Hi Animators,

I would like to know how to move my character to a different location on the screen/stage. It keeps putting in a motion path in every time I try to move it. I don't want the character to be animated, I just want to move the character around the screen to get it into position before adding some animation. I have watched a 'how to' video on YouTube, but I cannot see how the instructor moves the characters without adding a motion path (the grey path with the grey dot as per my screen print attached).

I'd appreciate any help with this!

If you mean you want the character to be in a different start position, then just move it while the timeline is at frame 1.  If you move it at any other frame you will set transform keyframes.

Once you have your character in the correct start position you can then move the timeline to whatever frame you want to begin adding animation to your character.

                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com

Thanks Peter. That's perfect.

Sometimes you want to position your character or prop in a later frame to align with moving elements in a scene that only come together in a later frame.
In those cases you go to the relevant frame where you can place the character. Then open its timeline and open the transform timeline. There you fine the key frame that stores the character position. Drag it to the first frame and delete other existing key frames in that timeline.
It's a bit more complicated, but saves you time when you already put some work in the characters animation and don't want to start over from scratch.

To move a character around the scene without animating him along a path. Just double up on keys.

For example if character is at position A on frame 1 and at position B on frame 100. Just extend the exposure of the key at frame 1 to 99.

Since CTA doesnt have a native "extend" feature, you do it manually by copying the transform key from frame 1 to frame 99. Then on frame 100 you place you character anywhere you want.

So now frame 1 and 99 are the same. In frame 100 the location is different so the character will move from one location to another without actually animating the path. Technically it still does it its just not perceived.


Ibis Fernandez   |   (available for hire)
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Professional Animator, Filmmaker | Creator of the highest quality (modular) G2 rigs for cartoon animator and developer of Toon Titan and Puppet Producer 
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