Animate state menus and HUDs

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Overview
Parameters
Settings
Context menu
- Actions
Viewport state parameters window
HUD panel options

Overview ¶

The various parameters, settings, and configurations for the animate state can be accessed through the following menus and HUDs:

Animate state HUD

The animate state HUD is displayed by default when you enter the animate state. It is split into two sections - the top section for parameters and the bottom section for selection sets, animation layers, and various settings. You can display the two sections in separate HUDs by RMB clicking the animate state HUD and turning off Toggle Split View.

Viewport state parameters window

The viewport state parameters window is accessed by pressing P over the viewport. It provides options for configuring the look and functionality of the transform handle, setting the visibility of controls, and turning on parallel rig evaluation and animation caching.

HUD panel options

The options for configuring the behavior of the animate state HUDs can be accessed by RMB clicking the HUD panel.

Parameters ¶

Parameters for the animate state can be accessed through the top section of the animate state HUD. These parameters provide access to the transform component values of controls as well as constraint and tool-specific parameters. To bring up the animate state parameters, press G over the viewport.

The following groups of parameters are available in the animate state HUD:

Controls ¶

In the Controls tab, you can change the transform component values (translate, rotate, and scale) of the selected control by typing in the textboxes, using the value ladder, or dragging on the parameter name (click first, then drag). To select multiple parameters:

Drag across multiple parameter names.

or
Press ⌃ Ctrl or ⇧ Shift while selecting the parameter names.

The following buttons are available in the Controls tab:

Button	Description
	Resets all the parameter values to their defaults. To reset specific values, select multiple parameters and press .
	When multiple controls are selected, snaps the selected controls to the position of the primary control (the control where the transform handle is placed).
	Copies all the parameter values.
	Pastes the copied parameter values: Select a control. Click to copy all the parameter values. Select another control. Click to paste the copied values. To paste only certain values, select the parameter(s) you want to replace and click .
	As an alternative to the value ladder, you can click the parameter name, then drag the name to change its value. To set the step size that the dragged parameters change by, click to cycle through these step size values.

To...	Do this
Select multiple parameters	Drag across multiple parameter names. or Press `⌃ Ctrl` or `⇧ Shift` while selecting the parameter names.
Change multiple values at once	Select multiple parameters. Update the value of one of the selected parameters. The updated value will apply to all the selected parameters. or Use the value ladder on one of the selected parameter textboxes. The relative change will apply to all the selected parameters.
Set keyframes	Select a control. The following actions set keyframes at the current frame: `ALT` click a parameter value. click a parameter and select Set Keyframe. `⇧ Shift` click a parameter value to key all the parameters. To set keyframes on multiple parameters, select the parameters and: click one of the selected parameters and select Set Keyframes. or `⇧ Shift` click one of the selected parameter textboxes.
Delete keys at the current frame	Select a control. The following actions delete keys at the current frame: `⌃ Ctrl` click a parameter value. click a parameter and select Remove Keyframe. `⌃ Ctrl` + `⇧ Shift` click a parameter value to delete the keys for all the parameters. If there are parameters that are selected and you `⌃ Ctrl` + `⇧ Shift` click one of the selected parameter values, only the keys for the selected parameters are deleted.
Delete keys at all the frames	Select a control. click a parameter and select Delete All Keys.

Constraints ¶

The constraint parameters are available within the Constraint tab of the animate state HUD. See constraint parameters for more information.

Tool-specific parameters ¶

Some animate state tools have their own parameters, which appear in a separate tab once you enter the tool. For these parameters, see the individual tools like dynamic motion and ragdoll.

Settings ¶

Settings for the animate state can be accessed through the bottom section of the animate state HUD, in the Settings tab. These settings include those for the transform handle, baking, constraints, and other tool-specific settings. To bring up the animate state settings, press ⌃ Ctrl + G over the viewport.

The following groups of settings are available within the Settings tab:

Handles ¶

The following groups of settings are available within the Handles tab of the animate state settings. Some of these settings are the same as those in the RMB context menu.

Transform ¶

Setting	Description
Mode	Sets the transform handle mode. See the Xform Mode option in the context menu.
Alignment	Determines how the transform handles are aligned. See the Alignment option in the context menu.
Change Mode Automatically	When turned on, automatically changes the handle’s Xform Mode when a new control is selected.
Use Gimbal Mode	See the Gimbal Mode option in the context menu.
Enforce Transform Limits	When turned on, does not allow the controls to exceed the defined transform limits. See transform limits for more information.
Show Transform Limits	When turned on, displays the transform limits.
Framing Zoom	The amount of zoom to the selection when pressing `F` for framing.
Handle Preferences	Opens the handle preferences window. You can also open this window by selecting Houdini’s Edit ▸ Preferences ▸ Handles.

Motion path ¶

See motion paths for more information.

Setting	Description
Bind	Creates a motion path for a control.
Unbind	Removes the motion path for a control.
Path Width	The size of the motion path ticks.
Key Size	The size of the motion path controls.
Visible Frames	When turned on, limits the number of frames shown on the motion path. The first value is the number of frames shown before the current frame, and the second value is the number of frames shown after the current frame.

Baking ¶

You can use the following settings in the Bake tab of the animate state settings to add keyframes to controls.

Setting	Description
Bake Keys	When Frame Range is turned off, Bake Keys adds keyframes for the selected control(s) on the entire frame range of the playbar timeline. When Frame Range is turned on, Bake Keys adds keyframes for the selected control(s) within the Frame Range values. If no controls are selected before clicking Bake Keys, keyframes are added on all the controls.
Start Recording Poses	When using the ragdoll tool, this sets keyframes at the selected frames or over a frame range. After you click Start Recording Poses: If you select certain frames on the timeline, keyframes will be added at those frames. If you scrub the timeline, keyframes will be added at every frame in the frame range while scrubbing. If you press the Play button on the playbar, keyframes will be added at every frame until you press the Stop button.
Frame Range	When turned on, sets keyframes within the specified frame range. When turned off, sets keyframes over the entire frame range of the timeline.
Update Existing Keys	When turned on, the existing keys in the baking frame range are updated.
Resample Keys	When turned on, adds keyframes at the specified frame interval.
Essential Keys	When using the dynamic motion tool, this adds keyframes at the most important points of the arc - the landing points, halfway up the arc on either side, and the peak of the arc.
Bake to New Layer	When turned on, adds keyframes to a new animation layer. When turned off, adds keyframes to the base animation layer.
Additive Layer	When turned on, adds keyframes to an additive animation layer (the new layer adds to the base animation layer). When turned off, adds keyframes to an override layer (the new layer overrides the base animation). See animation layers for more information.

Constraints ¶

The constraint settings are available within the Constraint tab of the animate state settings. See constraint settings for more information.

Tool-specific settings ¶

Some animate state tools have their own settings, which appear in a separate tab once you enter the tool. For these settings, see the individual tools like dynamic motion and ragdoll.

Context menu ¶

To bring up the context menu, RMB click in the viewport.

Option	Description
Copy Selection	See copying and pasting controls.
Paste World Transforms	See copying and pasting controls.
Paste Local Transforms	See copying and pasting controls.
Cycle Mode	Cycles through the different transform handle modes.
Xform Mode	Select a transform handle mode: x - Full transform mode t - Translate mode r - Rotate mode s - Scale mode c - Minimized mode Minimize All Xforms - Collapses all the handles in the scene to minimized mode.
Alignment	Determines how the transform handles are aligned. World - Aligns the handle with the world axes. Does not rotate the actual control. Local - Aligns the handle with the control’s local transforms. Does not rotate the actual control. C-Plane - Aligns the handle with the construction plane; the handle axes are set by the construction plane. Does not rotate the actual control. View - Aligns the handle with the view transform (the angle you are looking at the control). Does not rotate the actual control. Parent - Aligns the handle with the parent control. Does not rotate the actual control. Separate Alignments - When turned on, unties the different components of the handle (translate, rotate, and scale). You can then choose to separately align the different components using the Translate Alignment, Scale Alignment, and Rotate Alignment options that show up under the Alignment setting when Separate Alignments is turned on. World Axes - Rotates the control to align with the world axes, but does not change the handle alignment. View Axes - Rotates the control to align with the view axes, but does not change the handle alignment. C-Plane Axes - Rotates the control to align with the construction plane, but does not change the handle alignment. Align to Control - Reorients a control to match the orientation of another control. Select Align to Control. Click the control you want the current control’s orientation to match. Start Orientation Picking - Aligns the selected handle axis to another control or to templated geometry. Select Start Orientation Picking. Click the handle axis you want to align. Click the control or the point/edge of the geometry you want to align the axis to. Orientation picking Cancel Orientation Picking - Cancels out of orientation picking mode.
Move Pivot	Moves the location of the control: Move Pivot to World Origin - Moves the pivot to (0, 0, 0). Move Pivot to C-Plane Origin - Moves the pivot to the origin of the construction plane. Project Pivot onto C-Plane - Moves the pivot “up” or “down” onto the construction plane. The pivot is projected onto the construction plane at an angle perpendicular to the construction plane. Move Pivot to Control - Moves a control to match the position of another control. Select Move Pivot to Control. Click the control you want the current control’s position to match.
Snap To	When Pivot Mode is turned on, the pivot could be moved away from the control. Snap Pivot to Centroid - Moves the pivot back to the control. Snap Centroid to Pivot - Moves the control to the pivot. Snap Handle to Control - Moves and reorients a control to match the position and orientation of another control. Select Snap Handle to Control. Click the control you want the current control’s position and orientation to match.
Key Components	Sets keyframes for the translate, rotate, or scale components of the active handle.
Gimbal Mode	When Gimbal Mode is turned off, Houdini does background work so that you always see three rotation ring handles. When you drag a ring, the other rings rotate with it, regardless of the order of rotations. The benefit is that it is impossible to gimbal lock the control axes by dragging the rotation handles. The downside is that in this mode, Houdini changes all three rotation components, not just the one you are dragging, and performing rotations this way can lead to very bad animation curves. When Gimbal Mode is turned on, Houdini displays the true position of the rotation handles, and dragging the rotation handles changes the rotation components directly without Houdini trying to fix gimbal lock. The benefit is that you have direct, independent control over the three rotation components, so you can use the handles to set up your animation without worrying about Houdini changing the other components. The downside is the possibility of gimbal lock. For more information, see gimbal mode and fixing gimbal lock.
Pivot Mode	When turned on, you can move the handle away from the control so that the handle is offet from the control. When turned off, the handle is used as a pivot point for the control.
Revert	Resets the handle or control values: Revert Handle to Default Values - Resets the handle values. Revert Controls to Default Values - Resets the transforms for the selected controls.
Actions	See the context menu actions.
<Tool-specific actions and functionality>	When you enter into one of the tools, a submenu for the tool appears, which includes actions and functionality specific to the tool.

Actions ¶

These actions are available when you RMB click in the viewport and select Actions:

Action	Description
Mirror with Plane	Enters the mirror pose state. In the animate state settings, Mirror tab, you can set certain mirroring configurations, then press `Enter` over the viewport to apply the mirroring. See mirroring poses for more information.
Mirror with Default	Mirrors the selected controls across the same plane that the rig is mirrored across. See mirroring poses for more information.
Bake Keys	Adds keyframes for the selected control(s) based on the bake settings.
Save Animation to Catalog	Opens an animation catalog pane to capture an animation.
Save Pose to Catalog	Opens an animation catalog pane to capture a pose.
Create Folder in Catalog	Creates a new folder in the animation catalog. If a folder in the catalog is already selected, the new folder will be added under the selected folder.
New Clip	Creates a new animation clip and sets the active clip to be the new clip.
Edit Animation	Opens a window that allows you to stash, delete, and rename the animation clips in the current scene. See the edit animation window for more information.
Reset Animation	Removes the animation that was added in the animate state. If no animation was previously added to the scene upstream from this node, the animation folder is deleted from the character folder structure.
Reset All	Removes all the changes made in the animate state, including the animation and constraints that were added. Deletes the animation and constraints folders from the character folder structure.
Reset Custom	Removes specific scene elements that were added in the animate state.

Viewport state parameters window ¶

To bring up the viewport state parameters window, press P over the viewport.

Option	Description
Handle Translate Step	The step size to move the control when holding `⌃ Ctrl` and moving the translate handle.
Handle Rotate Step	The number of degrees to rotate the control axes when holding `⌃ Ctrl` and moving the rotate handle.
Handle Scale Step	The step size to scale the object when holding `⌃ Ctrl` and adjusting the scale handle.
Open Handle Preferences	Opens the handle preferences window. You can also open this window by selecting Houdini’s Edit ▸ Preferences ▸ Handles.
Pose Tools	Select the animate tool to use.
Use Click and Drag	When turned on, allows you to click and drag controls in one step. When turned off, you need to first select the controls, then drag in the next mouse action.
Use Skin Controls	When turned on, allows the use of skin controls.
Hide Control Groups	When turned on, hides the menu options in the Autorig Builder viewer state.
Use Control XRay	When turned on, controls are visible behind objects.
XRay Strength	Controls the opaqueness of controls behind objects.
Hide Controls During Playback	When turned on, hides the controls when playing back the animation.
Hide Controls During Scrub	When turned on, hides the controls when scrubbing along the playbar timeline.
Hide Controls During Drag	When turned on, hides the controls when dragging a control.
Evaluate Rigs in Parallel	When turned on, rigs in the scene are evaluated simultaneously instead of in sequence. In scenes with multiple characters, this can make playback much faster.
Cache Animation	Evaluates rigs at each frame of the playbar timeline and stores the results in an animation cache. If there is data cached at a frame, the results from the cache are used to compute the deformed model of the character rather than having to evaluate the entire rig again. The cached frames are displayed in the playbar with a similar look to the simulation cache. To turn off display of the animation cache, click the playbar timeline and turn off Show Animation Cache. You can also access this option in the Global Animation Options (click the button on the playbar) and the UI section of the Houdini preferences. None Animation caching does not occur. Minimal The animation cache is filled with all the rig evaluation data before character model deformation. The skin deformation is performed during actions like playback and posing. All All the rig outputs including the deformed skin geometries are cached.
Open APEX Log	Opens a log viewer that displays information, warnings, and error messages from APEX and Python sources.

HUD panel options ¶

The following options are accessed by RMB clicking the HUD panels in the animate state:

Title Visible

When turned on, the title of the HUD is visible.

Auto Resize

When turned on, the HUD panel is automatically resized when changing modes or showing/hiding parameters. This option is automatically turned off if the HUD is manually resized.

Auto Position

When turned on, and Unpin is also on, the HUD panel is brought up at the current mouse position. This option is automatically turned off if the HUD is manually moved.

When turned off, the HUD panel is brought up at its previous position.

Lock Position

When turned on, locks the position of the HUD panel. This can also be set using / on the top right of the panel.

Minimize

When turned on, minimizes the HUD panel. This can also be set using / on the top right of the panel.

Pin Left

When turned on, pins the HUD panel on the left side of the viewport.

Pin Right

When turned on, pins the HUD panel on the right side of the viewport.

Pin Top Right

When turned on, pins the HUD panel on the top right of the viewport.

Unpin

When turned on, and Auto Position is also on, the HUD panel is brought up at the current mouse position.

When turned on, and Auto Position is off, the HUD panel is brought up at its previous position.

Preferences

Open the Houdini preferences.

Hide

Hides the HUD.

Toggle Split View

When turned on, displays the parameters and settings in one HUD. When turned off, displays the parameters and settings in separate HUDs.

Animate state menus and HUDs

Overview ¶

Parameters ¶

Controls ¶

Constraints ¶

Tool-specific parameters ¶

Settings ¶

Handles ¶

Transform ¶

Motion path ¶

Baking ¶

Constraints ¶

Tool-specific settings ¶

Context menu ¶

Actions ¶

Viewport state parameters window ¶

HUD panel options ¶

KineFX

Overview ¶

Preparing character elements ¶

Rigging with APEX graphs ¶

Building rig graphs with APEX Script ¶

Rigging with rig components ¶

Animating in the viewport ¶

Customizing the animate state ¶

SOP-based animation ¶

Deformation ¶

Animation retargeting ¶

Pre-H20 ¶

Panes ¶

Appendix ¶