Start and Stop Movement
Moderators: Víctor Paredes, Belgarath, slowtiger
Start and Stop Movement
I want a character to walk into the frame and stop in a certain spot, gesture for a few seconds, and then walk to a different spot, gesture again. After changing location again several times, the character then walks off screen. What is happening is that when I use the translate layer tool to move the character to position one, I copy and paste the translate keyframe several frames ahead to hold them there for the required time. It works when I play the animation. Then I move them to a new location and do the same thing. But when I play it back, the character is moved out of their previous location where I had them stopped before, and I have to re-position them again. As I continue moving the character to stop at new positions, all my previous positions keep moving again. How would you fix this?
Re: Start and Stop Movement
It might be the "relative key frame" issue with selected keys. Just a wild guess.
When keys are selected, like when you select the layer translation keys to copy or move them in the timeline they stay selected. Then you go to a different frame and translate the layer. If any key frames are selected in the time linethey will also move relative to their original position. Even though you aren't on those other frames they will change as a group because they are selected. This is a feature allowing you to move an entire layer translation as a group without having to go to each key frame one at a time and adjust the translation. Imagine you have your animation of the character walking and stopping completed, but then you decide the character needs to be moved a little bit more to the right on all frames. You could select all the key frames of the layer translation and then simply translate the layer on a single frame and move ALL keys globally. This however can become a problem if you forget that keys are selected and you move the layer.
I don't know for sure if this is happening to you, but try it again but make sure no keys are selected in the time line when you change the translation on later keys.
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The other possibility is a real long shot as it sounds to me from your description that you know what you are doing. Sometimes people get really confused about this type of movement. They think that creating a single key of movement will create the "stop and start" automagically. They can't understand why the layer or object moves very slowly when they set a key frame on the time line. They don't understand the function of the keys.
I am pretty sure you did it right but without seeing the results I just want to make sure it's covered. That is what you need to do this. 2 keys for each movement and hold. The first key moves, second key identical to the first to hold in position (copy and paste). Then repeat.
When keys are selected, like when you select the layer translation keys to copy or move them in the timeline they stay selected. Then you go to a different frame and translate the layer. If any key frames are selected in the time linethey will also move relative to their original position. Even though you aren't on those other frames they will change as a group because they are selected. This is a feature allowing you to move an entire layer translation as a group without having to go to each key frame one at a time and adjust the translation. Imagine you have your animation of the character walking and stopping completed, but then you decide the character needs to be moved a little bit more to the right on all frames. You could select all the key frames of the layer translation and then simply translate the layer on a single frame and move ALL keys globally. This however can become a problem if you forget that keys are selected and you move the layer.
I don't know for sure if this is happening to you, but try it again but make sure no keys are selected in the time line when you change the translation on later keys.
-----
The other possibility is a real long shot as it sounds to me from your description that you know what you are doing. Sometimes people get really confused about this type of movement. They think that creating a single key of movement will create the "stop and start" automagically. They can't understand why the layer or object moves very slowly when they set a key frame on the time line. They don't understand the function of the keys.
I am pretty sure you did it right but without seeing the results I just want to make sure it's covered. That is what you need to do this. 2 keys for each movement and hold. The first key moves, second key identical to the first to hold in position (copy and paste). Then repeat.
Re: Start and Stop Movement
Thanks. I will try that!