[question] keyframe shortcuts?
 

i'm working on this animation which style-wise is like a video game. the hero walks through rooms, and punches bad guys. i want to have it so every punch is the same, just as if it was from a game.
is there a way to easily repeat keyframes? like if i keyframe the hero's joints to perform a "punch" action. if he has to punch several times throughout the animation, what's the best way to repeat the punch action?
i know copying and pasting the frames will work, or even only having one "punch" action and changing the camera so it appears to be different, but is there a shortcut like a blend shape action, or using character sets to more easily assign and repeat actions?

You could use set driven keys in order to do this. Create a locator and use that as the driver. You could even add some attributes to it like "punch_soft", "punch_hard". Then load your joints that control the arm as the driven. Then just set your keys for the min and max of the punch, parent the locator to the chracter and there yah go.

Not much experience this, but I think you can create "poses" which can be referenced when you need them.

do you think you could elaborate, shayder? i've been using maya for over a year now, but i have no experience with making locators or set driven keys. i opened the set driven keys window, and i see you can load a driver and a driven. so driver would be the locator, and driven would be the effected joints, right?

also would it be one locator for each move, like 1 for punch, 1 for kick, etc?

thanks for your help.

You can copy and paste keyframes in the Graph Editor (Window > Animation Editors)

Go under the create menu and select make locator. Select the locator and under the modify menu select add attribute.

Type in the attributes name ie: Punch_hard

Data type: float

att type: scalar

Numeric att. prop:
minumum: whatever you lik I use -10
Max: 10

Default: 0

hit add

close.

Then open up the Set driven keys options. with the loactor selected hit driver UNDER THE LOCATOR ATTRIBUTES IN THE RIGHT HAND WINDOW SELECT THE Punch_hard ATTRIBUTE.

Then shift select the joints you want to be animated. hit driven.

(MAKE SURE YOU HIGHLIGHT ALL THE JOINTS IN THE LEFT WINDOW AND THEN THE ROATES AND TRANSLATES IN THE RIGHT HAND SIDE AS WELL.)

With the locator selected make sure you set the Punch_hard at one of the settings. chose default 0. Do this in the channel box. Then move the driven joints into their default (resting) position "
With the locator selected make sure you set the Punch_hard at one of the settings. chose default 0. Do this in the channel box. Then move the driven joints into their default (resting) position

In the driven window highlight whatever you need to, all the rotates and translates, etc.

Then hit key.

Highlight the locator again and set the punch_hard setting to 10.

Move the joints to their final hard punch position. (end of the punch) hit key.

Repeat for the -10 position except that arm will be drawn back, ready to punch. set the keys;

You may have to set a 5 and a -5 key as well, just as the joints are in their halfway position.

Once you are done with this all you have to do is select the locator and mmb drag over the Punch_hard channel box to see the arm move. You can then parent the locator to the skeleton so it stays close by.

Set driven keys are pretty usefull when you get the hang of them. You can use any keayable attribute as the driven you could eventie the punch into the locators translate channels so the arm punches depend on the translation of the locator.

awesome, thanks for the walkthrough, that makes sense now. i'll have a go at it and see if i can't get it to work.

I just read through my post, I missed a step.



"Then open up the Set driven keys options. with the loactor selected hit driver I FORGOT THIS STEP- UNDER THE LOCATOR ATTRIBUTES IN THE RIGHT HAND WINDOW SELECT THE Punch_hard ATTRIBUTE.

Then shift select the joints you want to be animated. hit driven.
(MAKE SURE YOU HIGHLIGHT ALL THE JOINTS IN THE LEFT WINDOW AND THEN THE ROATES AND TRANSLATES IN THE RIGHT HAND SIDE AS WELL.)

With the locator selected make sure you set the Punch_hard at one of the settings. chose default 0. Do this in the channel box. Then move the driven joints into their default (resting) position "


I edited the earlier post with this info to make it easier to understand.

Sorry for the missed step. That's what you get for staying up too late i guess. I hope this works for you!