I’ve been using C4D since R11, and there are many many things I like about it, especially compared to Lightwave (which I’d used for over 10 years). One thing I GREATLY dislike about C4D is the way Autokeyframing is implemented. Maybe I’m doing it wrong, but as far as I can tell it’s an all or nothing proposition. When Autokeyframing is on then EVERY single parameter with a dot next to it gets a keyframe if I change a value after frame 0. And when it’s off, nothing is automatically keyframed.
This is WAY overkill. To me, After Effects handles this perfectly. You set an initial keyframe with the stopwatch, and any changes made to the layer after that generates a keyframe. Any parameter that does not have that initial keyframe will not have a keyframe created when changed. SImple.
In a typical scene I might have 50-100 objects, and of those there might be five or six elements I want to Autokeyframe. I generally always want to Autokeyframe a camera and target object. Let’s say I’m animating my scene, moving my camera and target around with Autokeyframe on. I’m on frame 60. I then go to a light and move that a bit. Oops, I now have two keyframes set for the light, one at frame 0 (where the light originally was before I moved it) and another at frame 60 (where I’ve just moved it). So I delete those tracks, and turn OFF Autokeyframing to position other elements. I do some other stuff. I want to animate the camera again, so I turn Autokeyframe back on and move my camera somewhere on frame 90. I then select a null. I want to change the Display Type from the default dot to a diamond. I select diamond. Boom. I now have keyframes for Display Type at 0 and 90 for my null. So I delete that track, turn Autokeyframe off, and resume work.
Any tool you have to turn on and off over and over again doesn’t seem very efficient. Again, maybe I’m missing something really obvious.
Maybe something like keyframe selections would do what I want, but I haven’t found a good explanation of what they do. And I have no idea what the “Parameter” button does.
Any way to ease my frustrations would be appreciated.
For objects, you place them on a Selection Object -List and chose this list for the “Auto-keying” function. Only the objects in the list will receive autokey-frames. I can’t remember when this function was the first time available, but certainly in r8. You find the option to select the “list” by clicking in the “?” sign.
If you have checked the Parameter Button, and you are in Auto-Key mode, and change of a single parameter will result in a keyframe for that parameter.
If you click on anything (right mouse click) you get immediately to the help content. Inside of the text you get further links for context information, like Keyframe-selection. Doing that with the “?” results in this text:
Parameter
When in this mode, in conjunction with Key Selections, only the selected parameters will be applied when recording key-frames. This works both in the Auto-keying mode as well as when recording key-frames manually (Record Active Objects).
Overdub
If a key should already exist at the present time the existing key’s interpolation type will be retained for the newly created key (only the Key value will be overwritten).
EDIT: NEVERMIND, I JUST FIGURED OUT YOU HAVE TO CLICK THE ? BUTTON TO SPECIFY THAT SELECTION OBJECT FOR KEYFRAMING. THAT SAID, IT WOULD BE SWELL IF THERE WAS AN OPTION FOR C4D TO BEHAVE LIKE AFTER EFFECTS IN THIS RESPECT. I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE ADVANTAGES OF THIS APPROACH.
Thanks for the reply.
I use the right click help function ALL the time. Given that, I still don’t understand what the Parameter function does.
And back to Selection Objects. I finally found where that lived and I’ve added my camera and target to that list. How do I restrict Auto-keying to just that Selection Object? I’m looking at the Help for Selection Object, and it ain’t helping. It says you can do it, but it doesn’t say how.
This is typical of my frustration with the manual. It gives a lot of “what” but not “how”.
I made a test scene with a camera, target, cube and light. The camera and target are in a Selection Object. Autokey is on. I set a keyframe for the camera at frame 0. I go to frame 60. I move the camera, a keyframe is recorded, as expected. I move the cube, and keyframes are generated on frames 0 and 60. No help. I change the intensity of the light. Keyframes are recorded on frames 0 and 60.
Hehe, I avoid suggesting the Manual, and more often than not, it comes back to me anyway… in form of a question. Sorry. I normally don’t do that. However I placed it neutrally in a second post, just as hint.
Shawn,
If you have produced a selection object, please name these wisely, as the name shows up in the red-dot with the (?) question mark. You pick then the one you like to have. Note that these objects are not only produced by calling it up while objects are active, you can drag into this list many things, and delete as well.
In the moment the Parameter is active (P) any parameter that you change will produce a key. If you like to have that only for a few parameter of an object, select these parameter and then RMC (right mouse click) fly out menu>Animation> the lowest three entries manage the Keyframe selections. What ever is inside of that selection will record keyframes, anything else will not, even manually. (You need to clear the selection if…) Note that the Parameter Selection includes PSR!
Thanks for the replies, but I’m still having problems.
I’ve created a selection object, renamed it Cam and dropped my camera and target objects into the list. I clicked the ? button and have selected Cam. Auto keying is activated.
So I move my camera and target around the scene, and keyframes are created as expected. I select some other objects in the scene and move them around, and no keyframes are created. GOOD.
HOWEVER.
I’m on frame 60. I edit the radius of a sphere object in the scene. BOOM. Keyframes created for the radius at frames 0 and 60.
Not good. Would using the Parameter function prevent that?
You need to go out of that mode (Selection Object ->Cam) if you like to focus on other objects in your scene.
That any auto function creates two keyframes at different times for the same event is not correct—please get in contact with the support —if that is the case—> as you said (“I’m on frame 60. I edit the radius of a sphere object in the scene. BOOM. Keyframes created for the radius at frames 0 and 60.”).
Before submitting this issue to support it might be helpful to determine whether what I’m experiencing is actually normal behavior.
In the attached scene I’ve created a Selection Object called “CAM” and dropped a Camera and Target null into it.
I’ve added a sphere to the scene.
Autokeyframing is on, and I’ve checked the “CAM” selection object under the question mark (?).
I’ve set keyframes for the Camera and Target at frames 0 and 30.
If I go to frame 30, select the Sphere and move it around in the viewport using the object handles keyframes are NOT generated.
If, on frame 30, I change the radius of this parametric sphere using the handle in the viewport keyframes are NOT generated.
However, as soon as I go to the Attributes manager and scrub the radius value keyframes ARE set on frames 0 and 30, even though the Sphere is NOT in the Selection Object. The dot next to the parameter changes from grey to red.
If I scrub the X position in the Attributes manager keyframes ARE set on frames 0 and 30, even though the Sphere is NOT in the Selection Object. The dots next to the XYZ values change from grey to red.
Is this the way it works for everyone, or just me?
So I guess my question is are changes made in the Attributes manager not subject to the autokeyframing restrictions of the selection object?
The idea—so far I understand it—is, that one might change objects in the editor view with no intentions (hence the limitations via Selections), especially the camera, and avoid keyframes then. On the other hand, to get to Attribute Manager parameters, one made presumably an intentional change and like to have keyframes of course. So it is not restricted.
Besides that, as you can set (right mouse click on parameter) in the animation menu, individual or group based keyframe selection for this specific object. I guess to keep things fairly clear, these “Attribute Manager Keyframe Selections” do not overlap with the “Timeline Keyframe Selection”. In that way you can even here, protect parameters from getting Keyframes.
As I wrote at the head of this thread, to me, any tool that you constantly have to activate, then deactivate, then reactivate, then deactivate, isn’t a very efficient tool. Why does the software assume that when I’m changing a parameter in the Attributes manager I want to keyframe it? 9 out of 10 times when I’m changing a value in the Attributes manager I’m setting it once or tweaking it; I’m NOT keyframing it. But with Autokeyframing activated anything I touch in the Attributes manager after frame 0 generates two keyframes. How is this a good approach to key framing? How often have you wanted to animate the display shape of a null? How about keyframing whether a sphere is Render Perfect or not? This seems like WAY overkill to me. Why is this, essentially, an all or nothing approach a good thing?
How hard would it be to write a script or bit of software code so that only tracks that already have one or more keyframes will add subsequent keyframes automatically when that parameter is changed? You change a parameter on something. Anything animatable. The script looks to see whether there’s already a keyframe on that track. If there’s already a keyframe a new keyframe will be added at the frame you’re on. If there’s no existing keyframe on the track a new keyframe will NOT be created. I know nothing about programming, but that seems really simple to me.
Or if that’s too hard, what about restricting Autokeyframing to specific global parameters? Make it so you can specify, for instance, that only changes in position will autokeyframe. Any other parameter you adjust, whether in the viewport or in the Attributes manager, won’t add a keyframe unless you set it manually.
I guess I’ll submit these ideas as a feature request.
You should make your input. I can imagine of course that some people would like that. Overlapping options lead to frustration based on a conflicting logic, etc., so far I can tell, teaching this app since roughly nine years and using it since 1996.
I nearly never use auto keying. I like to have the least amount of keys. This delivers the most power of each key. I work with F-Curves to get what I need. In short: What I try to say—every animator needs or like it differently.
This is an area for the suggestion form which you find on MAXON’s website. I like to discuss solutions based on the options and functions given in the application.
I just posted this suggestion. It could be a toggle in the Preferences that can be turned off if one wants to use this all or nothing approach.
I’d suggested several years ago that there should be an option to sync up the orthographic views (yes, like in Lightwave), and that feature was added in R13 as a preference you could toggle on and off.
As I wrote at the head, about the only things I autokeyframe are the camera and its target. I typically will have the target selected as I option-drag or option-scroll the camera to move it around. With autokeyframing off what would happen is that I would manually record a keyframe, but because I have the target selected it gets the keyframe, not the camera.
I will then go into the timeline and adjust the F-curves to create smooth motion.
Great! Input/Suggestions are always welcome, so far I can tell. Having your ideas for a while now in my thoughts, I could think of a little check-box in the “Basic” panel of every object, that sets everything to “auto/non auto” key framing for that object only. In that way, you specify an object in an easy way, but also keep it clear what is set and what is not, based on the check box. Just a though.
Good luck with your input.
Something is “ringing” in my head about the “GRIP” scripts with cameras, where Rick has provided for example an option to keyframe just the current view (it must not be the active object of the camera! Just the current view.).
