Key Properties

Key Time

This key is located on the current time in the animation.

Lock Time

Use this setting to lock a key at a specific location so it cannot be moved horizontally, neither in Key mode nor in F-Curve mode.

Key Value [-10000000..10000000]

This is the scale value saved within the key. This can represent a position, the brightness of a light, an option’s activated or deactivated state or one of a thousand other properties that can be animated.

Lock Value

Use this setting to lock a key’s value to prevent it from inadvertently being changed.

Interpolation

These are the three interpolation types. They are also displayed in each key in Key mode (the keys must be scaled large enough for the icons to be visible).

Use this menu to define how the interpolation between the active key and the next key should be calculated. The following options are available:

• Spline: This is the most common type when creating realistic animations in which objects accelerate and decelerate.
• Linear: The change in value will remain constant.
• Step: No interpolation will take place. A key value will remain unchanged until the next key is reached, at which point the value will jump to the next value. This option is good for on / off animations in which the jump to another value is intentional.
  
  

Mute

Muting a key has the following effect:

No changes will take place up to the muted key. However no animation or interpolation will take place between (after) this key and the next key. There will simply be no values defined within this range. A change in value from an alternate source, such as an Expression (Vibrate tag) for example, can be implemented within this range.

Auto Tangents

This tangent mode has predefined values and should only be applied in conjunction with the Spline interpolation type. Auto Tangents automatically sets tangent length and angle to a soft interpolation. The tangents will run horizontally from the first key to the last key.

Jerky movements can, for the most part, be prevented using Auto Tangents. However overshooting may occur.

Overshoot between two keys with the same value.

Overshoot can be prevented using the following setting.

Clamp

Applying the Clamp setting can prevent overshoot between keys with the same value and minimum / maximum. Top: Initial state. Bottom: With Clamp applied. .

This special setting lets you prevent overshoot in soft interpolations Auto Tangents between keys with the same value. Normally overshoot is not critical, although it can be bothersome at times. For example, if an animated foot should not sink into the floor when it steps.

Clamp replaces the soft interpolation between 2 keys (this setting must be activated for both keys) with the same value with a linear interpolation. If the value of one of these keys should later be changed, Clamp will no longer apply and the normal interpolation will take place.

In addition, local Maxima and Minima (keys whose neighboring keys to the left and right are larger or smaller), as well as a track’s first and last keys will be assigned horizontal tangents

Left Time
Right Time
Left Value [-10000000..10000000]
Right Value [-10000000..10000000]

This is where the tangent handle coordinates, from the key outward, are displayed. In most cases it will not be necessary to manually make any changes. It is much easier to edit the tangents interactively in the F-Curve mode. As a reminder: The following keys can be used when editing tangents (SHIFT also works in conjunction with CTRL and ALT):

• SHIFT: Tangents will be broken; left and right tangents can be edited separately.
• CTRL: Only the tangent length can be edited.
• ALT: Only the tangent’s angle can be edited.
  The effects of using these keys can be limited by opposing settings (e.g. applying the CTRL-key will not override the Lock Tangent Length option).
  
  

Zero Angle

Left to right: Initial state; Zero Angle activated; Zero Length activated.

Use this setting to make the tangent horizontal. In contrast to what is defined in the key itself, the animation will not attain greater or lesser values in close proximity to the key.

Lock Tangent Angles

Use this setting to lock a tangent’s ascension. The animation velocity in the vicinity of the key will remain constant.

A tangent’s handles will be marked with a colored edge and only its length can be edited. The CTRL-key can be pressed while editing a tangent’s handles in order to maintain a constant angle.

Zero Length

Activating this setting will set the tangent length to 0 (results in a kink in the curve in the example above). When applied to two consecutive keys a linear interpolation between the two will result.

Lock Tangent Lengths

Lock Tangent Lengths

Activate this setting to lock a tangent’s length. Only the tangent’s rotation can be changed. The ALT-key can be pressed while pulling a tangent’s handles in order to temporarily maintain a constant length.

Break Tangents

Activating this setting will let you edit the left and right tangents independently of one another. The tangent’s handles will change from a triangular shape to a disc shape.

Using broken tangents will result in a “jerky” motion.