Playing Animation

The main controls for playing animation in MotionBuilder are found in the Transport Controls.

To play animation, use one of the following methods:

In the Transport Controls, click Play to play the animation, and Stop to stop the animation.

Play Controls found in the Transport Controls A. Stop B. Play
Press Ctrl-Spacebar to play the animation, and press Ctrl-Spacebar again to stop the animation.

For information about the Transport Controls, see Transport Controls.

Changing the play speed

To change the speed at which your take plays in MotionBuilder:

Select a play speed in the Play speed field in the Transport Controls window.
By slowing down the play speed, you can analyze model and camera movements more easily.

NoteTo compensate for computer speed, frames may be dropped for playing in real time in all play speeds, excluding the ALL FR option.

You can also speed up play or draw every frame. You can also scrub through the animation by jogging.

Jogging Animation

Jogging is the easiest way to scrub, or move backward and forward, along the timeline at the play speed you want.

Note If you jog animation, it affects any audio on the timeline if the Enable Scrubbing option is active in the Audio settings.

To jog through the current take:

J-drag in the Viewer window, or on a timeline.
Drag left to jog backward, or right to jog forward.

The further you move the mouse pointer relative to the location in which you J-click, the faster the take plays.

Selecting a frame rate

You can change the frame rate at which the take plays. You can select frames-per-second (fps), NTSC, or PAL formats from the menu, or use the Custom option to enter a custom frame rate. The default time format is 24 fps.

NoteFor information on changing the time display, see Selecting a time format.

To select one of the main frame rates:

In the Transport Controls, select one of the options in the Time Format field.

Transport Controls A. Time Format field

The frame rate is selected in the Time Format field, and the unit of measurement is changed. See Time Format menu for more information.

To select a custom frame rate:

Click the Time Format field in the Transport Controls, then select Custom from the menu.

Transport Controls A. Time Format field B. Custom option

The Custom Frame Rate dialog box appears.

Custom Frame Rate dialog box

Enter one of the following frame rates in the field:


1	16	75	300
2	20	80	375
3	24	85	400
4	25	86	500
5	30	100	600
6	40	120	750
8	43	125	1200
10	44	150	1500
12	48	200	2000
12.5	50	240	2000
15	60	250	6000

Note If you enter a value other than one of these supported frame rates, the next highest supported frame rate is selected.

Click Ok or press Enter.
The custom frame rate is selected in the Time Format field.

Transport Controls A. A custom frame rate is selected.

When you save your scene, the selected frame rate is also saved.