Retime, insert, and clean up keyframes, and other useful keyframe stuff.

Installation

Move both included scripts (abKeyWrangler.mel and abKWBuildMarkingMenu.mel) into your Maya scripts directory and restart Maya (or rehash).  Run the following script from the mel command line to bring up the script interface:

source abKeyWrangler.mel;abKeyWrangler;

How to Use It

To retime an animation you first have to select a range of keyframes in the Graph Editor.  You can then use the quick retime buttons at the top of the UI to add or subtract a set number of frames to the selected range or you can set your new desired range by entering values in the New Start and Endframe fields.

To insert frames you can select an object (or objects) or you can select animation curves in the Graph Editor.  Frames are inserted (or deleted) before or after the current time based on the value of the "Insert/Delete After Current Time" checkbox.

The "Curve Color" menu allows you to color the translate, rotate and scale animation curves of selected objects (usually control curves) from dark to light in the order selected.  This can be especially useful when you're working on a hierarchy of several control curves at the same time (like a spine or FK limb) and want to identify which animation curve goes with which control curve at a glance.  It makes sense when you see it.

"Filter Curves By ChannelBox Selection" under the "Options" menu, when enabled, will limit the animation curves displayed in the Graph Editor to those that match the attributes selected in the ChannelBox.

Convert Curves

As of version 1.3, the script has the ability to quickly convert curves from stepped to spline.  When you click the  "Convert" tab you'll see this interface.  It allows you to specify different types of tangents (and whether those tangents are broken or free weighted) for each of four different keyframe situations.

Peaks (or valleys) are keyframes with neighbors that are both either above or below them.  Ledges are keys with one neighbor at the same value and the other above or below it.  Plateaus are found between ledges; they're the keys with both neighbors at the same value.  And slopes are exactly what they sound like: keys with one neighbor above them and the other below.

Version 2.1 adds valleys to the mix as well.  It also includes a quick select conversion profile pop up menu, accessible by right clicking on the "Convert Selected Curves" button.

The Marking Menu

Version 2.1 of the script now includes its own marking menu.  It incorporates the features of my sonorously named tangentMarkingMenuMod script (among other things) without the hassle of having to replace files in the Maya install directory.

To activate it click "Enable Custom Marking Menu" under the "Options" menu of the script UI.  Once enabled, it will add "Lock Tangents" and "Free Tangents" options to your shift+s Middle Mouse Button (MMB) marking menu and create an entirely new menu mapped to your shift+s Right Mouse Button (RMB).  Here's a quick description of the new menu items and their functions:

• Prev Key: Select the keys immediately preceding any selected keyframes in the GE.  If no keys are selected it will move to the previous keyframe in the timeline.
• Next Key: Select the keys immediately following any selected keyframes in the GE.  If no keys are selected it will move to the next keyframe in the timeline.
• Set To Prev: Will set a keyframe on (in order of precedence) any selected keys, any selected curves (at the current time), or any selected objects (at the current time) with the same value as the previous key.
• Set To Next: Will set a keyframe on (in order of precedence) any selected keys, any selected curves (at the current time), or any selected objects (at the current time) with the same value as the next key.
• Blend Prev/Next: A sub menu that allows you to set new keys as above by blending the influence of the previous and next keys.
• ChannelBox Filter: If enabled, curves displayed in the GE will be filtered by highlighted channels in the channelBox.  For example you could select all of the spine curves on a character, enable the channel filter, and select the x rotation channel in the channelBox to display only those curves for each spine control (note: this is where the "Curve Color" feature comes in very useful).
• Zero Selected: Will set the values of all selected keys to zero.
• Copy/Paste SubMenu: Copy and paste individual key values (further detail below).
• Move Time: If enabled, will update the current time to an average (if more than one key is selected) of the newly selected keyframes.
• Extrapolate Curves: Will set a new key at the current time that maintains the slope of the selected animCurve(s).  Intended to be used before the first or after the last key on a curve.
• Average Selected Keys: Set the selected keys on each curve to their average value.
• Straighten Selected Keys: Set the key values such that they form a straight line between the preceeding and following unselected keys
• Subdivide Curves: Insert a frame every n (chosen in the sub menu) number of frames on the selected curves between selected keyframes.
• Convert Curves: Convert selected curves using one of several conversion profiles.
• Clean Selected Curves: Run "Clean Selected Curves" on the selected curves.
• Snap Selected Keys: Run "Clean Up Fractional Keys" on the selected keyframes, averaging overlapping keys.
• Default Key Tangents: Select a mode to set the global in and out key tangents.

Copy (Copy/Paste SubMenu)

Copy animCurve values based on the current selection.  When copying with:

• No Curve Selection: All keyable attributes on the current object selection will be copied at the current time.
• Curve Selection (multiple keys selected on at least one highlighted curve): Values for the selected curves will be copied at the current time.
• Key Selection (no more than one key selected on each highlighted curve): Values for the selected keys will be copied.

Paste (Copy/Paste SubMenu)

Paste animCurve values based on the current selection.  When pasting with:

• No Curve Selection: The entire save buffer will be pasted at the current time.
• Curve Selection (multiple keys selected on at least one highlighted curve): Values from the save buffer will be pasted at the current time only on selected curves (which may yield no result if none of the selected curves are in the save buffer).
• Key Selection (no more than one key selected on each highlighted curve): Values from the save buffer will be pasted to the selected keys.

A Few Notes

If you find that the custom marking menu has disappeared during your Maya session, you can reactivate it by calling the script again ("source abKeyWrangler.mel;abKeyRangler;").  Once the marking menu is back you can close the UI.

If you have issues with the Translate Tool marking menu showing up when you don't want it to while using the shift+s RMB marking menu, click "Disable Translate Tool MM In Graph Editor" in the "Options" menu.  The marking menu will be disabled only while the mouse is above the Graph Editor.

If you want the custom marking menu installed by default when you start Maya, add the following to your userSetup.mel file (in your scripts directory):

source abKeyWrangler.mel;abKWStartStopCustomMM(true);

That's it.  Enjoy!

Updates

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10.30.08:   Added "Options Menu" with option to "Filter Curve By ChannelBox Selection".  Added "Curve Color" menu.  It allows you to color the translate, rotate and scale curves of selected objects from dark to light.  This comes in handy when you're working on animating a hierarchy (like a spine or FK arm) and have several curves selected at once in the Graph Editor.  Improved script handling of namespaces.

11.06.08:   Added "Select Menu" to quickly select animation curves in your scene from characterSets, lights and cameras.

12.02.08:   Added "Convert" tab to give lots of control in converting stepped curves to splines.  Added "Reset Globals To Defaults" to "Options" menu.  Also added the ability to switch the default global key tangent mode under the "Options" menu.  Improved curve cleaning to work better with stepped curves and just be faster in general.

12.03.08:   Fixed a few issues with convert keys.  Step conversion now works correctly, and end keys are converted as expected.  The interface now remembers the last tab selected.

12.23.08:   Gradient Color Curves wasn't always finding the selected objects' animCurves.  It should now.  Tolerance on animCurve conversion is now relative to each curve's value range.

03.16.09:   Added "All Curves" under Select menu, which should select all of the user anim curves (camera, light, nurbs curve, transform, motionPath -- stuff you've set set keyframes on).  Also added the "Snap Selected Keys" checkBox to the retiming tab.

07.30.09:   Added "Previous Key" and "Next Key" under "Select" menu (requires a selection of keys in the Graph Editor).

08.04.09:   Added "Clean Up Fractional Keys" button to the "CleanUp" tab.  It's my version of snap keys.  It's also now used when "Snap Selected Keys" is enabled in the "Retime" tab.

09.21.09:   Added custom marking menu with lots of new features (shift+S RMB in the Graph Editor).  Added Valley tangents in convert curves box.  Added "Color" tab to color key ticks.  Select keys in the Graph Editor or ticks in the timeline to color keyframes for selected or displayed curves.    Added quick select convert profiles to the "Convert Selected Curves" button.

11.13.09:   Added "Copy Keys" and "Paste Keys" to marking menu: select individual keys to copy (one per curve), curves or objects.  Added "Objects From Selected AnimCurves" in "Select" menu.  Replaced "Current Time To Sel" (south position in the custom marking menu) with "Zero Selected": select some keys in the GE, run this and they'll be zeroed.  Added "Extrapolate Curves": select one or more curves, move the current time to a frame before the first or after the last key, run this and a new key that maintains the slope of the curve will be created.

12.09.09:   Can now paste a key value to multiple selected keys (so long as not all the keys on the animCurve are selected).  Added "Average Selected Keys", "Straighten Selected Keys", "Subdivide Curves", "Convert Curves", and "Default Key Tangents" to the marking menu.  Improved the way fractional keys are snapped (especially with keys on a slope).  Results should end up closer to the original curve than previously (added a few more checkbox options).

01.04.10:   Added "Scale" tab and moved color tab options to "Color" menu.

03.16.10:   Convert Keys now respects key selection (unselected keys won't be converted); fixed a major issue with curve cleaning (curves should maintain their shape now).