[iClone 7.1] Timeline Improvements


https://forum.reallusion.com/Topic348129.aspx
Print Topic | Close Window

By Grace (RL) - 7 Years Ago
iClone 7.1 Timeline Usability Improvements

More Intuitive and Easier Controls:
  • Clip Includes Layer Key
  • Gesture Behavior
  • Copy / Cut / Paste
  • Loop, Speed, and Time Warp
  • Auto-Extend (with Loop and Speed)
  • Sample and Flatten
  • Merge Clip
  • Hollow / Solid Key
  • Transition Type
*Notice: the followings mostly from the iClone 7.1 closed beta forum. For the final UI description, please refer to iClone 7 Manual.


Clip Includes Layer Key


Clips is now a unit encasing Layer Keys for the TorsoHeadLArmRArmLFingersRFingersLLegRLegLFoot, and RFoot.


Encased Layer Keys are moved along with the Clip.


iClone 6 and iClone 7 Differences

iClone 6 Clip



iClone 7 Clip 



Clip's Layer Keys can not be moved outside the range of the Clip.




Gesture Behavior

Gestures and Motion Layers are all encased inside the Clip.


Gestures have a different Motion Layer, thus, are not applied to the Motion Clip.
Gestures only replaces the Motion Clip's Gesture layer, other Motion Layer keys will only superimpose onto the performance of the Gesture Clip.



When Sample or Flatten is activated, the Gesture data will combine into corresponding tracks of the Motion Clip Layer Keys.

Sample


Flatten



Copy / Cut / Paste

Copy and cutting keys can be pasted on the same or a different clip.
This applies to Clip Transform Keys and Layer Keys.
Copy and paste can be applied to any Clip in the same asset or can be pasted onto other Clips of similar asset types.




Even though the Layer Key tracks are numerous, they are still of the same type.
Therefore, the rules above still apply.






Loop, Speed, and Time Warp

Loop will create instance Clips behind the Source Clip which are identical to the Source Clip.  
In order to make changes to the instanced Clips, one must change the Source Clip itself.




Speed / Time Warp

Pushing and pulling on the edges of the Clip will change the speed of the motion from fast to slow.
The grid of the Clip will narrow or expand accordingly to provide a visual cue for the changes in the speed. 

Applying Time Warp in iClone 6 will resample the keys of the clip, causing the keys to either be lost or moved, making the original motion unrecoverable.
Contrast this with iClone 7, where Time Warp will not tamper with the original keys, thus protecting the fidelity of the original Clip Motion.





The speed of the Clip will now be displayed behind the name of the Clip.






Auto-Extend (with Loop and Speed)

A new Auto Extend feature has been added to the Timeline toolbar.



A key can be created by double clicking on a portion of the Timeline that does not contain a Clip.  
If Auto Extend is enabled then the key will be joined with the Clip to its left.
If Auto Extend is disabled then the key will just become an independent Motion Clip.  



If the Clip has Loop or Speed and Time Warp applied, then the following scenarios will occur when Auto Extend is enabled:


Loop with Auto Extend Enabled

When a posterior key is created, the Source Clip and looped instance Clips will combine into one whole extended Clip.




Speed / Time Warp with Auto Extend Enabled

If the speed of the Clip and the Timeline do not match, then the Clip will be resampled according to the speed of the Timeline and extend toward the newly applied key.




Sample and Flatten

Motion is the combination of the Motion Clip and the Layer Keys.
In order to edit the contents of the Motion Clip or merge the Layer Keys with the Motion Clip, one must use the Sample and Flatten commands.




Sample

Sampling exposes the contents of the Motion Clip as Layer Keys.
Usage: Right click on the Clip and perform Sample Motion Clip > Sample All to turn the keys of the Motion Clip into Layer Keys.



In order to sample just parts of the body, use Sample Part instead to open the sampling dialog box.
Inside the dialog box, select the parts wanted and press the Sample button to finish sampling.





Flatten

Flatten merges all of the Layer Keys into the Motion Clip.
Usage: Right clip on the Clip and perform Flatten Motion Clip > Flatten All in order to merge all of the Layer Keys into the Motion Clip.



In order to flatten just parts of the body, use Flatten Part instead to open the flatten dialog box.
Inside the dialog box, select the parts wanted and press the Flatten button to finish merging.






Merge Clip

Merge Clip function can be used to join together disparate clips of the same track.  
Usage: Pick the adjoining Clips to the left and right and perform Context Menu > Merge Clip.




Hollow / Solid Keys and Clip

Hollow Keys represents a partially keyed frame in the track, meaning not all axis of the element has a key.
On the flipside, Solid Keys represent a completely keyed frame.  
Usually, Hollow Keys will appear most when Edit Motion Layer or Sample Clip is applied.
This is because iClone 7 performs optimization on all the keys when these commands are executed to make the motion keys more concise.
One needs to use the Curve Editor in order to adjust the Hollow Keys.




Transition Type

The Transition Curve function inside iClone has improved from version 7.0 to 7.1, adding much more Curve options for the user.

Inside iClone 7.0, there are 6 Curve types accessible via the context menu.



The Curve options have increased from 6 to 16 also accessible via the context menu, however, in the form an independent window.
Each Transition Type can be previewed in the viewport simply by selecting it in the floating window, making it more intuitive and convenient.



By wires - 7 Years Ago
A very impressive list of improvements and additions. Smile
By Pixtim - 7 Years Ago
A little testimony about my meeting with this version 7.1, the new elements of the timeline and the plug'in Curve Editor .... Smile

I'm in love with Iclone Smile
By yancowles - 7 Years Ago
Halle flippin' lujah!
By rogyru - 7 Years Ago
Thanks for the  good breakdown grace it helps . Lots to learn and remember with the new changes . RL team has  done a great job with 7.1 lots of cool new features and tutorials
By Bellatrix - 7 Years Ago
Lots of original ideas and innovative thinking. Excellent job, Reallusion.