Cody Casey
Maya's Graph Editor is a tool for creating, viewing, and modifying animation curves. Users can access the Graph Editor from the main menu by selecting Windows > Animation Editors > Graph Editor. The left panel of the Graph Editor shows the object and channels that the key is applied to, while the right panel displays the function curves. Users can pan and zoom the graph using the same method as when modelling in the workspace.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| How to access the graph editor | From the main menu bar, select Windows > Animation Editors > Graph Editor. From the view menu bar, select Panels > Panel > Graph Editor. |
| How to pan in the graph editor | Use the same method you use to pan in the workspace when modelling. Hold CTRL when selecting specific channels. |
| How to fix errors in panning | If you make a mistake while panning and zooming, select the object or a channel in the left panel and hit "f" to frame the selected channel in the graph editor. |
| How to move keys | Use the value boxes for moving keys numerically. |
| How to break tangents | Select a key and click the break tangents icon. |
| How to tighten tangents | Use the Zoo Tangent Works feature. |
| How to set default tangent types | Use the Zoo Tangent Works feature. |
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What You'll Learn
Accessing the graph editor
To access the Graph Editor in Maya, start by opening the main menu bar. From here, navigate to Windows > Animation Editors > Graph Editor. Alternatively, you can access the Graph Editor from the view menu bar by selecting Panels > Panel > Graph Editor.
Once you have opened the Graph Editor, you will see two panels. The left panel is the 'outline' and displays the selected object and the channels that the key is applied to. Only channels with keyframes will appear in this panel. The right panel shows the function curves, with the orange boxes representing the keyframes of the animation.
If you want to select specific channels, hold down CTRL while selecting the desired channels. You can pan and zoom the graph using the same method as when modelling in the workspace. If you get lost while panning and zooming, simply select an object or channel in the left panel and hit "F" to frame the selected channel in the graph editor.
The Graph Editor is a powerful tool for manipulating animation curves and keys in your scene. It allows you to create, view, and modify animation curves in various ways, such as controlling interpolation between keyframes and extrapolation of curves.
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Selecting channels
When working with a large number of objects in Maya's Graph Editor, you can easily select and edit curves by following these steps:
First, enable the "Sync Graph Editor Display" option in the Channel Box menu. This setting allows you to select and isolate specific curves for all selected objects in the Graph Editor. The Channel Box, located on the left panel, displays the object you've selected and the channels that your key is applied to.
Once "Sync Graph Editor Display" is enabled, you can simply select the desired curve in the Channel Box. For example, if you want to select and edit translateY curves, you would select "translateY" in the Channel Box. This action will automatically select all the translateY curves for the objects in the Graph Editor.
To select a range of channels, hold down the Shift key while selecting. This allows you to highlight multiple channels simultaneously. Conversely, if you want to remove channels from the highlighted list, hold down the Ctrl key while selecting. This enables you to deselect specific channels without affecting the other selected channels.
Additionally, you can also select a key in the graph to confirm its values within the Graph Editor UI. This is useful for cross-referencing the values associated with a particular curve.
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Panning and zooming
Once the Graph Editor is open, you can pan and zoom using the same method you would typically use when modelling in the workspace. This allows you to navigate and manipulate the graph representation of your animation.
If you find yourself lost in the graph or unable to locate a specific curve after panning and zooming, there is a quick way to frame the selected channel. Simply select the object or channel in the left panel and press the "F" key to frame the selected channel in the Graph Editor.
Additionally, the move snap hotkey (ctl alt a) is a handy tool for moving keys. When used, it moves the selected keys so that the first frame of the selection moves to the current time, providing a quick way to adjust the timing of your animation.
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Viewing the Classic Graph Editor
The "Classic" Graph Editor is the legacy version of Maya's Graph Editor. It is still included with Maya, allowing users to switch back if needed. To restore the Classic Graph Editor, go to the Animation (Settings) Preferences and scroll down to the Graph Editor section. Toggle on the Classic option. Note that you will need to close and reopen the Graph Editor for the user interface to update.
The Classic Graph Editor is a graphical representation of the animated attributes in your scene, shown as animation curves. It is a useful tool for 3D animation as it can accurately track motion over time and smooth out the kinks.
The Graph Editor’s shelf has several icons, including Insert Key (i), various move/scale tools, lattice, region, and re-time. The value boxes can be used for moving keys numerically, and there are different “framing” modes as well. Maya also has several tangent types, including "Plateau" and "Clamped", which are variations of "Auto" tangents. The "Weighted" tangent type is also available, although it is not the default.
The move snap hotkey (ctl alt a) is a handy tool that moves the selected keys so that the first frame of the selection moves to the current time.
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Using tangent types
The tangent types in Maya's Graph Editor allow users to fine-tune their animations. Tangents affect the behaviour of curves between keys, thereby changing the motion over many keyframes.
There are several types of tangents in Maya. The default type is 'Non-Weighted', which is the best option in most situations. However, animators can change the default to the "Weighted" type in the Preferences Window. This can be done by going to Windows > Settings/Preferences > Preferences.
Plateau and Clamped are variations of 'Auto' tangents. 'Clamped' is where the tangent handles are flattened to match the key of the same value. Fixed and Stepped Next are some hidden tangent types.
To break a tangent, select a key and click the break tangents icon. This will allow you to tweak each side individually. The 'break tangents' option releases the tangents for a selected key from each other, allowing independent movement.
The Zoo Tangent Works feature in Maya allows users to change tangent types without being in the Graph Editor.
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Frequently asked questions
You can pan and zoom the graph using the same method you do to pan in the workspace when modelling.
CTL + ALT + A. This moves selected keys so that the first frame of the selection moves to the current time.
Select the object or a channel in the left panel and hit "F" to frame the selected channel in the graph editor.
Hold CTRL when selecting the channels.
