If you want to move all your keyframes there is this tip. You can actually move the keyframes by non collapsed parts, be sure to select your whole character your timeline becomes yellowish, with the mouse box select all the keyframes and hower over middle keframes you set, as soon your mouse becomes a little hand drag the keyframes. Par example i have 30 frames on exact 15 i can grab my keyframes and move.
@@WPguru hey!! Thank you for all the videos and help you share!! Would love to see how to animate daz char from scratch (no pose, nk anim blocks) since i have a lot of sufferings because there is no constrains or any floor control so that the character can be moved down without moving below location 0.
In case anybody is wondering what TCB is: T is tension, how sharply a curve bends as it passes through a key; C is continuity, the smoothness of the transition between keys; B is bias, the slope of the curve so that it flows towards one side of the key or the other.
Wow, I did not know that I needed this video! I learned so much. Thanks, WP Guru! Any news on your in-depth spring dynamics tutorial? Would love to see how you got your mouse animation to be so amazing!
Mr. Daz Guru.... I have my right thigh bend selected on a character and yet I can't see any keyframes for it in the timeline ....even though when I move the playhead the bend slider moves)under the parameters tab)
Make sure the Types menu at the bottom of the timeline shows the right values. Try setting it to TRSO and see if the keyframes show up. R stands for rotation, which is what you're using to make the thigh bend move. Good luck!
Yeah, I have been trying to practice animation with cameras and characters. I just keep messing it up lol something simple as have a camera at the feet and slowly move upwards towards her head as she continues walking.
Is there a way to only have the keyframed tracks visible and not everything? For a bit more complex animation I have to scroll for ever to get to multiple tracks...
There's a way to hide things you don't want to see, but it's not by object, it's by keyframe type. For example, of you don't want to see an objects scale or rotation, you an un-tick it and see less clutter in the timeline. I haven't found a way to exclude showing an unused object in the timeline.
@@WPguru Thank you for your reply. The filer key info is very useful. I always wondered where are the shape animation keyframes hidden and now I finally can find them and work with them.
Thanks Dan! Copying and pasting keyframes can't easily be done on the timeline. It's a feature that's sorely missing. For repetitive motion like eye blinks, you can use aniblocks. Create one blink cycle, then repeat it as many times as you need it.
@@WPguru OK thank you. I think the only way I was able to copy and paste was using the graph editor. I was hoping there was a better way. But I see your point. Could you do a demo using the aniblocks method? I don't really understand aniblocks.
Sure, I'll put it on my list. They're a type of non-linear animation with which you can blend in/out of the same or other blocks. I've used them in this video, I believe I'm showing how to make a character walk in a city scene with aniblocks, as well as adding eye blinks: ua-cam.com/video/NoRCwyyPXiI/v-deo.html It's the "making of" if you will, here's the animation itself: ua-cam.com/video/t-wWS_K_F2g/v-deo.html
@@WPguru Thank you so much. I do a lot of pre-posing and animation of characters in DAZ. Then import them into Blender using an add on called "Better FBX. I usually setup the final scene in there and render out the animation.
Thank you Hana! Sure, I need to play more with the bridge. Last time I tried it didn't seem to work very well, I'm looking forward to seeing some imrporvements (hopefully). If the bridge gives you grief, look into Teleblender and Diffeomorphic. Those are two free plugins that also export DAZ assets to Blender. They may work better for you.
My problem is what I call 'phantom keyframes', Apply a pose, advance a couple keyframes, apply the same pose, there should be no movement between the frames, but it does, or if you have two frames the interpolation will occasionally go the wrong way, or something, and there is no keyframe to show movement, and you have to manually correct for this on every fill frame.
It’s probably the interpolation mode between the keyframes. By default it’s set to logarithmic (TCB). You can change this to linear, which will avoid anticipated movement in the wrong direction.
@@WPguru I will give it a try, thank you. Thought the default one was supposed to slow and speed up the movements so that it would look more 'natural', at least for some styles... If it works, is there a way to set that to default, same with others settings, like setting the spot render to always go to a new window? Thanks again, either way.
@@TheDevian Sadly no, the default is always TCB. Usually that's a good choice, but sometimes it doesn't work great as you've found out. You can always investigate the graph editor and see what the interpolation does to the keyframes, it'll help diagnose where things go off the rails. There are some defaults you can set like render settings, or anything you can save as a scene, by loading a default scene (under Preferences - Startup and Scene). Good luck!
@@WPguru My goal is usually short loops, so I get a starting pose, apply it to the start and end, and then work on the middle, but the filler frames mess up on me all the time. I try to plan for it, but it seems to be between frames, and there is never a keframe to delete. lol One of these days I want to go to Blender for my animations, but I am a long way to go from that.
It'll depend on the model and the setup, but in principle yes. Try exporting it as FBX or use the Daz to Blender bridge. Also, TURN YOUR CAPS LOCK OFF OR IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE SHOUTING 😄
Very Helpful. I do have a question about the timeline and simulations. I found out that a timeline is better for simulations, and it works great since I can find the exact point of a simulation that creates the morph in clothing I want, but then I don't know what to do with it. I have morphed an item falling, and it gets to the exact shape I want, but then I can't save it or lock it in place. If I try to save it, it saves without the morph. Without the timeline, I have no problem, but then I have to run it repeatedly, making adjustments until the morph is where I want it.3 So how do you save the results of a simulation on the timeline, especially if it's only part of the way through?
Here's how I would do it: say you had 30 frames of a dForce animation, and frame 20 is the one that looks best. Let it simulate, then park the playhead on frame 20. Select your object, then export an OBJ. Now clear the simulation and go back to the first frame. Use Morph Loader to import the OBJ as a morph on your item and dial it up. There's also Freeze Simulation (on the Parameters Tab), but I don't think it works with a particular frame on the timeline. Good luck!
How do you delete stubborn keys in timeline? I can delete the keys in KeyMate but it doesn't delete other keys that are only supported in Timeline. I go over to TImeline and see the triangles, but the squares are all gone in Keymate. I highlighted the all triangles in Timeline and hit delete, some of the keys got removed but the leftovers remained. One of the things I noticed that traingles didn't get removed are the Transform Scale. I checked the scale in the model and it was set to default. Only one way to delete them is to clear all animation. What's the deal?
Triangles mean that there's another keyframe hiding somewhere on that frame. It's possible that you're not showing all types, try switching them all on (including hidden) and see if you find any. If a triangle doesn't disappear, I've heard that changing the interpolation to something else may free it up. Not sure if it'll work, but it's worth a try (say TCB to Linear and try again).
The timeline is not for the faint-hearted 😁 The triangles show you places where keyframes are set. To find the actual keyframe, select the object on the timeline and drill down to the track on which the keyframe is set. They look like round circles with a letter like T. Left-click to select your keyframe, or right-click to pick an action, like copy or delete. Hope this helps.
@@WPguru Thanks for the advice. I eventually found that using memorize/restore figure pose acted sort of like a copy/paste, so now I can loop animations. Thanks for reaching out to help me :)
If you want to move all your keyframes there is this tip. You can actually move the keyframes by non collapsed parts, be sure to select your whole character your timeline becomes yellowish, with the mouse box select all the keyframes and hower over middle keframes you set, as soon your mouse becomes a little hand drag the keyframes. Par example i have 30 frames on exact 15 i can grab my keyframes and move.
Ahhhh yes, that'll move all collapsed keyframes at once - thank you for the tip 👍
@@WPguru hey!! Thank you for all the videos and help you share!! Would love to see how to animate daz char from scratch (no pose, nk anim blocks) since i have a lot of sufferings because there is no constrains or any floor control so that the character can be moved down without moving below location 0.
Die Videos von Jay sind extraklasse und auch für mich - als Deutscher - gut zu verstanden. Thank you and greetings from Germany.
Vielen lieben Dank! 😎
Ich habe sogar einen Kanal, auf dem ich ab und zu deutsche Videos hochlade wenn ich Zeit finde: youtube.com/@WPguruDE
Die besten Videos für DAZ!
In case anybody is wondering what TCB is: T is tension, how sharply a curve bends as it passes through a key; C is continuity, the smoothness of the transition between keys; B is bias, the slope of the curve so that it flows towards one side of the key or the other.
Steve! Thank you SO MUCH for this - I always owndered what TCB stands for. Now I know 😃
Wow, I did not know that I needed this video! I learned so much. Thanks, WP Guru! Any news on your in-depth spring dynamics tutorial? Would love to see how you got your mouse animation to be so amazing!
Thank you! There's another video scheduled for tomorrow that elaborates on animating parameters. The spring dynamics is on my list, it's coming soon!
Mr. Daz Guru.... I have my right thigh bend selected on a character and yet I can't see any keyframes for it in the timeline ....even though when I move the playhead the bend slider moves)under the parameters tab)
Make sure the Types menu at the bottom of the timeline shows the right values. Try setting it to TRSO and see if the keyframes show up. R stands for rotation, which is what you're using to make the thigh bend move. Good luck!
Yeah, I have been trying to practice animation with cameras and characters. I just keep messing it up lol something simple as have a camera at the feet and slowly move upwards towards her head as she continues walking.
Is there a way to only have the keyframed tracks visible and not everything?
For a bit more complex animation I have to scroll for ever to get to multiple tracks...
There's a way to hide things you don't want to see, but it's not by object, it's by keyframe type. For example, of you don't want to see an objects scale or rotation, you an un-tick it and see less clutter in the timeline. I haven't found a way to exclude showing an unused object in the timeline.
@@WPguru Thank you for your reply. The filer key info is very useful. I always wondered where are the shape animation keyframes hidden and now I finally can find them and work with them.
Awesome tutorial. I'm requesting to see how to copy and paste multipole key frames. This would be helpful for things like eyes blinking or walk cycle.
Thanks Dan! Copying and pasting keyframes can't easily be done on the timeline. It's a feature that's sorely missing. For repetitive motion like eye blinks, you can use aniblocks. Create one blink cycle, then repeat it as many times as you need it.
@@WPguru OK thank you. I think the only way I was able to copy and paste was using the graph editor. I was hoping there was a better way. But I see your point. Could you do a demo using the aniblocks method? I don't really understand aniblocks.
Sure, I'll put it on my list. They're a type of non-linear animation with which you can blend in/out of the same or other blocks. I've used them in this video, I believe I'm showing how to make a character walk in a city scene with aniblocks, as well as adding eye blinks: ua-cam.com/video/NoRCwyyPXiI/v-deo.html It's the "making of" if you will, here's the animation itself: ua-cam.com/video/t-wWS_K_F2g/v-deo.html
@@WPguru Thank you so much. I do a lot of pre-posing and animation of characters in DAZ. Then import them into Blender using an add on called "Better FBX. I usually setup the final scene in there and render out the animation.
@@danbreland3444 That's a good workflow. Aniblocks are like NLA strips in Blender.
great video as always! could you make on one export dforce hair to blender or other bridges! it seems to be constant pain
Thank you Hana! Sure, I need to play more with the bridge. Last time I tried it didn't seem to work very well, I'm looking forward to seeing some imrporvements (hopefully). If the bridge gives you grief, look into Teleblender and Diffeomorphic. Those are two free plugins that also export DAZ assets to Blender. They may work better for you.
Thanks a lot for your Video. It helps a lot. Jeep moving
My problem is what I call 'phantom keyframes', Apply a pose, advance a couple keyframes, apply the same pose, there should be no movement between the frames, but it does, or if you have two frames the interpolation will occasionally go the wrong way, or something, and there is no keyframe to show movement, and you have to manually correct for this on every fill frame.
It’s probably the interpolation mode between the keyframes. By default it’s set to logarithmic (TCB). You can change this to linear, which will avoid anticipated movement in the wrong direction.
@@WPguru I will give it a try, thank you. Thought the default one was supposed to slow and speed up the movements so that it would look more 'natural', at least for some styles...
If it works, is there a way to set that to default, same with others settings, like setting the spot render to always go to a new window?
Thanks again, either way.
@@TheDevian Sadly no, the default is always TCB. Usually that's a good choice, but sometimes it doesn't work great as you've found out. You can always investigate the graph editor and see what the interpolation does to the keyframes, it'll help diagnose where things go off the rails. There are some defaults you can set like render settings, or anything you can save as a scene, by loading a default scene (under Preferences - Startup and Scene). Good luck!
@@WPguru My goal is usually short loops, so I get a starting pose, apply it to the start and end, and then work on the middle, but the filler frames mess up on me all the time. I try to plan for it, but it seems to be between frames, and there is never a keframe to delete. lol
One of these days I want to go to Blender for my animations, but I am a long way to go from that.
HI, IS THERE A WAY TO TRANSFER AN ANIMATED HEADPIECE FORM DAZ TO BLENDER? LIKE A MEDUSA HEAD WITH THE ANIMATED SNAKES
It'll depend on the model and the setup, but in principle yes. Try exporting it as FBX or use the Daz to Blender bridge.
Also, TURN YOUR CAPS LOCK OFF OR IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE SHOUTING 😄
Very Helpful.
I do have a question about the timeline and simulations. I found out that a timeline is better for simulations, and it works great since I can find the exact point of a simulation that creates the morph in clothing I want, but then I don't know what to do with it. I have morphed an item falling, and it gets to the exact shape I want, but then I can't save it or lock it in place. If I try to save it, it saves without the morph. Without the timeline, I have no problem, but then I have to run it repeatedly, making adjustments until the morph is where I want it.3
So how do you save the results of a simulation on the timeline, especially if it's only part of the way through?
Here's how I would do it: say you had 30 frames of a dForce animation, and frame 20 is the one that looks best. Let it simulate, then park the playhead on frame 20. Select your object, then export an OBJ. Now clear the simulation and go back to the first frame. Use Morph Loader to import the OBJ as a morph on your item and dial it up. There's also Freeze Simulation (on the Parameters Tab), but I don't think it works with a particular frame on the timeline. Good luck!
Thanks a lot, learned something new :)
so awesome!
Cool, very nice thanks for explain.
can you make a tutorial on mixing animations in daz
this is a life saver. Thanks!
Great Stuff! Thank You!
THANK YOU!
How do you delete stubborn keys in timeline? I can delete the keys in KeyMate but it doesn't delete other keys that are only supported in Timeline. I go over to TImeline and see the triangles, but the squares are all gone in Keymate. I highlighted the all triangles in Timeline and hit delete, some of the keys got removed but the leftovers remained. One of the things I noticed that traingles didn't get removed are the Transform Scale. I checked the scale in the model and it was set to default. Only one way to delete them is to clear all animation. What's the deal?
Triangles mean that there's another keyframe hiding somewhere on that frame. It's possible that you're not showing all types, try switching them all on (including hidden) and see if you find any. If a triangle doesn't disappear, I've heard that changing the interpolation to something else may free it up. Not sure if it'll work, but it's worth a try (say TCB to Linear and try again).
it really should have the possiblitiy of globally moving the keyframes like keymate did.
The fact that I can't simply select, copy/paste a start/end frame is truly baffling. Does anyone know how to select 1 simple keyframe?
The timeline is not for the faint-hearted 😁 The triangles show you places where keyframes are set. To find the actual keyframe, select the object on the timeline and drill down to the track on which the keyframe is set. They look like round circles with a letter like T. Left-click to select your keyframe, or right-click to pick an action, like copy or delete. Hope this helps.
@@WPguru Thanks for the advice. I eventually found that using memorize/restore figure pose acted sort of like a copy/paste, so now I can loop animations. Thanks for reaching out to help me :)