Learning Maya

Lesson 21 - Setting keys on animated attributes while preserving F-curve



Our Animation.



Lets focus on one curve.



Here we selected Rotate X, Lets say we want to add key for whatever reason, to move up or down.



Go to channel box and on the rotate X, right click and say 'Key Selected', Notice we got the key but it has its own tangentcy because of the default In and Out Tangent (Default in Animation Preference Option).

What we want here is the key but should not disturb our F-curve.

So lets UNDO the movement.



Lets see what happens when we apply 'Hold Current Keys' tool.

NOTE: It does'nt matter what attribute you have selected in the Graph outliner because its going to set a key on all Animated attributes of your selected objects.



Select the Main control in the Graph Outliner and go to Animate > Hold Current Keys.



Notice we have keys on our F-Curves on all Animated Attributes.
Notice tangency flows with out F-curve. We don't get any Discontinuity in the F-curve.

Let try something else..



Lets focus on Rotate X, and select the key and go to Curve > Weighted Tangents and Keys > Free Tangent Weight and Keys > Break Tangents.



Once we got everything, now select the right side of the handle and Hold 'Shift' + 'Middle mouse' and drag, and now go to channel box and set the key in the same way what we did before just to check what happens.



If we goahead and add key from the channel box by selecting Rotate X and right click 'Key Selected'.

Notice some abrupt type of pattern we get from doing so, whats happening here is our free tangent weight is interfering the key we just set by default.

And we don't want this to happen.

so lets UNDO and try 'Hold Current Keys'.



Go to Animate > Hold Current Keys, Notice its not only preserve our F-Curve but notice that we are still able to have that key there to be able to freely move around.