Key Frame

A simple question to those that know but what exactly is a "key frame" in QAvimator? How do you use it?

It's not specific to QAvimator Del - Key Framing is an animation technique whereby you create the significant poses and place them along the animation time line in the correct sequence for the movement. The frames that have these poses are called "key frames". The software - e.g., QAvimator then creates all the frames between the key frames for you - moving your figure from one key frame to the next. These are called the "tween frames".

It goes back to the original way of creating animated film. Where the senior animator would draw all the key frames showing the significant movement and the junior animators would create all the frames in between the key frames. Now, the software does this laborious task for you and you just have to create the key frames.

I was considering this one earlier since I'm currently beavering away at a collection of animations in QAvimator. Technically I *think* I'm building the animations using keyframes despite the fact I never use the keyframe button in the bottom right corner of the interface, which I assume is there to set keyframes. At playback the button will blink on any frame where more than a few movements on the skeleton have been defined but it doesn't seem to matter that it ignores the less mobile frames: those movements still register in uploaded animations.

Nevertheless, I wonder if I am neglecting an important consideration here?

I was also wondering about the 'Ease In' and 'Ease Out' checkboxes in QAvimator. Is this a case of belt-and-braces (or belt-and-suspenders for those of a Murkan disposition) since we can set Ease In/Ease Out values in the SL client's animation upload interface? I would prefer to ignore the QAvimator checkboxes altogether since they apply to individual joints and it seems they were causing me more trouble than anything else as I struggled to get the hang of the program.

you can configure Qav to automatically ease in and out any movement you program... but I suggest you never use it on the hip or thighs joints if the legs of your avatar are bearing weight.... imagine swaying arms, when you do not use the easein/out they come to an abrupt stop at the endge of the swing and pop back quickly where human movement would often pause at the endge of that mobevemnt before going back.... the ease in/out will minimize that popping movement

Thanks for that, Jeaniesing. I was watching something very much like your example on an arm movement today - a noticeable pause for just the blink of an eye - and I wondered what I might do about it. The checkbox settings make sense now. Am I right in saying that 'Ease In' and 'Ease Out' on QAvimator are actually quite a different, more localised thing to the 'Ease In' and 'Ease Out' settings we configure on animations at upload?

Note: It's a real shame that QAvimator is missing a 'Help' section or Manual and the very basic 'Undo' function. I think it's ideal for SL requirements and I'm getting some marvellous results with it - to the point where I don't think I'll bother acquiring Poser.

THanks so much for that Deira, that is going to save me a LOT of work

It may or may not - I always find I need more key frames than I expected!