Datasheet

Figure 1.5 shows a box. The X-, Y-, and Z-axes of the box are displayed in the center
of the box and align with the axes of the home grid (which shows the World Space axes)
displayed in the lower-left corner of the window.
When the box in the scene is rotated, Max retains them as Local space instead of substi-
tuting its own axes. The X-axis of the box does not change. Now the Local axis and the
World Space axis are not aligned. This is a very good feature because it allows you to manip-
ulate the box based on its original Local axes.
Basic Animation Concepts
A wealth of information regarding animation concepts and techniques is available on the
Internet. There are tons of books out there that also teach the basics of animation. In this
very brief section, you will be exposed to a few important concepts behind animation.
These concepts will help you better understand what you’re doing in 3ds Max.
Frames, Keyframes, and In-Betweens
Animation is based on change over time; so you need a unit of measure for time. In ani-
mation, time is almost always expressed in frames. One frame is a single rendered image
in an animation, or a single drawing in a traditional animation. Frame also refers to a
single unit of time in your animation. The exact length of that time depends on the final
frame rate at which the animation will be played back. For example, at film rate (24fps),
a single frame will last 1⁄24 of a second. At NTSC video rate (30fps), that same frame will
last 1⁄30 of a second. Therefore, a video based output will require more frames for the
same amount of time as would a film.
Keyframes (or keys) are points at which the animator cre-
ates a pose for a character (or whatever is being animated).
A keyframe, in CG terms, is a frame in which a pose, a posi-
tion, or some other parameter’s value has been saved in time.
Animation is when the object travels or changes between
keyframes. Because the change happens between keys, these
frames are called in-between frames. The computer extrapo-
lates what needs to happen to get the object from its state
in keyframe 1 to its state in keyframe 2. You will have plenty
to keyframe in the coming chapters of this book.
In 3ds Max, a keyframe can be set on almost any parame-
ter of an object, such as its color, position, or size. In reality,
you can set several keyframes on any one frame in CG ani-
mation. Figure 1.6 illustrates a keyframe sequence.
24 ■ chapter 1: Basic Concepts
Figure 1.5
The Object space of
the box aligns with
the World Space.
84943c01.qxd 12/4/07 3:21 PM Page 24