Hi Suzanne, welcome to the forum.

Here is an example of one way to do want you want.
Place a character onto the stage.
Copy the transition key from 1 to 149 to hold character in place.
Add animation clip (say Disco 02) starting at 150. It is 42 frames long.
Using the Key Editor (K):
- Place an Absolute key (Body Transform track) at 193 . This copies the last body position.
- Place a Default Pose key (Body Transform track) at 210. This puts the character back into a default position. You can also place the character in any position here.

When you play it, you will see the character stand still from 1 to 149, then disco from 150 to 193 then transition from 193 to 210 to the default pose. If you had not placed the absolute key at 193 then some of the body parts would start to transition to the default pose set at 210 during the animation clip. The absolute key gives a transition point to start from equal to the last body position. See the difference when you delete the absolute key and play it. You will see the arm movements go funky.

If you want to continue the same type of scenario then at the next point, say frame 250, place an Absolute key (Body Transform track) at 249, then the animation clip starting at 250. Just after the end of the clip place another Absolute key and then some time later a Default Pose key.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jeff



Get my Plugin Manager and TaskNotes plugins for iClone.
Check out EZColors and Other products for CTA/CA. EZColors: the easy way to change Render Styled (RS) colors!
See my CTA Tutorials on the YouTube channel CTAStepByStep

Hi Jeff,

I have Standard. I've just been able to check out in my Reference Guide that the Add Key is only available on Pro. So that must be the answer then. I'll need to upgrade.
Thank you for taking the time and energy to help me with this.

Alan H.

Jeff,
Thanks for that detailed explanation... I've been searching for the answer for 2 days and finally I think I understand.

Quick question: Can the same process be repeated many times by copying the last transition and pasting just before the next transition?

What I'm trying to do is something like a baseball game... Start at home plate, hit the ball, run to first base - stop, do a little dance for a while, make a pose. Next transition - move to 2nd base, stop, do a different dance, tease the catcher, make a teasing pose. Next transition - move to 3d base, stop, do some hip hop, heckle the pitcher, make a new pose. Next transition - move to home plate, slide in, do a big victory dance.
So transition 1 is copied to 149
change to new transition at 150 ending 250
Copy 150 paste 249
change to new transition at 251 etc over and over for each new transition.

Each new pose, while waiting to go to next base I would use (K) key editor? Should I start each time by clicking "absolute" or just the first time?

Is that the right way to do this or is there an easier way not to have the first, second, third and home plates start transitioning automatically from the beginning ?

I'd be greatful for any recommendations.
Suzanne

PS: Love your videos CTAStepbyStep... they're great - I watched them all. There's just not enough of them available in your channel :)

Video Suggestion: You could make a simple basic project to show step by step how to go through the complete process for beginners! (A "Look over your shoulder" type video, while you create a short story using all the basic elements just once). The Reallusion videos show us what is possible with the features, but they don't show us exactly how to do it. A video like that is educative but not helpful to a newby getting started.

Do you have the std or pro version of CTA?

Jeff


Get my Plugin Manager and TaskNotes plugins for iClone.
Check out EZColors and Other products for CTA/CA. EZColors: the easy way to change Render Styled (RS) colors!
See my CTA Tutorials on the YouTube channel CTAStepByStep

Thank you again Jeff but I'm just not getting this.
I have left clicked, right clicked, double clicked and all sorts but the plus key symbol remains greyed out for some reason.

It will be grayed out unless you click on the transform track in the frame you want the key in.

Jeff


Get my Plugin Manager and TaskNotes plugins for iClone.
Check out EZColors and Other products for CTA/CA. EZColors: the easy way to change Render Styled (RS) colors!
See my CTA Tutorials on the YouTube channel CTAStepByStep

Hi again Jeff,

I do appreciate your help. And your step by step instructions are very clear. The problem is that the plus symbol is always greyed out, therefore it will not allow me to select it to add a key.

Have you any thoughts please?

Thank you.

Alan H.

Alan,

Here is a step by step walk thru:

* Place a character on the stage.

* Open the timeline (F3), Select the Track List (icon above project) and under the Actor group select your actor.


* The Tracks for that actor will now be on the timeline.


* Click the button "Transform" to show the transform track.


* In the transform track you will see a black diamond in frame 1. That is a key.

* Move the timeline to frame 149 and click on frame at 149.


* Locate the plus sign (+) in between the two arrows in the timeline toolbar towards the left.



* Click the plus sign to add a key. You will see a black diamond appear at frame 149.


* Move the time line to frame 150 and start your animation.

The actor will not move from frame 1 thru frame 149 since the transform key is the same at both locations and there are none in between.
Keep in mind that the transform key is only used for positional movement.
The actor can still move its limbs and facial expressions. Those motions would be on the Body Motion and Facial tracks.

Jeff



Get my Plugin Manager and TaskNotes plugins for iClone.
Check out EZColors and Other products for CTA/CA. EZColors: the easy way to change Render Styled (RS) colors!
See my CTA Tutorials on the YouTube channel CTAStepByStep

Hi Jeff,

Thank you for your reply which, whilst I fully understand the principle I am still struggling to implement.

You suggested that I locate the key in the character's transform track and copy it to position 149. The difficulty for me is that I cannot work out how to locate the key and copy it to another position.

Sadly neither do I know how to add a key in the characters transform track.

Any further guidance you can offer will be appreciated.

Thank you.

Alan H.

CTA will always transform a character from one key (position) to the next.
If you place the character in a different position at frame 150 then it will transition from the position at frame 1 to the position at frame 150.
To keep your character from moving until frame 150, locate the key in the characters transform track and copy it to position 149 OR
move to frame 149 and add a key in the characters transform track.
Now there would not be any movement from position 1 to position 149 because the keys (positions) are the same at both frame 1 and frame 149.

Jeff



Get my Plugin Manager and TaskNotes plugins for iClone.
Check out EZColors and Other products for CTA/CA. EZColors: the easy way to change Render Styled (RS) colors!
See my CTA Tutorials on the YouTube channel CTAStepByStep