9.5.2

980 • CHAPTER 19
TIMELINE • 981
Towards the top of the Timeline, you’ll nd a horizontal ruler with animation units. Depending on
the Animation Units setting on the Units page of the preferences, these can be frames, seconds or in
the SMPTE format.
The blue marker is the time marker. It marks the current position in the animation and as such is
used for navigation. You can move the time marker by dragging it or by clicking in the top half of the
Timeline ruler (the tag will move to the position where you click).
The two green pointers on the Timeline mark the preview range. The preview range denes the part
of the animation that will be played if Preview Range has been selected from the Animation > Play
Mode menu. To adjust the preview range, drag and drop the pointers or double-click a pointer, enter
its new position into the dialog that opens and click OK.
Markers
The colors of the markers are identical to those of the layer system in the
Timeline and can be switched to hidden or locked just like all other layered
elements of the Timeline.
CINEMA 4D has the ability to set arbitrary markers on the Timeline ruler. These are handy for, among
other things, simplied navigation in the Timeline. You can use as many markers as you wish and assign
an individual name to each marker. These markers are not only used for visual guidance, they also
work as snap guides for positioning and alignment. Keys or sequences can therefore be positioned
very accurately at these marker lines.
Setting markers
To create a marker, Ctrl-click on the Timeline ruler (within the ruler lines) at the point where you
want to place the marker. By default, CINEMA 4D assigns the second layer color to all new markers,
and numbers these automatically and consecutively throughout. Alternatively, you may also select
File > New Marker from the Timeline menu and manually enter its position, name and color.
Deleting markers
To delete a marker, drag its pointer and drop it outside of the Timeline ruler. As soon as the mouse
pointer changes to a trash can, you can release the mouse button to delete the marker. To delete all
markers, choose Edit > Delete All Markers from the Timeline menu.