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Chapter 5 Using Behaviors 379
When a behavior is applied to an object, the object parameters affected by that
behavior are automatically animated based on the behavior’s default settings. For
example, if you apply the Gravity behavior to an object in the Canvas, that object’s
position is animated and it moves down, according to the Gravity behavior’s default
setting.
Note: You can also apply behaviors directly to groups in the Layers tab or Timeline.
Depending on the applied behavior, all objects nested within that group are either
affected as if they were a single object or as individual elements. You can often change
this result by adjusting the Affect or Affect Subobjects parameter in the Behaviors tab
of the Inspector.
∏ Tip: If you do not see the expected result when applying behaviors to objects, try
turning the Affect Subobjects parameter on or off, or choosing a different option from
the Affect pop-up menu. These parameters determine whether the entire group or its
components (such as the child objects nested within that group) are affected by the
behavior and how an object interacts with surrounding objects, respectively.
Note: The Affect Subobjects checkbox only appears in the Inspector when the Throw
and Spin behaviors, or the Simulation behaviors, are applied to a group or object that
contains multiple objects, such as a particle emitter or text.
Removing Behaviors
Because behaviors don’t add keyframes, removing a behavior instantly eliminates its
animated effect. All types of behaviors are removed in the same way.
Default Behavior Duration
In most cases, a behavior’s duration is the Timeline duration of the object to which it
is applied. For example, if you apply a Spin behavior to an object that begins at frame
20 and ends at frame 300, the Spin behavior’s duration is also frame 20 to frame 300.
For information on trimming the duration of a behavior, see “Trimming Behaviors” on
page 395.
Note: The Create Layers At preference (in the Project pane of Motion Preferences),
which allows you to specify whether layers are created at frame 1, or at the current
playhead position, applies only to layers that are created or imported, such as text,
shapes, or a QuickTime movie file.