Developer Forum

Animation Editors Paper Cuts

Animation & Rigging
#1

In the A&R module meeting from the 12th of January 2023 we had a long chat about small papercuts in the Graph Editor and Dope Sheet. I’ve started a design document that tries to put the issues raised into bullet points: ⚓ T103855 Animation Editors Paper Cuts

Since I feel like the forum is a better place for discussion, I am opening the thread here.
Feel free to share your ideas either on the design task or in here.

It’s important to emphasize that this is about small changes.
We are aware that there are big design issue that need to be tackled, but this is not the task for it.

6 Likes
2023-01-26 Animation & Rigging module meeting
#2

Can’t wait for " Allow multi editing for FCurve modifiers"!

Does this also mean being able to add a modifier to multiple channels all at once? I often use the noise modifier to randomize a bit the animations, and if I animate e.g. the position of multiple axes, even if I selected all of them the modifier is added to only one.

#3

there is already an option but it’s quite hidden in the redo panel.
You know what that’s also a great papercut. Give that it’s own menu entry
image

1 Like
#4

OMG! Never noticed it, but yeah, being able to do it by default instead of afterwards would be amazing.

2 Likes
#5

I miss snapping to keyframes. Sometimes you don’t know if you have a playhead on a keyframe and you have to zoom to make sure. Moving a playhead with Shift pressed could snap the playhead to keyframes.

Currently I’m not sure if I’m on a keyframe:

9 Likes
#6

yes good idea. I remember we talked about this in the module a while ago, but it was dropped because we lacked the time/dev power to do it.
Added to the list, thanks :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#7

Agreed, here is a mockup I made a while ago : Right-Click Select — Blender Community?

#8

Another thing I find annoying regarding channels, is that you can’t extend the selection range like in the Outliner with Shift.

Screenshot_2

Here pressing Shift extends only the selection with the specific channel you selected. I think the behavior should be the same as selecting in the Outliner:

Shift + Left Click: Extend Selection Range
Ctrl + Left Click: Extend Selection

Also, as we can Box Select the curves, we should also be able to Box Select the channels, currently we can’t.

4 Likes
#9

I guess this is not a small request, but it would be great,

  • if objects in the DopeSheet and GraphEditor could be reoganized by drag/drop and not only in alphabetical order.

  • It would be even better, we could organzie these objects with some kind of folder/collection.

When you have tons of objetcs in the scene, such options can be a huge timesaver. Unreal`s Sequencer does this and its so useful.

1 Like
#10

agreed this also has annoyed me for a while

#11

Of all the animation editors, only the Graph and Drivers Editors attribute panels have a right margin.

Margen
Margen581×1216 94.3 KB

2 Likes
#12

yeah that is a big task to do, the great rework will come though. Just now now

Ha that margin issue is weird, i’ll put it on the list

1 Like
#13

There was this brillant proposal about “Multi-Keyframe Editing”:

Very much needed :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#14

This seems to tie in with the still ongoing problem that Blender only ever edits the last selected object input instead of all the selected objects at once, everywhere in the UI. Not just in animation editor.

But I also learned a new trick just now … s/x/0 to cursor on handles. Like the presentation says: Not obvious to all users. Not at all :sweat_smile:

4 Likes
#15

And that’s why it’s a major papercut. Ouch! :grin:

1 Like
#16

yeees
put on the list as “edit selected keyframes instead of only active”

similar to the modifier issue I guess

EDIT that already works when dragging with the ALT key. similar to other areas in blender. but i agree it’s not obvious

3 Likes
#17

Since this also always comes up (“Alt-Enter or Alt-Drag to edit several values at once”) …
Yes - it has to be know and is pretty much not discoverable. Alt-Enter and Alt-Drag also had compatibility Problems when Emulate Three Button Mouse was active. But it seems that’s working now.
Not to mention that it’s simply not intuitive at all, though. And should also not only work on values and in all fields. But this is far from a papercut problem, unfortunately. :neutral_face:

3 Likes
#18

Yeah, something that I really liked when I started working with C4D is that when selecting more than one object, you can change at the same time the shared values of anything. And if the values aren’t the same, the UI displays “Mixed” within the field (but you can still edit all the values at the same time).

1 Like
#19

Yeah, I miss that too a lot. There is still a design task for it ⚓ T54862 Multi-Object Properties Editing, but unofrtunately it’s a big change that involves many areas in Blender, and not just the animation editors. Currently the task is stalled, but hopefully one day…

2 Likes
#20

Thanks for linking that task! Didn’t know about it, let’s hope it lands in the not too distant future.

1 Like