Module 2: Basic Tools and Techniques of Animation in Maya

SESSION 1: TIMELINE AND KEY

 The timeline is where the bulk of the animation process takes place.
 This is where you control the speed at which a movie element moves, when
it enters and exits the scene, and its depth, or stacking order, in relation to
other elements in the scene.
 Here you are able to set animation keys, scrub through the animation, and
change the range of time in your animation.
 Notice the four boxes that comprise the Range Info, The two outer
boxes(with values 1.00 and 48.00) are the start and end of your timeline.

Keys
 Keys store a value at a given time in animation.
 This time is measured in frames.
 Most animations have 24 frames in a second
 A key frame is basically a marker used to specify an object's position and
attributes at given point in time.
 To set a keyframe on the ball at the current frame, select the ball and go to
Animate→Set Key(or just hit s key in keyboard)

What is Auto Key?

Auto Key, found beneath the Playback Controls, automatically sets keys on attributes every
time you change the current time and attribute value. To Turn on Auto Key in the
Playback Options. When Auto Key is active, the button is highlighted red.
 Explain the importance of key line along with an example in autodesk maya
The key line in Autodesk Maya is an essential concept for controlling animation and timing. It
refers to the timeline markers that indicate when keyframes have been set for an object’s
properties, such as position, rotation, or scale. These keyframes define the start and end
points of an animation sequence and allow Maya to interpolate motion between them
Example:
Animating a bouncing ball in Maya:
1. Frame 1: Set a keyframe for the ball at its initial position on the ground.
2. Frame 10: Set a keyframe for the ball at its highest point in the air.
3. Frame 20: Set another keyframe for the ball returning to the ground.
The key line now shows keyframes at 1, 10, and 20. Maya interpolates the motion between
these points to create a bouncing effect.

Session 2: KeyFrames

 frame is the basic unit of measurement

 Each frame is played back in rapid succession to provide the illusion of

motion.

To set beginning and ending key frames

 Click the rewind button to go to the start of the playback range.

 This change the current frame to 1.

 Select the ball, then select Animate > Set Key. (Keyboard shortcut: s )
 Keyframes define "start" and "end" positions for an object and the computer
fills in the rest.

 To set an individual key, right click the property in the channel box and
select "Key Selected".

 When an object is selected, every frame that contains Key information for
that object will have a red bar in it.

 to display the scene with Panels > Layouts > Four Panes, only the active
panel would show the ball moving.

 To preview the animation at the smooth production speed (or nearly so), use
Window >Playblast.
Q. What is keyframe?

Maya uses “key frames” for animation (weal so refer to the min short as “keys”). A key
frame is basically a marker used to specify an object’s position and attributes at a given
point in time.
To set a keyframe on the ball at the current frame, select the ball and go to
Animate→SetKey (or just hits).
Q. Differentiated between the following:
1. Translate and rotate :
Translate refers to moving an object from one location to another in 3D space. Short
cut key (W)
Rotate refers to turning or spinning an object around a pivot point in 3D space. Short
cut key (E)
Difference: Translate changes the object's position in space, while Rotate alters its
orientation.

2. Scale and colour

Scale refers to resizing an object along the X, Y, or Z axes or uniformly in all
directions. Shortcut (R)
 Scale refers to the object's visual appearance through its material or texture properties,
like hue, saturation, and brightness.
Difference: Scale alters the object's physical dimensions, while Color modifies its
appearance without changing its geometry

Fill in the blanks

1. Maya creates motion between the positions. By default, animation plays in a loop
from frame 1 to _72_____.
2. Key frames define”____Start_______“ and “end” positions for an object and the
computer fills in the rest.
3. If you want to preview the animation at the smooth production speed (or nearly
so), use Window> ___play bast
4. Pressing S will set all the attributes of a particular object. If you would like to set
an individual key, right click the property in the channel box and select “Key selected

Session 3: Graphic Editor

 It displays all information about the selected object in graph format.
 To move around in the graph editor, Zoom: (Scroll the middle-mouse
button ) Pan: (Command+Middle-mouse button ) F: (Focus in on the
currently selected keyframes)

To edit animation curves using the Graph Editor

 select Window > Animation Editors > Graph Editor.

 The column of numbers at the left represents attribute values that can be
animated, while the row of numbers at the bottom represents time (frame)
values
 The small black squares on the curves represent points where you’ve setkeys.
 Shift-Select only the Translate X and Translate Y attributes in the left
column of the Graph Editor.
 To centre the display of the animation curves,select View>Frame Selection
(in the Graph Editor window).
 The green curve represents Translate Y, while the red represents Translate X.
The colour of each curve matches its attribute name.
 The Graph Editor’s usefulness lies in the fact that you can edit the shape of
the animation curves to edit the animation of any keyed attribute.
 adding a deformer to the ball to create the "squash and stretch"
 To do this, select "Animation" from the menu drop down, go to Create
Deformer > Nonlinear > Squash.

Fill in the blanks

1. The Graph Edit or displays several _animation___ curves, one for each keyed
attribute of the ball.
2. The Graph Editor’s usefulness lies in the fact that you can _____edit_______
curves to edit the animation of any keyed attribute. the shape of the animation.
3. To create a sharp bounce, you can edit the curve so that the
_____transition___________from decreasing to increasing values is abrupt at
frame50.
Q. Differentiated between the following:
1. Tangent line and secant line
A tangent line touches a curve at a single point without crossing it, representing the
instantaneous rate of change (slope) of the curve at that point.
Eg: In the Graph Editor, the tangent handles of a curve define the direction and slope of
the animation interpolation at a keyframe
A secant line intersects a curve at two or more points, representing the average rate of
change between those points.
Eg: A secant line could represent the overall change between two keyframes,
disregarding intermediate interpolations.
2. Tangent and slope to a tangent
A tangent refers to the handles on keyframes in the Graph Editor, which control the
interpolation (ease-in, ease-out, or linear movement) between animation points.
Example: A tangent set to "Flat" creates a smooth transition at the keyframe, while a
tangent set to "Linear" creates a straight, constant rate of change.
The slope of a tangent refers to the angle or steepness of the tangent handle in the Graph
Editor, which affects the rate of change at the keyframe.
 Example: A steeper slope results in a faster rate of change, while a gentler slope results in
slower movement.
Q. What is Graph Editor?
The Graph Editor in Autodesk Maya is a powerful animation tool used to visualize and
manipulate the motion of objects over time through animation curves. These curves
represent changes in an object's properties (such as position, rotation, scale, or custom
attributes) across keyframes.

Session 4: Creating a Bouncing Ball

Q. Steps to Set Keyframes for a Bouncing Ball:
1. Prepare the Scene
1. Open Maya and create a sphere to represent the ball.
 Go to Create > Polygon Primitives > Sphere
2. Create a ground plane as a reference for the bounce.
 Go to Create > Polygon Primitives > Plane.

2. Position the Ball

 Use the Move Tool (W) to position the ball above the plane

3. Set the First Keyframe

1. Move the Time Slider to Frame 1.
2. Ensure the ball is at its starting height
3. Set a keyframe for the ball’s position:
 Select the ball.
 Right-click on the Translate Y attribute in the Channel Box or
simply press S to key all transforms (Translate, Rotate, Scale).

4. Set the Next Keyframe (Ground Contact)

1. Move the Time Slider to Frame 10.
2. Move the ball down to the ground level
3. Press S to set a keyframe.

5. Set the Third Keyframe (Peak Bounce)

1. Move the Time Slider to Frame 20.
2. Move the ball back up to a slightly lower height than the initial
3. Press S to set a keyframe.

6. Repeat for Additional Bounces

1. Repeat the process, reducing the peak height for each bounce .
2. Keyframe examples:
 o Frame 30: Y = 0 (ground contact).
o Frame 40: Y = 6 (second bounce peak).
o Frame 50: Y = 0, and so on.

7. Smooth the Motion Using the Graph Editor

1. Open the Graph Editor (Window > Animation Editors > Graph Editor).
2. Select the Translate Y curve of the ball.
3. Adjust the tangents for smoother motion:
o Set Tangents to Linear for the ground contact points (sharp bounce).
o Set Tangents to Auto or manually adjust the curves for smoother
arcs.

8. Test the Animation

Press Play (Shortcut: Alt + V or Spacebar on Time Slider).

Fill in the blanks

1. Tangent angle of the low position can be changed by __left_clicking the bottom point
and selecting the “Break Tangent” button.
2. To create the “squash and stretch” attribute, adding a deformer to the ball is to be done.
To do this, select “Animation” from the menu drop down, go to Create Deformer>
__nonlinear__ > Squash.
3. Now that we parented the deformer, we can see in the channel editor that
the ”_squash__“ input is now available by clicking “Squash”.
4. If you select ”Factor___“ you can play with the deformer in perspective view by
moving the mouse while holding the middle-mouse-button. In the first position, we
know that the ball will be (for the most part) a perfect sphere. At the initial frame
position, we should right-click”_Factor___“ and click “Key Selected”.

Creating Cameras

Create > Cameras > Camera

There are three types of perspective cameras in Maya

Camera
see only the camera icon
Camera and Aim
This camera includes a camera target and an aim handle for adjusting the
camera target.

In addition,this camera automatically stays level in relation to the horizon, so

it is the one you will use most often

Camera, Aim and Up

This camera type includes two handles: the aim handle, described for Camera
and Aim, and an up handle for banking (leveling) the camera.
Example:
Imagine you're animating a drone flying around a tree.
 The aim handle is used to keep the camera always focused on the tree, no matter
where the drone moves.
 The up handle lets you tilt the camera to create a "banking" effect, like the drone
is tilting as it circles the tree.
Without the up handle, the camera would only follow the target but wouldn’t tilt, making
the shot feel less dynamic. With both handles, you can add more dramatic motion!

imagine you're riding a bike on a winding road.

 As you turn left or right, you lean the bike, and the horizon tilts slightly in your
view.
 But no matter how much you lean, your eyes stay focused on the road ahead.
In this case:
 The aim handle keeps your focus on the road.
 The up handle tilts the camera to mimic the leaning motion of the bike, creating a realistic effect.

Camera Attributes

A camera’s attributes describe various properties of the camera, including angle

of view, focal length, and depth of field.
Select View > Camera Attribute Editor to adjust the Focal Length and Angle of
View.
1. Angle of View & Focal Length: Adjusts perspective. A wider angle
of view shortens the focal length, creating more exaggerated
perspectives.

2. Camera Scale: Changes the camera size relative to the scene. For
example, reducing scale to 0.5 shrinks the view but makes objects
appear larger.

3. Clip Planes: Defines which objects appear in the scene. Adjust the
Near Clip Plane to fix objects cutting off and the Far Clip Plane to
show distant objects.
Example: If the Near Clip is set to 1 unit, anything closer than 1 unit
to the camera will not appear.
Example: If the Far Clip is set to 1000 units, anything farther than
1000 units will not appear

4. Depth of Field (DOF): Blurs objects not in focus for a cinematic

effect. Example: Blurring the background in a portrait.

5. Background Color: Sets the background color or image for renders.

6. Orthographic Views
o 2D views of 3D objects (e.g., front, side, or top).

o Useful for technical designs ready for manufacturing.

o Two types: First Angle Projection (plan view below front) and
Third Angle Projection (plan view above front).
o Example: Creating flat views for texture projection.
7. Path Animation
o Animates objects along a predefined curve (path).
o Commonly used for objects like trains, boats, or cameras with smooth
motion.
o Example: Moving a car along a curved road without manually setting
multiple key frames.

ANIMATING THE CAMERA

 Animate > Motion Paths > Attach to Motion Path

Start Time
 Specifies the start time of the motion path animation. Only available when
Start or Start/End in Time Range is on.

End Time
Specifies the end time of the motion path animation. Only available when
Start/End in Time Range is on.

Parametric Length
 Specifies the method Maya uses to position an object as it moves along a
curve.
 There are two methods: the parametric space method and the parametric
length method.

Parametric space method

 The markers represent positions in the U-parameter space of the curve.
 If the path animation for the cone is created with the parametric space
method, the cone moves quickly from the first to the second CV,then slowly
through the second to fourth CV, then quickly again from the fourth to fifth
CV.
Parametric length method
 the markers represent positions as a percentage of the total curve length.
 The parametric length method is also known as the “fraction mode” method
because the evaluation of the path is based on a fraction of the length of the
path curve.
 If the path animation for the cone is created with the parametric length
method, the cone will move evenly along the curve from times 1 to 30.

Follow
If on, Maya computes the object’s orientation as it moves along the curve. It is
on by default.

Maya aligns the object’s local axes with the front vector and the up vector so
that it knows how the object
should be pointing upwards and frontwards as it moves along the curve.

the front vector aligns with the tangent to the curve, pointing in the direction
of movement.

The up vector is perpendicular to the tangent, but you must still tell Maya which
perpendicular direction from the tangent is the up direction that you want.

To perform world up vector, three options available

WorldUpType
WorldUp Vector
World Up Object

World Up Vector
It specifies the direction of the world up vector relative to the scene’s world
space.

World Up Object
specify the world up object as a locator that you can rotate as needed to
prevent any sudden flipping problems as the object moves along the curve.

Inverse Up
If this option is on, Up Axis tries to align itself with the inverse of up vector.

Inverse Front
Reverses the frontwards direction an object is pointing along the curve.

Bank
Banking means the object will lean in towards the centre of the curvature of the
curve that it travels along (like a motor cycle going around a corner).

Bank Scale
If you increase the Bank Scale, then the banking effects will be more
pronounced.

Bank Limit
The Bank Limit lets you restrict the amount of leaning.
Note
You can enter a negative number for BankScale. This will cause the object to
lean out, away from the centre of the curvature of the curve, rather than in
towards the curvature.

To view the object’s local axes select the object and select Display >
Transformation Display > Local Rotation Axes.

Normal
Normals are imaginary lines perpendicular to each point on a curve or surface.

normals are used to determine the orientation of a polygon face (face normals ),

how the edges of faces will visually appear in relation to each other when
shaded (vertex normals ).