When you set a keyframe (or key), you assign a value to an object’s attribute (for example, translate, rotate, scale, color) at a specific time.

Most animation systems use the frame as the basic unit of measurement because each frame is played back in rapid succession to provide the illusion of motion.

The frame rate (frames per second) that is used to play back an animation is based on the medium that the animation will be played back (for example, film, TV, video game, and so on.)

When you set several keys at different times with different values, Maya generates the attribute values between those times as the scene plays back each frame. The result is the movement or change over time of those objects and attributes.

In this lesson, you will use simple keyframing techniques to make a ball fly over a fence and bounce off the ground.

In this lesson, you learn how to:

• Set keyframes for animatable objects and their attributes.
• Use the Time and Range slider and Playback Controls to control the playback.
• Use keyboard shortcuts to set keyframes.
• Use the Graph Editor to view animation curves.
• Modify the animation of objects using the Graph Editor.
• Set preferences to increase the playback quality.

Watch: Keyframe.mov