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404 Chapter 5 Using Behaviors
For more information about keyframing parameters, see “Animating Behaviors” on
page 514.
Converting Behaviors to Keyframes
Behaviors are best suited for fluid effects in which precise timing is not a requirement.
However, there may be projects in which you want finite control over the animated
effects created with behaviors. If necessary, several of the behaviors can be baked into
keyframes. This means that the animation curves created by the behaviors (that have
no keyframes) can be converted into keyframed animation curves. You can then modify
the keyframes in the Keyframe Editor to meet more precise timing requirements.
Because many (though not all) behaviors affect shared object parameters, when you
convert an object or a behavior to keyframes, all behaviors applied to that object are
also converted into keyframes. The keyframes are applied to the individual parameters
the behaviors originally affected. For example, the Gravity and Throw behaviors affect
Position, so you could not convert the Gravity behavior to keyframes without affecting
the Throw behavior. When behaviors that are applied to other objects affect the object
being converted (for example, the Attractor or Repel behavior), their effect is baked
into the object’s resulting keyframes value. The original behaviors remain applied to the
other objects, but the resulting effect is not doubled up as a result of the keyframes
combining with the behavior.
Note: You cannot convert many of the Simulation, Replicator, Particle, or Text behaviors
into keyframes. Simulation behaviors such as Vortex can affect the parameters of all
objects within a project, and baking such a behavior would create an overwhelming
amount of keyframes. Remember, the beauty of such behaviors is that they
automatically create very complex motion that would be too time-consuming to
keyframe manually.
If a behavior (or an object with applied behaviors) can be baked, the Convert to
Keyframes command appears in the Object menu when the behavior or object is
selected. If the Convert to Keyframes command is dimmed, keyframes cannot be
generated from the behavior.
To convert behaviors to keyframes:
1 Do one of the following:
 Select an object that has behaviors you want to convert.
 In the Inspector, select a behavior you want to convert.
2 Choose Object > Convert to Keyframes (or press Command-K).
A dialog prompts you to confirm the conversion to keyframes.
3 Click Convert.