Reduce Keys

Using Inverse Kinematics or creating any complex animation, can leave you with many keys. In the case of Applied Inverse Kinematics, 3D Studio MAX generates a key on nearly every frame. Often, the same animation can be produced with fewer keys. Having fewer keys in a track makes it easier to change your animation.

Use Reduce Keys in Edit Time mode to analyze the pattern of keys in a block of time and create a new pattern of fewer keys that produces nearly the same animation. You specify how closely the new animation matches the original.

Reference

Reduce Keys: Display the Reduce Keys dialog.

Threshold: Sets a threshold value.

How To

To reduce keys within a block of time:

1. Select item labels in the Hierarchy list to select tracks for time editing.
2. Select a block of time.
3. Click Reduce Keys to display the Reduce Keys dialog.
4. Enter a value in the Threshold field to specify how closely 3DS MAX must match the original animation.

If you apply key reduction to multiple tracks, the threshold value is applied to each track using the track’s value type. For example, if you select both a position track and a bend angle track and apply key reduction with a threshold value of 0.5, positions will be held within 0.5 units of the original, and bend angles will be held within 0.5 degrees of the original.