The IpoWindow

WindowType

As with every window header, the first button enables you to set the window type. Full Window (IconTog) Maximise the window or return it to the previous window display size; return to the old screen setting (CTRL-UPARROW).

Home

All visible curves are displayed completely, centered in the window (HOME).

IpoKeys

This is a drawing mode for the animation curves in the IpoWindow (the IpoCurves). Yellow vertical lines are drawn through all the vertices of the curves. Vertices of different curves at the same location in 'time' are joined together and can easily be selected, moved, copied or deleted. This method adds the ease of traditional key framing to the animation curve system. For Object-Ipos, these IpoKeys can also be drawn and transformed in the 3DWindow. Changes in the 3D position are processed in the IpoCurves immediately. #->$11

Ipo Type

Depending on the active Object, the various Ipo systems can be specified with these buttons. From left to right in the image (in Blender window they are not all present at all times and not in this order).

Object Ipo

Settings, such as the location and rotation, are animated for the active Object. All Objects in Blender can have this Ipo block.

Material Ipo

Settings of the active Material are animated for the active Object. A NumBut appears as an extra feature immediately to the right when this button is selected. This button indicates the number of the active Texture channel. Eight Textures, each with its own mapping, can be assigned per Material. Thus, per Material-Ipo, 8 curves in the row OfsX, OfsY, ...Var are available.

World Ipo

Used to animate a number of settings for the WorldButtons. World too has several texture channels.

VertexKey Ipo

If the active Object has a VertexKey, the keys (Absolute or Relative) are drawn as horizontal lines. Only one IPOcurve is available to interpolate between the Absolute keys, or as many curves as Keys are allowed for Relative Keys.

Constrain Ipo

If the active Object has a constrain its influence value can ba animated via an IPO. Each constrain has its own IPO. used to display the speed-Ipo.

Sequence Ipo

The active Sequence Effect can have an IpoCurve.

Action Ipo

The active Armature IPOcurves are shown.

Speed Ipo

If the active Object is a path Curve, this button can be used to display the speed (time) IPO.

Camera Ipo

The active camera IPO curves are shown.

Lamp Ipo

If the active Object is a Lamp, this button can be used to animate light settings, comprehensive of textures.

The DataButtons can be used to control the Ipo blocks themselves.

Ipo Browse

Choose another Ipo from the list of available Ipos. The option "Add New" makes a complete copy of the current Ipo. This is not visible; only the name in the adjacent button will change. Only Ipos of the same type are displayed in the menu list.

IP:

Give the current Ipo a new and unique name. After the new name is entered, it appears in the list, sorted alphabetically.

Users

If this button is displayed, there is more than one user for the Ipo block. Use the button to make the Ipo "Single User".

Unlink Ipo

The current Ipo is unlinked.

Copy to Buffer

All selected IpoCurves are copied to a temporary buffer.

Paste from Buffer

All selected channels in the IpoWindow are assigned an IpoCurve from the temporary buffer. The rule is: the sequence in which they are copied to the buffer is the sequence in which they are pasted. A check is made to see if the number of IpoCurves is the same.

Extend mode Constant

The end of selected IpoCurves are horizontally extrapolated.

Extend mode Direction

The ends of selected IpoCurves continue extending in the direction in which they end.

Extend mode Cyclic

The full length of the IpoCurve is repeated cyclically.

Extend mode Cyclic Extrapolation

The full length of the IpoCurve is extrapolated cyclic.

View Zoom

Move the mouse horizontally or vertically to zoom in or out on the IpoWindow. This is an alternative for CTRL-MMB.

View Border

Draw a rectangle to indicate what part of the IpoWindow should be displayed in the full window.

Lock

This buton locks the update of the 3DWindow while editing in the IpoWindow, so you can see changes maked to the IPO in realtime inthe 3DWindow. This option works extremely well with relative vertex keys.

IpoCurve Select

This button is only displayed if the channel has an IpoCurve. The button is the same colour as the IpoCurve. Use the button to select IpoCurves. Multiple buttons can be (de)selected using SHIFT+LeftMouse.

Channel Select

A channel can be selected whether there is an IpoCurve or not. Only IpoCurves of selected channels are drawn. Multiple channels can be (de)selected using SHIFT+LeftMouse.

LMB and drag

These are the Gestures. Blender's gesture recognition works in two ways here:

• Draw a straight line: start translation mode (Grabber)

• Draw a V-shaped line: start scaling mode.

CTRL-LMB

Create a new vertex. These are the rules:

• There is no Ipo block (in this window) and one channel is selected: a new IpoBlock is created along with the first IpoCurve with one vertex.

• There is already an Ipo block, and a channel is selected without an IpoCurve: a new IpoCurve with one vertex is added

• Otherwise a new vertex is simply added to the selected IpoCurve.

• This is not possible if multiple IpoCurves are selected or if you are in EditMode.

MMB

Depending on the position within the window:

• On the channels; if the window is not high enough to display them completely, the visible part can be shifted vertically.

• On the sliders; these can be moved. This only works if you are zoomed in.

• The rest of the window; the view is translated.

CTRL-MMB

Zoom in/out on the IpoWindow. You can zoom horizonally or vertically using horizontal and vertical mouse movements.

RMB

Selection works the same here as in the 3DWindow: normally one item is selected. Use SHIFT to add/remove from the selection.

• If the IpoWindow is in IpoKey mode, the IpoKeys can be selected.

• If at least 1 of the IpoCurves is in EditMode, only its vertices can be selected.

• VertexKeys can be selected if they are drawn (horizontal lines)

• The IpoCurves can be selected.

RMB and drag

Select and start translation mode, i.e. the Grabber. The selection can be made using any of the four selection methods discussed above.

SHIFT-RMB

Adds/removes from the selection.

NUM- , NUM+

Zoom in, zoom out.

PAGEUP

Select the next IPO Key. If more than one IpoKey is selected, the selection is shifted cyclically.

SHIFT-PAGEUP

Add the next IpoKey to the selection.

PAGEDOWN

Select the previous IPO Key. If more than one Object Key is selected, the selection is shifted cyclically.

SHIFT-PAGEDOWN

Add the previous IPO Key to the selection.

HOME

All visible curves are displayed completely, centered in the window.

TAB

All selected IpoCurves go into or out of EditMode. This mode allows you to transform individual vertices.

AKEY

Select All / deselect All. If any item is selected, first everything is deselected. Placing the mouse cursor above the channels, (de)selects all channels where there is a curve.

BKEY

Border select. Draw a rectangle with the LeftMouse; all items that fall within this rectangle are selected. Draw a rectangle with the RightMouse to deselect.

CKEY

If one vertex or one IpoKey is selected, the current frame number is set to this position.

SHIFT-D

Duplicate IPO. All selected vertices or IpoKeys are copied. Then translation mode is started automatically.

GKEY

Translation mode (the Grabber). This works on selected curves, keys or vertices. Alternatives for starting this mode:

• RMB and drag.

• LMB and draw a straight line.

The following options are available in translation mode:

• Limitors:

• CTRL increments of 1 frame or vertical unit.

• SHIFT-CTRL increments of 0.1 frame or vertical unit.

• MMB restricts the current translation to the X or Y axis. Blender calculates which axis to use, based on the already initiated mouse movement. Click MiddleMouse again to restore unlimited translation.

• ARROWS:

• With these keys the mouse cursor can be moved exactly 1 pixel.

• Grabber can be terminated with:

• LMB SPACE or ENTER: move to the new position.

• RMB or ESC: everything returns to the old position.

HKEY

Toggle Handle align / free.

SHIFT-H

Set Handle auto. The selected Bezier handles are converted to auto type.

IKEY

Insert Key. Vertices can be added to the visible curves in the IpoWindow. A PopupMenu asks you to make a choice:

• "Current Frame"; all visible curves get a vertex on the current frame.

• "Selected Keys"; (only in IpoKey mode) all selected IpoKeys get vertices for each visible curve, including IpoCurves that are not part of the IPO Key.

JKEY

Join vertices. Selected vertices or IpoKeys can be joined. A PopupMenu asks you to make a choice:

• "All Selected"; all selected vertices are replaced by a new one.

• "Selected doubles": all selected vertices that are closer to each other than 0.9 frame are joined.

KKEY

IPO Key mode ON/OFF. If the Ipo block is Object Ipo type, the Objects are redrawn with the option DrawKey ON (see the explanation under IpoHeader).

RKEY

Recording

mode. The X and Y movements of the mouse are linked to the height of the IpoCurve. Thus, this works with a maximum of two selected channels or IpoCurves. The old curve is completely deleted; the new one becomes a 'linear' type. You cannot change parts of curves with recording. The scale at which this happens is determined by the view of the IpoWindow. A PopupMenu asks you to make a choice:

• "Still"; the current frame is used as the starting point.

• "Play anim"; the animation starts, allowing you to see the correlation with other animation systems.

During recording mode, the CTRL must be held down to actually start recording. Press SPACEKEY or ENTER or LeftMouse to stop recording. Use ESCKEY to undo changes.

SKEY

Scaling mode. This works on selected IpoCurves and vertices. The degree of scaling is precisely linked to the mouse movement. Try to move from the (rotation) midpoint with the mouse. In IpoKey mode, you can only scale horizontally. Alternatives for starting scaling mode:

• LMB draw a sharp angle; a V-shaped line. The following options are available in scaling mode:

• Limitors:

  • CTRL: in increments of 0.1.

  • SHIFT-CTRL: in increments of 0.01.

• MMB limits scaling to the X or Y axis. Blender calculates which axis to use based on the already initiated mouse movement. Click MiddleMouse again to return to free scaling.

• ARROWS These keys allow you to move the mouse cursor exactly 1 pixel.

• XKEY Make the horizontal scaling negative, the X-flip.

• YKEY Make the vertical scaling negative, the Y-flip.

• Terminate size mode with: LMB SPACE or ENTER: to finalize scaling.

  RMB or ESC : everything returns to its previous state.

SHIFT-S

Snap Menu.

• "Horizontal": The selected Bezier handles are set to horizontal.

• "To next": The selected handle or vertex is set to the same (Y) value as the next one.

• "To frame": The selected handles or vertices are set to the exact frame values.

• "To current frame": The selected handle or vertex is moved to the current frame.

TKEY

If an IpoCurve is selected: "Ipo Type". The type of selected IpoCurves can be changed. A PopupMenu asks you to make a choice:

• "Constant": after each vertex of the curve, this value remains constant, and is not interpolated.

• "Linear": linear interpolation occurs between the vertices.

• "Bezier": the vertices get a handle (i.e. two extra vertices) with which you can indicate the curvature of the interpolation curve.

If a Key is selected: "Key Type". The type of selected Keys can be changed.

• "Linear": linear interpolation occurs between the Keys. The Key line is displayed as a broken line.

• "Cardinal": fluent interpolation occurs between the Keys; this is the default.

• "BSpline": extra fluent interpolation occurs between the Keys, four Keys are now involved in the interpolation calculation. Now the positions themselves cannot be displayed precisely, however. The Key line is shown as a broken line.

VKEY

Vector Handle. The selected Bezier handles are converted to vector type.

XKEY

Erase selected. The selected vertices, IpoKeys or IpoCurves are deleted. If there are selected VertexKeys, they are also deleted.