Using the Animation Mixer for Shape Animation
Once you have created shape keys, you can use the animation mixer to sequence and mix them. This lets you easily move shape clips around in a nonlinear way and change the weighting between two or more clips where they overlap.
In the animation mixer, shape keys are applied as clips on shape tracks in exactly the same way that actions are applied as clips on animation tracks. You can add shape tracks, create clips from shape keys, move clips, copy clips, transition between clips, and weight clips. For more information about working in the animation mixer generally, see The Animation Mixer [Nonlinear Animation].
The difference between shape and action clips is that shape clips do not actually contain animation (they are like static poses). This is why creating transitions between them and weighting them against each other can create smoother and more complex shape animation than is possible with the shape keys set at different frames.
Once you have created shape keys, you can use the animation mixer to sequence and mix them as shape clips. This lets you easily move shape clips around in a nonlinear way and change the weighting between two or more clips where they overlap.
The first step to using shape keys in the mixer is to add them as shape clips to a shape track. If you stored and applied shape keys or selected shape keys, this is automatically done for you.
Once you have added shape clips to the animation mixer, you can use any of the mixer’s features to move, reorder, copy, scale, trim, and blend them.
Adding Shape Clips to the Mixer
The first step to using shape keys in the mixer is to add them as shape clips to a shape track. If you stored and applied shape keys, selected shape keys, or applied shape keys to an object, this is automatically done for you.
However, if you stored shape keys or selected shape keys without having Apply Selected Shape Keys active, you have to do this manually.
To add a shape clip to the animation mixer
1. Make sure that the correct model is open in the animation mixer.
If you have not already done so, open the animation mixer in a viewport or floating window. Select the model and click the Update icon on the mixer’s command bar.
2. If you want to add the clip to a new track, first create a new track by right-clicking any existing track and choosing Add Track > Shape (or press Shift+s).
To mix (overlap) clips, put each clip on a separate track and make sure that the part you want to mix overlaps with another clip.
3. Do one of the following to create a shape clip:
- Right-click over the location on the track where you want the clip to start and choose Insert Source. Select one of the model’s shape keys from the pop-up explorer.
or
- Drag a shape key from the model’s Mixer > Sources > Shapes folder in the explorer onto a location on the track.
or
- Right-click where you want to load a shape preset and choose Load Source From File. Use the browser that opens to select a saved shape preset with the *.preset extension and click OK (see Copying Shape Keys between Models or Scenes with Presets for more information).
A shape clip is created, representing an instance of the shape key.
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You can also drag and drop shape sources from one model’s mixer to another, but the models’ geometries (number and type of components) must match. If the geometries don’t match, a connection map opens in which you can map the appropriate clusters. See Sharing Shape Animation between Objects, Models, and Scenes for more information. |
Working with Shapes in the Mixer
Once you have added shape clips to the animation mixer, you can use any of the mixer’s features to move, reorder, copy, extrapolate, scale, trim, and blend them. For more information about using the mixer in general, see The Animation Mixer [Nonlinear Animation].
For example, you can:
• Create sequence of shapes by creating clips one after another using transitions to help smooth the spaces between them. For information on transitions, see Creating Transitions between Clips.
• Rearrange the order of the shape clips and duplicate them to repeat a certain shape.
• Composite shapes by creating compound clips for different clusters on the same frames of different tracks. For example, one compound clip could drive the eyebrow of a character while another clip drives the mouth. See Weighting with Compound Clips for more information.
• Mix shapes that drive the same points or cluster by adjusting their clip weights and setting keys or other animation. There are even preset weights you can use for quick weighting effects, such as ease-in and ease-out, oscillation, etc. For information on this, see Mixing the Shapes’ Weights.
If you want to mix the clip weights in additive mode (such as for mixing different clusters on the same object, like eyebrow and mouth shapes on a face), see Normalized or Additive Weighting for more information. Additive mode keeps the cluster shapes from being blended together.
Scaling or Trimming Shape Clips
You can change the length of each clip (scale it) to what you want by dragging the middle of either of the clip’s edges so that an orange square appears. Press Shift+click to multi-select clips and scale them.
Although you can scale a shape clip like any other clip, be aware that scaling is different from trimming (changing the source’s in and out values). Scaling a clip scales the weight curve along with the clip, but trimming the in/out points crops the clip independently of the weight curves.
For more information, see Scaling Clips and Trimming (Cropping) Clips.
You can rename shape clips in the same way as other elements in the explorer. See Renaming Scene Elements in the Explorer [Interface and Tools].
You’ll find the shape clips in the model’s Mixer > Tracks > Shape > Mixer_Shape_Track > Clip list > shape clip name folder.
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To open this path quickly, select the shape clip in the mixer and then (with the mouse pointer in the explorer) press the e (isolate) or f (frame) key. |
When you change the name in the explorer, you’ll see the clip in the mixer update to reflect this.
Deleting a shape clip removes that instance from the animation mixer, but does not affect its shape key source. This is useful if you applied a shape key at the wrong frame.
• Click the shape clip (or compound shape clip) and press Delete.
or
• Right-click a clip and choose Delete.
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