Replacing keyframes on the timeline

[Jho]

Hi all.

I have been rigging and animating with Softimage for a few months now but haven't found a way to replace keyframes on the timeline. I tried to google it, but no luck.

What I mean is, I want to take a keyframe and drag it on top of another so that it replaces the old one.

I know I can copy and paste the keyframe and have already changed it in the settings that it doesn't merge the keyframes but that it replaces, but this didn't fix it for dragging. It just is a part of my workflow and buggs me that I can't do it. As far as I can tell, when I try to drag a keyframe on top of another, nothing happens.

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EDIT: Hid the picture so that it doesn't distract.

[druitre]

Select key + ctrl-drag over other key = replace existing key works here

[Jho]

Thanks a lot druitre.
But I just want to move the key not duplicate it.
Granted, I only have to duplicate it and then delete the old one, but to me that's just a little less complicated than copy-pasteing.

It looks to me that Softimage is preventing me from replacing keys while dragging. Maybe a safety of some kind. Surely there is an option somewhere where I say that I don't need a safety like that, right?

[druitre]

Aah, you're right, that is annoying. When shifting keys, it wants to prevent you from overwriting existing ones. Like a safety. Let's see if we can disable that somewhere...

[morin]

I have the same problem for years. I worked at different studios and with different softwares.
Look at 3ds max's timeline. Very very comfortable and easy. Even maya's timeline is very easy. I can make hotkeys and copy paste keys in an half second in maya. I cannot assign hotkeys in SI for copy, cut, paste hotkeys. Selecting-dragging is also very annoying and very very bad for a software which claims best for animation.

[sonictk]

MMB+drag frame

Same as Maya.

[Jho]

MMB+drag frame

Same as Maya.

Nope. It won't let me replace a key. When I try to drag a key on top of another, it just bounces back.
If you are able to replace keys however, it's good news. Maybe there is an option to correct this then.
Are you using the Maya interaction mode?

The green key thing (when you grap any point in the timeline with the middle mouse button and drag that) is a great feature by the way. But it's also kind of crippled because replacing other keys isn't allowed.

[Mathaeus]

Basically it's replacing and deleting the old key, using green key, or dragging with 'replace key' option enabled. Or, cut and paste. That's it. At least in native, Softimage interaction. Unfortunately I don't know that much about Maya, only some stereotypes, Machu Picchu, conquistadors, End of the world and so on.

[sonictk]

MMB+drag frame

Same as Maya.

Nope. It won't let me replace a key. When I try to drag a key on top of another, it just bounces back.
If you are able to replace keys however, it's good news. Maybe there is an option to correct this then.
Are you using the Maya interaction mode?

The green key thing (when you grap any point in the timeline with the middle mouse button and drag that) is a great feature by the way. But it's also kind of crippled because replacing other keys isn't allowed.

Should mention, after you MMB+drag a frame, you then key it. This is exactly the same behaviour as Maya's timeline.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but here's a demo:

[druitre]

Hi Sonictk, if in your example you grab the key at frame 54 and drag it to frame 100, what do you get? I always get a no-go; the key at fr 100 remains. I think that is what people here are asking about - drag-replace keys. In the dopesheet it works, not in the timeline.

BTW, I too think it would be good if we were able to place keyframe copypasteactions under fast keyboard shortcuts. Haven't found a script or plug to do this yet.

[sonictk]

Hi Sonictk, if in your example you grab the key at frame 54 and drag it to frame 100, what do you get? I always get a no-go; the key at fr 100 remains. I think that is what people here are asking about - drag-replace keys. In the dopesheet it works, not in the timeline.

BTW, I too think it would be good if we were able to place keyframe copypasteactions under fast keyboard shortcuts. Haven't found a script or plug to do this yet.

Sorry, I should emphasize again: you have to key the frame again after you MMB+drag. Meaning I press K after MMB+dragging a frame to where I want it. This will work regardless of any existing keyframe on that frame, it will be replaced.

Also you can copy/paste keys using shortcuts from the graph editor, I guess as a workaround. I never manipulate keys on the timeline as a general rule of thumb anyway, I usually stick to the graph editor for that. Maya habit ;X

[druitre]

I'm sorry too, maybe we're not speaking about the same thing. When I select a key in the timeline and then MMB drag it, it won't go over an existing key. On release of the mouse it pops back to where it came from. If I press K I simply get a new key at the frame I'm at.

I'm not talking about the green key. You're not dragging keys with that but keying on another frame than current cursorposition.

What do you get when you do what I asked in my previous post? Grab an existing key, MMB drag it to a frame with an already existing key. If there is a way to do this, I would really like to know it.

[gustavoeb]

same here, can only get replacement when pasting keys... annoying

[sonictk]

The same result. I'm working with a stock XSI 2010 install at the office and it works as expected there too. You don't have to 'select' any key/frame that you're on, just scrub to where you want first.

Made another video. Look at the script editor bar to see when I hit the keyframe button. I think it should work hopefully for you guys too, it's really useful and I use it a lot for inbetweening and making moving holds

EDIT: In the video you can see me taking the pos of the cube at frame 36 and copying over frame 54 with it then I make a hold from frame 54 to 100 by copying over the pos from 54 to 100.

and oh boy its 3am and I have to wake up for work at 6 =\

[gustavoeb]

sonictk, I think I didnt express myself accordingly. as others in this thread I too find that MOVING/scaling keys over other existing keys WONT work. your method, setting keys at an arbitrary keyframe, and pasting key frames (either with copy/paste or with CTRL shortcut) works perfectly fine.

what is specially annoying, imho, about not being able to override previously existing frames when moving/scaling keyframes is that you might be applying such operations to many parameters and keyframes at the same time. some will hit empty frames others wont, so some will stick while others will go back to original position, effectively screwing your animation.

[Jho]

Thanks everybody, nice to see so many responding.

Sonictk is in fact right that it is possible to MMB copy and replace a key. Thanks a lot for the video, it was great.
However it only works when you are in (your time slider is) the frame that is being copied, as you copy it.

I quickly made a few gifs to clarify:

When the time slider is in the frame that is being copied, replacing WORKS:

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When the time slider is in the frame that is being copied TO, replacing DOESN'T WORK:

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And still, replacing while selecting an area with SHIFT+LMB and moving never works. This is a problem to me and I see no benefits to it, so I would like to have it changed.