Learning the Basics in 3D Animation

There are two main ways of animating models in 3DS Max, these are using Auto Key and Set Key. Auto Key is very easy to use as all that is needed is to select the frame to add a part of the animation, the screen will have a red outline surrounding the view ports to highlight that auto key has been selected. It is important to observe if it has been selected as the object is tweaked and adjusted this may mean that instead of there being a permanent change, instead the change has been incorporated into the animation.

By following a couple of very easy steps an animation can be created, this is accomplished by first, selecting 'Auto Key' once the object has been selected. Move to the next frame that the next key frame will be held, adjust the object and then scrub the time line and observe the animation. The problem with auto key is that it tends to overstretch the model.

On the other hand, a more precise method is to use Set Key animation. This is accomplished by clicking on the object, press Set Key, which will then make the outlines of each of the view ports turn red, the same as Auto Key to highlight that animation is being used. Next, go to the next frame on the timeline and adjust the object and press Key. When the timeline is scrubbed, the animation can be observed.

To enable to use everything in animation, it is important to highlight the necessary filters, otherwise parts of the animation will not render correctly or be visible when scrubbing the timeline.

The curve editor is a very useful tool that will aid in adjusting the animation in set points and adjusting the strength of various parts of the animation. The side bar is set in a hierarchy that the objects used in the animation are all derived from World. World consists of different elements within the scene. It gives a graph that can then be adjusted at different points. Generally every 30 frames is equal to 1 second.

Finally, to render the production, it is important to set the production correctly. By selecting Render Setup, the folder the animation to save the file in can be selected, and the file type can be selected such as .avi. This means that when played, the file will play in mplayer. Compression can also be selected to show how much will be compressed. Once all of the necessary parts of the animation have been setup, the render button is selected, which then renders the animation. Depending on what has been used in the animation, the time to render will vary.