NewTek Lightwave 3D: Keyframing in Lightwave

Animation VIKeyframing in Lightwave

Keyframing Do this, do that…

In order to items to change over time, you need to set down reference points (keyframes) to tell the item what to do at a given point in time

Keyframing Start here, end here

Once you have two or more keyframes, Lightwave will figure out how to change the item from its starting point to its end point

Called tweaning or tweens

Keyframing Good/bad keyframing

Usually the fewer the keyframes, the smoother the effect

Don’t try to overthink the action – let Lightwave get you where you want to go

Too many keyframes can cause jittery action

Keyframing Everybody has one

Everything in your scene must have at least one keyframe

Some things don’t need to change so they only have a keyframe on the very first frame (0)

Keyframing Frames and Time

Depends what you are doing NTSC = 30 fps PAL = 25 fps Film = 24 fps Stills = single frame

We operate at 30 fps Think in frames 300 = 10 seconds

Let’s Get Started Start up Lightwave

3D

Clear the scene if you need to

Select Load Object (+)

In the Landscape folder, select Canyon.lwo

Let’s Get Started Select Load

Object (+) again

In the Vehicles folder select MonsterTruck.lwo

This object lost a surface image, so we have to fix…

Let’s Get Started Several surface

images got ‘lost’ and have to be reconnected.

Click Yes, then select FractalReflections.tga

Repeat this process a couple more times until all the surfaces load and you can see your truck

Let’s Get Started Let’s fix the Truck

While the MonsterTruck is still selected choose: File > Save > Save

Current Object Choose Replace

That should fix the problem

Scaling Things in Porportion

That canyon is mighty small!

Select the Top view (2)

Zoom out so there’s lots of room

Select the Canyon as the current object

Scaling Things in Porportion

Select the Modify tab

Under Transform, select Stretch We want to change the

width and depth, but not the height (at least for now)

In the Numerics section change the X and Z axis to 35

Keyframing See the big picture

The best way to create a motion is to set the starting point and end point first

Then tweak parameters in-between these two points to what you need This help set a

consistent pace

Set One Keyframe Choose Camera view

(6) Truck looks like it’s

stuck in the mud

In the Modify tab select Translate and Move

Drag the Green arrow and drag the truck up so it sits on the ground

Set a Start and End Point

Make sure the MonsterTruck is selected

Choose the top view

Zoom out so you can see the whole canyon You can see that some

parts of the canyon are above the grid while other parts are below


While at frame 0, move the truck to the upper left corner

In the Timeline, change the last frame to 300 frames

Drag the slider to frame 300 and move the truck to the lower right corner

Making a Keyframe What do you want to

do? Make a keyframe for

what? Selected item All items Selected item and

any other items it controls

Making a Keyframe What should get a

keyframe You decide if its

position, rotation and/or scale gets locked down or not

If the item should not get a keyframe for the selected frame, just turn that parameter off


Click on Create Frame or press Return

Make sure Create Key At is set to 300

For: Selected item (your truck)

Position, rotation, scale are on (blue)

Press OK

Action Without Keyframes

Target Causes the camera to

always see an item in the middle of its frame of view

If the item moves, the camera pans or tilts to keep that item in view

Camera will not MOVE unless you set keyframes for its location Targeting and moving the

camera can make very interesting animations

Have the Camera Keep an Eye on the

Truck Select the Camera

as the current item

Press M to bring up Motion Options

In the Target Item pop-up menu, select Monster truck NOT Parent

Have the Camera Keep an Eye on the

Truck Switch to Camera

view and scrub through your animation Now the camera

follows the truck from beginning to end

Truck faces the wrong way – that’s OK for now


Aligning to Path Once you set up a motion

path for an item, it can automatically follow in the direction of that path Left and right Up and down


Make sure the truck is the current item

Press M to select motion options

Select the Controllers and Limits tab


We need the rotation of the truck to follow the path

Select the Rotation tab

Under Heading & Pitch, set the Heading Controller to ‘Align to Path’


In Camera view scrub through your animation

Your truck should now follow the path from beginning to end That was easy! Lighting is not so

great though…


Parenting An item that mimics

what another item does What one airplane

does, all the other airplanes do

The controlling item is called a parent

The controlled items are called descendants


Give the truck a little light

Switch back to the top view & zoom in a little

Drag the slider to frame 0

With the Modify tab, move the light so it is in front and to the right of the truck


While the light is still selected, press M to bring up the Motion options

In the Parent Item pop-up menu choose MonsterTruck


While still in the top view scrub though your timeline and notice how the light now follows the truck along its animation

Finessing Motion Adding keyframes in-

between the start and finish Now that the pacing is

set, you can adjust the item in-between start and end points without causing the motion to jitter Still remember though –

the fewer keyframes, the better

Add Some Character to the Truck Motion

Select the top view (2)

Select the truck as the current item

Move the slider to frame 75

With the Modify tab, select Move


Using the arrows, drag the truck down and to the left to the top of the hill on the left side of the canyon

Make a keyframe for the truck at frame 75


Move the slider to 185

Using the arrows, drag the truck to the right so its on top of the hill on the right of the canyon

Make another keyframe for the truck at frame 185

Animate the Camera Switch to the top

view (2)

Make sure the slider is at frame 0

Move the camera so it’s in the middle of the canyon, but in front of the truck

Animate the Camera Give the camera a

better view

While still at frame 0, in the numerics window, change the Y value to 6 meters

Switch to the camera view to see your new look at the truck

Animate the Camera Switch back to the top

view


Move the camera so its further down the canyon, but behind the truck

Make a new keyframe for the camera at frame 300

Add Some Character to the Canyon

Select the back view (1)


Select the Canyon as the current item

With the Modify tab, select the Stretch tool

In the numerics box, change the Y value to 10

Aligning to Motion Not just left and right,

but up and down Like the Mustang,

when an item along the motion path goes up or down, it can also point in that direction with the ‘Align to path’ feature

Unbury the Truck Getting things in place

Using different views we can get the truck out of the canyon

Make sure the truck is the selected item

Using the transport controls, click to the next keyframe (frame 75)

Unbury the Truck Select the back view

With the move tool, drag the green arrow to pull the truck up out of the hill

Toggle different views to get the height correct

Update the keyframe by pressing Enter, Enter

Un-levitate the Truck

Oh, oh – the truck is following the smoothest path from the start to the top of the hill, but the hill hasn’t started yet


Move around in perspective view so you have a good look at the truck above the ground


Drag the green arrow to set the truck back on the ground

Create a new keyframe at frame 36

Scrub though the motion to see the truck now climb the hill


Switch to the back view and zoom in

Drag the slider to frame 144

Drag the green arrow and move the truck back down to the ground

Make a new keyframe for the truck at frame 144


Select the camera view and scrub though your scene

If the truck is levitating or buried, try modifying existing keyframes Can also try creating new

keyframes, just make sure they are not too close to each other

If the motion gets jerky, you need to delete a keyframe to smooth out the motion

Save Your Scene Save your scene to

the My Scenes folder in the Lightwave content folder

Save another copy to the desktop

Email the .lws file to me as an attachment.

Animation VIKeyframing in Lightwave

Education

NewTek Lightwave 3D: Keyframing in Lightwave