Adobe Character Animator is set to take another big step forward with the upcoming addition of keyframes.
Modeled closely on the already existing keyframe capabilities in Premiere Pro and After Effects, Keyframes in Character Animator will allow animators to change certain behavior properties over time, Adobe said. Those behaviors might include the strength with which leaves are blown in the wind, or the degree of tilt applied to an animated character’s cocked head or raised eyebrow.
Watch Adobe’s Dave Werner preview the new feature in the following video:
The ability to control a property via keyframes is indicated by a stopwatch icon; users click the stopwatch to create a keyframe on the timeline. The effects of keyframes are represented through an inline graph editor that can be accessed right on the timeline, where visual cues allow for easy adjustment of keyframed behaviors.
A keyframe context menu comes up on right-click with the expected ease-in and ease-out options, as well as a Create Replay and Trigger function. That allows users to easily configure a custom animation sequence with keyframes across multiple parameters as a triggerable animation that can be used during live performances, Adobe said.
Adobe didn’t place a date on the feature addition, saying only that keyframes are “coming soon.”
