Table 6.7: SOME CONTROLLERS AND
THEIR POSSIBLE USES
Controller Type
| Example
| Function
|
On/Off
| Blinking light
| Two possible values for track: on or off
|
Waveform
| Evenly pulsing light
| Assigns value from a chosen type of waveform
|
Audio
| Light pulsing to music
| Bases value on the pulse of an assigned
audio waveform
|
Motion Capture
| User animates character with mouse movement
| Values controlled by input from external
device
|
Link Control (Transform track)
| Passing an object from hand to hand
| Transfers value from assigned link (add
links in Motion tab)
|
Master Point
| Animating control points of an FFD modifier
| Default controller for direct sub-object
animation; creates separate track for each animated sub-object.
|
Expression
| One gear rotating at twice the rate of
another
| Programmable: assigns value based on a
written expression
|
Block
| Repeated walk cycle
| Groups multiple selected tracks over a
range of frames as blocks to be reused at other times
|
Reactor
| Character smiling whenever a finger pokes
his bellybutton
| Similar to Expression, but without the
programming; assigns value of track to react to the value of another
track.
|
Script
| A fish maintaining a certain position
relative to the rest of the school
| Similar to Expression, but uses MAXScript
|
IK
| A character with a Bones skeleton
| Default controller for MAX Bones (see
Chapter 7)
|
Attachment
| A tree on a land surface staying attached
to the land as the land heaves in an earthquake
| Attaches objects position to the
surface of a target object
|
Surface
| A ball rolling over folds of material
| Allows one object to move over the surface
of another
|
Smooth
| Very smooth rocking motion that doesnt
need to be tweaked
| Gives a pre-set transform with smooth
tangents (key info and function curve are not accessible)
|
Color RGB
| A material with an animated green channel
creating strange colorations
| Like an XYZ controller, splits values
of a color track into separate red, green, and blue component tracks
|
In this chapter, we have looked into the basics of animation in MAX.
We discussed the roots of computer keyframe animation in the traditional
Disney method. We explored animation tools in MAX and learned more about
the Track View. We covered basic transform and parametric animation, with
examples applying to a variety of objects; animation of vertex and gizmo
sub-objects; particle systems, and morphing. Finally, we began exploring
the movers and shakers of animation in MAX: animation controllers.
In the next chapter, you will learn about developing your animation skills
beyond the beginner level. You will learn about editing keys and tangent
types in Track View to translate a desired motion into instructions for
MAX. You will learn about using dummy objects to animate. You will set
up a hierarchy and learn the basics of forward and inverse kinematics
and MAX Bones. You will also be introduced to the complex Character Studio
plug-in for character animation.