Keyframes¶

A keyframe is one (frame, value) record on an animatable channel. The Designer records keys, evaluates the curve between them, and plays back during scrub or runtime.

Set a key¶

Path	Effect
`Animate > Set Key`	Key every keyable channel on the selection at the current frame
`S`	Same as the menu
Right-click a value in the Channel Box > Key	Key only that channel

A diamond appears on the time slider for each newly keyed channel.

Set a breakdown¶

A breakdown is a "soft" key that nudges interpolation between two neighboring keys without becoming a full pose stop.

Path	Effect
`Animate > Set Breakdown`	Insert a breakdown at the current frame
`Shift+S`	Same

Breakdowns appear as smaller green diamonds (vs the orange diamonds of full keys).

Auto Key¶

The red dot on the time slider, or Animate > Toggle Auto Key, turns on automatic keying. Any value change at any frame writes a key on that channel.

Useful for blocking; the cadence is fast (drag-to-key).

Turn off before polish so a stray nudge does not commit a new key on top of carefully tuned ones.

Delete a key¶

Select the diamond on the time slider (click; Shift-click extends the selection); press Backspace.

To delete every key on a channel: right-click the field in the Channel Box > Delete All Keys.

Move a key¶

Drag the diamond horizontally on the time slider. Shift-drag constrains to whole frames; Cmd+drag (macOS) or Ctrl+drag (other) snaps to the nearest existing key.

To move multiple keys together: drag a box across them in the time slider, then drag the resulting selection.

Default tangent type¶

Newly-set keys use the tangent type set in Preferences > Animation > Default Tangent. Options:

Tangent	Behavior
Auto	Smooth tangent, auto-computed (most natural for animation)
Spline	Cardinal spline, sharper than Auto
Linear	Straight-line interpolation between keys
Stepped	Hold the value until the next key (constant)
Clamped	Auto, but flat near extremes

Auto is the right default. Switch to Stepped during blocking to preserve hard pose-to-pose timing; switch back to Auto for polish.

Keying multiple channels¶

Multi-select placements and press S: the Designer keys every keyable channel on every selected placement. Useful for keying a whole rig's joints at once.

What gets keyed¶

Only keyable channels (the filled-dot indicator in the Channel Box). Non-keyable channels (path data, parent ids) cannot be keyed; right-click and toggle keyable to opt them in.