9.5.2

980 • CHAPTER 19
TIMELINE • 981
Moving the time slider without animation
Sometimes it can be useful to move the time slider without the scene being animated. For example,
this allows you to record the current setup at a different frame. To move the time slider without
animation, hold down the Shift key while you move the time slider.
Layer system
In the top left corner of the Timeline, you’ll nd three rows of icons which control the layers. Use these
controls to combine elements of the scene in layers, with the ability to hide or lock each layer.
On the top row, you’ll nd eight colored buttons that represent the individual layers. The second row
contains a further eight buttons that allow you to show or hide the layers. If a layer is hidden then all
elements belonging to that layer are invisible in the main Timeline. The third row of buttons are for
locking and unlocking layers (lock icon). If a layer’s lock icon is displayed locked, then all objects on
this layer are locked and cannot be selected or edited in the Timeline.
You can assign any element in the scene (be they keys, sequences, tracks or objects) to a particular
layer. To assign one or more elements to a layer, select the elements in the Timeline and click one of
the layer color buttons. Alternatively, you can assign a layer to all attributes of the selected elements
by Ctrl-clicking the appropriate layer color button.
A further useful function is the automatic selection of layers. Select one of the layers from the
Timeline’s Layer > Select Layer menu. CINEMA 4D will then automatically select all the elements in
the Timeline belonging to this layer.
Using layers offers you many advantages and often saves much clicking and searching in the Timeline.
Try to become accustomed to using layers, especially when working with complex animation. As an
example, you could place all objects that have complex inverse kinematics assigned to them to a
specic layer and switch the remaining parts of the animation to hidden so that you can work on the
IK parts in isolation.
By default, all new elements are placed on the rst layer (layer 1) and are visible and unlocked.
Timeline ruler and preview range
Throughout the following sections we will often refer to the ‘current time’
or to a ‘time value’. We use the word ‘time’ as a convenience to mean the
position within the animation; this may be expressed in seconds, frames or
SMPTE units. This depends on the setting you have chosen for Animation Units
in the preferences.