3D Studio Max Lesson 1.4: Animation Tools Overview

Animation Key Frames and Playback

• Animation Mode: When you click on Animate, any changes that you make to your current frame will cause a key to be created for the objects that you change. This is how you set markers for 3DSMax to create animation; set one point of motion in your first key frame, set another point in your next, and 3DSMax will fill in the frames between the points. If you make changes without the Animate button selected the changes will automatically apply to frame 0.
• Go to Start: Rewinds your animation to the first frame.
• Previous Frame: Rewinds your animation by one frame from the current.
• Play Animation: The default state plays your animation in the selected view; when you click it, it turns into a stop/pause button until the animation ends or you stop it. The alternate state only plays animations for any selected objects.
• Next Frame: Advances your animation by one frame from the current.
• Go to End: Advances your animation to the last frame in the sequence.
• Key Mode: When this button is selected clicking the “previous” and “next” buttons will jump you between key frames.
• Frame Dialogue: Displays the number of your current frame. Entering a frame number will let you jump to that frame.
• Time Configuration: Opens the time configuration dialogue, which lets you set options like frame rate and the number of frames in your sequence

• Animation Tools
• Animation Timeline
• Selection Options, Absolute Transformations, Shortcut and Degradation Overrides
• Snap Options/Tools
• Animation Key Frames and Playback
• Zoom/Display Tools
• View Control Tools