Working with Keys - Revision history

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Created page with "center Keys are the basic building blocks of animation in Terragen 2. This chapter helps you understand what animation keys are and how to work wit..."

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Keys are the basic building blocks of animation in Terragen 2. This chapter helps you understand what animation keys are and how to work with them.

For a hands-on example of creating an animation and working with keys please read [[Creating a Simple Animation-Part One|this tutorial]].

===What are keys?===

Keys are specific points in an animation which you set. When you want to animate a parameter you will typically add at least a start key and end key. When your render an animation the value of the parameter will then be animated between the start key and the end key. You don't need add keys at every frame. Terragen 2 calculates the values in between each key using a process called "interpolation". You can find out more about interpolation in the chapter on [[Interpreting Curves in the Curve Editor|interpreting curves in the Curve Editor]].

Keys are really a combination of two values. The first value is the frame the key is set on. You can also think of this as the time. The second value is the value of the param at the frame the key is on.

===Creating keys===
There are two ways to create keys. The first is to use the animation button for a parameter. The other is to insert them using the editors in the [[Animation Panel]] such as the [[Curve Editor]] and the [[Dope Sheet]].

It's important to note that to get a parameter to show in the Animation Panel you first need to set a key on it using the animation button for the parameter. That being the case we'll discuss the animation buttons first.

Every parameter which can be animated has an animation button. When you click the button a menu pops up which lets you choose from several things. One is "Set animation key". This has a submenu which lets you set a key on the parameter or, if the parameter has multiple components, on the different components. When you set a key on a parameter a new key is created at the current frame. The current frame is the one the [[Main Window Timeline|timeline]] at the bottom of the main window is set to.

You can tell a parameter has a key set on it because any editable text for the parameter will change colour. The text will be green if there is a key set at the current frame. For frames with no key the text will be blue.

Most animation will need at least two keys to be useful. You can set another key on the parameter by changing the current frame and then setting a key at the new frame.

Although it's certainly possible to create animations using only animation buttons it's a lot easier if you use the Animation Panel. The editors in the Animation Panel let you insert keys visually. As mentioned above you do need to set at least one key on a parameter before it will show up in the Animation Panel. There is a tutorial on creating animations using the Curve Editor [[Creating a Simple Animation-Part Two|here]]. It's also worth reading the [[Animation Panel|Animation Panel reference]].

===Editing keys===

===Metakeys===

When you use the Dope Sheet you may notice that some of the keys are drawn as yellow diamonds instead of white ones. These yellow keys are special keys called metakeys. You will only see metakeys for parameters which have multiple components (i.e. vectors or colours). You will also only see metakeys in rows in the Dope Sheet for parameter level items in the node list.

A metakey is like a summary. If you look at the image below you will see that every frame there is a metakey there is one or more normal keys below it at the same frame. Metakeys are helpful for giving you an overview of the animation without having to expand a param to show all its components.

Metakeys allow you manipulate more than one key at once. When you select a metakey it also selects all the normal keys below it. Any operation you perform on the metakey will also happen to the normal keys at that frame. Looking at the image above you will see that there are keys for each of the R, G and B components of the Colour param at frame 5. If you select the metakey at frame 5 you can move all of those keys at once, instead of having to select all the normal keys and move them or move them individually. You could also delete all the keys at frame 5 by selecting the meta key at frame 5 and then deleting it.

You don't need to insert metakeys yourself. The Dope Sheet automatically inserts them when you insert a normal key. However you can insert a metakey just like a normal key. When you insert a key in a parameter level row a metakey is inserted and a normal key is inserted at that frame for every component of the parameter.

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:34, 23 July 2019
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−	~~[[file:work_in_progress.jpg\|center]]~~
−
	Keys are the basic building blocks of animation in Terragen 4. This chapter helps you understand what animation keys are and how to work with them.		Keys are the basic building blocks of animation in Terragen 4. This chapter helps you understand what animation keys are and how to work with them.

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:52, 17 July 2017
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−	[[Terragen 4 Animation ~~Function~~ Guide\|Back to the Animation Module Guide]]	+	[[Terragen 4 Animation Guide\|Back to the Animation Module Guide]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[file:work_in_progress.jpg|center]]
-Keys are the basic building blocks of animation in Terragen 2. This chapter helps you understand what animation keys are and how to work with them.
+Keys are the basic building blocks of animation in Terragen 4. This chapter helps you understand what animation keys are and how to work with them.
 For a hands-on example of creating an animation and working with keys please read [[Creating a Simple Animation-Part One|this tutorial]].
@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 ===What are keys?===
-Keys are specific points in an animation which you set. When you want to animate a parameter you will typically add at least a start key and end key. When your render an animation the value of the parameter will then be animated between the start key and the end key. You don't need add keys at every frame. Terragen 2 calculates the values in between each key using a process called "interpolation". You can find out more about interpolation in the chapter on [[Interpreting Curves in the Curve Editor|interpreting curves in the Curve Editor]].
+Keys are specific points in an animation which you set. When you want to animate a parameter you will typically add at least a start key and end key. When your render an animation the value of the parameter will then be animated between the start key and the end key. You don't need add keys at every frame. Terragen calculates the values in between each key using a process called "interpolation". You can find out more about interpolation in the chapter on [[Interpreting Curves in the Curve Editor|interpreting curves in the Curve Editor]].
 Keys are really a combination of two values. The first value is the frame the key is set on. You can also think of this as the time. The second value is the value of the parameter at the frame the key is on.
@@ Line 59: / Line 59: @@
-[[Terragen 2 Animation Module Guide|Back to the Animation Module Guide]]
+[[Terragen 4 Animation Function Guide|Back to the Animation Module Guide]]

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 ===Keys in the Animation Panel===
 Keys are shown in the Animation Panel editors as white diamonds. You can click a key to select it. Selected keys are coloured orange. Some keys are yellow diamonds. These are special keys called metakeys and are discussed further below.
 There are two editors in the Animation Panel. One is the [[Curve Editor]]. The Curve Editor allows you to edit both the frame and values of keys. The other editor is the [[Dope Sheet]]. The Dope Sheet only allows you to edit the frame of keys. Another way of looking at it is that the Dope Sheet allows you to edit the timing of keys. This is something you often need to do when animating, for example making something happen a bit sooner or happen over a longer timespan. The Dope Sheet specialises in changing timing and by only letting you change the frames of keys it helps to prevent accidental changes to the values of the keys.

@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 [[file:wwk_metakeys.jpg|center|Metakeys in the Dope Sheet]]
-Metakeys allow you manipulate more than one key at once. When you select a metakey it also selects all the normal keys below it. Any operation you perform on the metakey will also happen to the normal keys at that frame. Looking at the image above you will see that there are keys for each of the R, G and B components of the Colour param at frame 5. If you select the metakey at frame 5 you can move all of those keys at once, instead of having to select all the normal keys and move them or move them individually. You could also delete all the keys at frame 5 by selecting the meta key at frame 5 and then deleting it.
+Metakeys allow you manipulate more than one key at once. When you select a metakey it also selects all the normal keys below it. Any operation you perform on the metakey will also happen to the normal keys at that frame. Looking at the image above you will see that there are keys for each of the X and Y components of the Position param at frame 15. If you select the metakey at frame 15 you can move both of those keys at once, instead of having to select all the normal keys and move them or move them individually. You could also delete all the keys at frame 15 by selecting the meta key at frame 15 and then deleting it.
 You don't need to insert metakeys yourself. The Dope Sheet automatically inserts them when you insert a normal key. However you can insert a metakey just like a normal key. When you insert a key in a parameter level row a metakey is inserted and a normal key is inserted at that frame for every component of the parameter.

@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 A metakey is like a summary. If you look at the image below you will see that for every frame there is a metakey there is one or more normal keys below it at the same frame. Metakeys are helpful for giving you an overview of the animation without having to expand a param to show all its components.
-!!!IMAGE!!!
+[[file:wwk_metakeys.jpg|center|Metakeys in the Dope Sheet]]
 Metakeys allow you manipulate more than one key at once. When you select a metakey it also selects all the normal keys below it. Any operation you perform on the metakey will also happen to the normal keys at that frame. Looking at the image above you will see that there are keys for each of the R, G and B components of the Colour param at frame 5. If you select the metakey at frame 5 you can move all of those keys at once, instead of having to select all the normal keys and move them or move them individually. You could also delete all the keys at frame 5 by selecting the meta key at frame 5 and then deleting it.

@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 Keys are shown in the Animation Panel editors as white diamonds. You can click a key to select it. Selected keys are coloured orange. Some keys are yellow diamonds. These are special keys called metakeys and are discussed further below.
-There are two editors in the Animation Panel. One is the [[Curve Editor]]. The Curve Editor allows you to edit both the frame and values of keys. The other editor is the [[Dope Sheet]]. The Dope Sheet only allows you to edit the frame of keys. Another way of looking at it is the the Dope Sheet allows you to edit the timing of keys. This is something you often need to do when animating, for example making something happen a bit sooner or happen over a longer timespan. The Dope Sheet specialises in changing timing and by only letting you change the frames of keys it helps to prevent accidental changes to the values of the keys.
+There are two editors in the Animation Panel. One is the [[Curve Editor]]. The Curve Editor allows you to edit both the frame and values of keys. The other editor is the [[Dope Sheet]]. The Dope Sheet only allows you to edit the frame of keys. Another way of looking at it is that the Dope Sheet allows you to edit the timing of keys. This is something you often need to do when animating, for example making something happen a bit sooner or happen over a longer timespan. The Dope Sheet specialises in changing timing and by only letting you change the frames of keys it helps to prevent accidental changes to the values of the keys.
 In both editors you can click and drag keys to move or scale them. First select the keys either by clicking on them or drag selecting. Once the keys are selected you can manipulate them.

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:08, 5 March 2012
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	You don't need to insert metakeys yourself. The Dope Sheet automatically inserts them when you insert a normal key. However you can insert a metakey just like a normal key. When you insert a key in a parameter level row a metakey is inserted and a normal key is inserted at that frame for every component of the parameter.		You don't need to insert metakeys yourself. The Dope Sheet automatically inserts them when you insert a normal key. However you can insert a metakey just like a normal key. When you insert a key in a parameter level row a metakey is inserted and a normal key is inserted at that frame for every component of the parameter.
		+
		+
		+	[[Terragen 2 Animation Module Guide\|Back to the Animation Module Guide]]

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 Keys are specific points in an animation which you set. When you want to animate a parameter you will typically add at least a start key and end key. When your render an animation the value of the parameter will then be animated between the start key and the end key. You don't need add keys at every frame. Terragen 2 calculates the values in between each key using a process called "interpolation". You can find out more about interpolation in the chapter on [[Interpreting Curves in the Curve Editor|interpreting curves in the Curve Editor]].
-Keys are really a combination of two values. The first value is the frame the key is set on. You can also think of this as the time. The second value is the value of the param at the frame the key is on.
+Keys are really a combination of two values. The first value is the frame the key is set on. You can also think of this as the time. The second value is the value of the parameter at the frame the key is on.
 ===Creating keys===
@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 It's important to note that to get a parameter to show in the Animation Panel you first need to set a key on it using the animation button for the parameter. That being the case we'll discuss the animation buttons first.
-Every parameter which can be animated has an animation button. When you click the button a menu pops up which lets you choose from several things. One is "Set animation key". This has a submenu which lets you set a key on the parameter or, if the parameter has multiple components, on the different components. When you set a key on a parameter a new key is created at the current frame. The current frame is the one the [[Main Window Timeline|timeline]] at the bottom of the main window is set to.
+Every parameter which can be animated has an animation button. When you click the button a menu pops up which lets you choose from several things. One is "Set animation key". Choose that item to set a key. If the parameter has multiple components there will be a submenu which lets you choose to set a key on one or all of the components. When you set a key on a parameter a new key is created at the current frame. The current frame is the one the [[Main Window Timeline|timeline]] at the bottom of the main window is set to.
 You can tell a parameter has a key set on it because any editable text for the parameter will change colour. The text will be green if there is a key set at the current frame. For frames with no key the text will be blue.
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 ===Editing keys===
 ===Metakeys===
-When you use the Dope Sheet you may notice that some of the keys are drawn as yellow diamonds instead of white ones. These yellow keys are special keys called metakeys. You will only see metakeys for parameters which have multiple components (i.e. vectors or colours). You will also only see metakeys in rows in the Dope Sheet for parameter level items in the node list.
+A metakey is like a summary. If you look at the image below you will see that for every frame there is a metakey there is one or more normal keys below it at the same frame. Metakeys are helpful for giving you an overview of the animation without having to expand a param to show all its components.
-A metakey is like a summary. If you look at the image below you will see that every frame there is a metakey there is one or more normal keys below it at the same frame. Metakeys are helpful for giving you an overview of the animation without having to expand a param to show all its components.
+!!!IMAGE!!!
 Metakeys allow you manipulate more than one key at once. When you select a metakey it also selects all the normal keys below it. Any operation you perform on the metakey will also happen to the normal keys at that frame. Looking at the image above you will see that there are keys for each of the R, G and B components of the Colour param at frame 5. If you select the metakey at frame 5 you can move all of those keys at once, instead of having to select all the normal keys and move them or move them individually. You could also delete all the keys at frame 5 by selecting the meta key at frame 5 and then deleting it.
 You don't need to insert metakeys yourself. The Dope Sheet automatically inserts them when you insert a normal key. However you can insert a metakey just like a normal key. When you insert a key in a parameter level row a metakey is inserted and a normal key is inserted at that frame for every component of the parameter.