector.
31. Click the Properties button to the right of
theSphereYLoc.parameter.
This opens a
Key Info dialog (page 2–299) for
the parameter, with the ability to edit the key
time and value as well as interpolation with
other keys. The dialog is a lso available from
the track bar right-click menu, but it’s much
easier to access the data for a specific key from
Parameter Collector .
Interf ace
Parameter Collector takes the form of a dialog with
a menu bar, a toolbar, and rollouts that you create
and modify using the dialog tools. You can resize
the dialog horizontally and vertically; expanding it
lets yo u see all rollouts simultaneously.
Menu Bar
The menu bar provides a range of functions
forusingParameterCollector. See
Parameter
Collector Menu Bar (page 1–137)
for details.