Figure
6.53 shows the same bell curve of three keyframes with one handle of the Bezier curve
pulled down drastically.
Figure 6.53 Bezier splines, although a variant of Hermite splines,work when the next key is
also set to Bezier.
Stepped Transitions
Using a stepped transition for an incoming curve simply keeps a curve??™s value constant
and abruptly jumps to the next keyframe. Figure 6.54 (on the following page) shows the
same three keyframes seen in Figure 6.53, but with a stepped transition applied.
Stepped curves are usable when you want to make drastic value changes between keyframes
for situations such as lightning, interference, or blinking lights. You might also find that
applying stepped transitions works well for pose-to-pose character animation at times.
Whether you create motions in the Graph Editor or simply adjust preexisting ones, you
should understand the amount of control the Graph Editor gives you. The Graph Editor
in LightWave v9 even enables you to mix and match spline types for individual channels.
Follow along with this next exercise to make and adjust curves in the Graph Editor.
Although you have many options for curve control in LightWave??™s Graph Editor, using the
Tension, Continuity, and Bias (TCB) controls can provide the most natural motion for
your animations.
Pages:
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411