MARCH 03, 2004
Cinema 4D Quick Tip: Reverse Time Remapping
Simple methods for changing keyframes
 by Ko Maruyama
Sometimes the animations you've created in your timeline need to be edited to fit specific timings. While moving keyframes around to match key points may seem easy enough, there are some hidden tricks and short cuts that may help you manage those pesky timeline events a little easier. This week we'll take a look at controlling keyframes in an existing animation in Maxon's Cinema 4D 8, specifically for reversing keyframes on a sequence.

Reverse keyframes: negative scale
If you're an After Effects user, you're familiar with the keyframe assistant called "Time-Reverse Keyframes." There is no analog to this feature in Cinema 4D. In addition, as of Cinema 4D 8.2, you can't apply a negative scale to keyframes (in other words, reverse the keyframes on your Timeline). One edge of the sequence cannot pass behind the other edge of the sequence. So here's an alternate method using curves. If you'd like to follow along, you can download a sample Cinema 4D project here (24 KB).[an error occurred while processing this directive]1. In the Timeline (Shift-F3), create parameter sequence, and add keyframes (or download project file).



2. Select the animated object and open the F-Curve Manager.



3. In the F-Curve Manager, select the keyframes you want to want to reverse. Note: You can choose all keyframes, or select as few as two.

4. In the F-Curve Manager File pulldown menu, select Curves > Mirror X. This will flip the curve horizontally around the center of the keyframes you choose.



Need a little more information on the Timeline? Read on.

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