Timeline and Project Workspace Tree Enhancements
The Timeline and the Project Workspace have been simplified to work in a more efficient and self-evident manner.
Properties of objects are no longer shown in the Project Workspace Tree by default. They can be turned on in the Options dialog.
The above images illustrate the "Show Properties Triangle" option turned off in the left image and on in the right image.
The selected object's properties will always show in the Timeline and Properties panel.
The tree control also has an attached timeline in addition to the timeline panel. This simplifies non linear editing greatly, and allows the animator to clearly see the timing relations of the actions.
By default the option "Show more than drivers" is off. This option is on all shortcuts of objects in a choreography or reusable action. When this option is off only drivers (Channels with keyframes) will be shown under the object. This is useful for many reasons. The drivers are shown non-hierarchical, making it easy to see objects like bones which might have a very complicated hierarchy. Also it is easy to identify and edit your motion since only the objects with motion appear.
When the option "Show more than drivers" is on then all the object's children will be shown. This is useful for animating objects which don't have an interface manipulator. For instant if you want to animate a sequence of images on a decal, or change group color, material properties, or any other object property over time.
The timeline now shows the selected objects hierarchy along with it's properties.
The Tack feature has been greatly simplified from earlier versions. What ever property is selected in the timeline when the Tack is enabled will always remain in the timeline regardless of what object is selected later.
By default if you select a bone in an action or choreography window the driver will be selected which contains the keyframes. If you would like the shortcut of the bone in the hierarchy to be selected instead you may change it in the Options dialog.
Selected the left leg target in an action window.
The bone shortcut was selected her because the "Select Bone" option was enabled.
The Left leg target driver was selected in the above image because the option "Select Driver" was enabled. Also notice that when a driver is selected it now contains the object that it drives property's also. This will greatly speed up the animating process having both the driver and object properties combined.
Pre and Post Extrapolation method
Channels in the timeline no longer have to have a keyframe at frame 0, thus the first keyframe could be frame 100 or even a negative frame. This allows the entire channel curve to be slide around within the channel editor, or maybe have something not start animating until frame 100, then animate for 10 frames, then repeat those 10 frames forever.
Extrapolation methods are used for evaluating a channel before the first keyframe and after the last keyframe. The extrapolation methods are set on the driver in the Project Workspace Tree or Timeline as shown above. The extrapolated frames are drawn with dashed lines in the timeline window.
A new extrapolation method "Linear" was also added. Linear will just continue the slope of the channel infinitely before or after the first or last keyframe respectively.
The above example shows both pre and post extrapolation. The pre-extrapolation method is Linear, and the post-extrapolation method is Accumulate.
