Offset clip channels

You can offset the channels within an animation clip to change how Maya interprets channel values within that clip. Clip channels can have an absolute or relativeoffset. You can set a clip’s channel offsets with the Channel Offsets controls. See Channel Offsets.

Note

If two clips overlap in a pair of tracks for the same character set, Maya adds the values of any redundant attributes, regardless of whether you use Absolute or Relative. This compounding effect is typically undesirable unless you blend the clips. For information on blending animation clips, see Create and edit blends.

Absolute channels

Absolute channels do not accumulate motion. This means that when the offset of a clip channel is absolute, then that channel does not add the motion of the equivalent channel in the previous clip to its own animation. This is useful when you want to create a sequence of cycled animation.

For example, if you want to create a walk cycle, the cycle should have relative translation channels (so that your character doesn’t jump back to its initial position at the end of each cycle) and absolute rotation channels.

Relative channels

Relative channels accumulate motion. This means that when the offset of a clip channel is relative, then that channel adds the motion on the equivalent channel in the previous clip to its own animation.

For example, suppose you’ve created two clips that play sequentially in the Time Slider. The first clip is a character walking away from the origin along the X-axis, the second clip is the character running away from the origin along the X-axis.

If the clip’s translation channels are relative, the character walks away from the origin and then starts running from the position where the walking clip ends and the running clip begins. If the clip’s translation channels are absolute, then character walks away from the origin and when the walking clip ends and the running clip begins, the character moves instantly to the origin and starts running from that position.

To offset a clip’s animation channels

Select the clip whose channels you want to offset.
Open the Attribute Editor.
Select the clip’s tab (animClip node).
Expand the Channel Offsets section.
See Channel Offsets.
Do the following:
- Turn on the Absolute settings for channels that you want to offset as absolute.
- Turn on the Relative settings for channels that you want to offset as relative.
- Click All Absolute to set the offsets of all the channels in the current clip to absolute.
- Click All Relative to set the offsets of all the channels in the current clip to relative.
- Click Restore Defaults to set the offsets of all the channels in the current clip back to their original settings.

To copy the channel offset settings from one clip to another clip

Select the clip that has the channel offset settings you want to copy. This clip is the source clip.
+click the clip to which you want to apply the source clip’s channel offset settings. This clip is the destination clip.
Note
- The source and destination clips must belong to the same character.
- The source and destination clips must have common channels.
- You cannot copy clip channel offset settings from one source clip to multiple destination clips.
In the Trax menu bar, select Edit > Copy Channel Offsets.
The destination clip now has the same channel offset settings as the source clip.