Channels

Channels Region

../../_images/editors_graph-editor_channels_region.png

The Channels region.

The channels region is used to select and manage the curves for the Graph editor. This part shows the objects and their animation data hierarchy each as headers. Each level can be expanded/collapsed by the small arrow to the left of its header.

  • Scenes, Objects (dark blue)

  • Actions, Shape keys, etc. (light blue)

  • Groups (green)

  • Channels (gray)

Name Filter

Only displays channels that match the search text. Pressing the invert button displays all channels except the channels that match the search text.

Controls

On the headers, there are toggles to control channel’s setting:

Pin (pin icon)

Make the channel always visible regardless of the current selection (Graph editor only).

Hide (eye icon)

Hides the channel(s)/curve (Graph editor only).

Modifiers (wrench icon)

Deactivates the F-curve modifiers of the selected curve or all curves in the channel.

Mute (speaker icon)

Deactivates the channel/curve.

Lock (padlock icon) Tab

Toggle channel/curve from being editable. Selected channels can be locked by pressing Tab.

Note

In the Dope Sheet this is also working inside the NLA, but that it does not prevent edition of the underlying F-curve.

Selecting

  • Select channel (text in white/black): LMB

  • Multi Select/Deselect: Shift-LMB

  • Select All: A

  • Deselect All: Alt-A

  • Box Select: (LMB drag) or B (LMB drag)

  • Box Deselect: (Ctrl-LMB drag) or B (Shift-LMB drag)

  • Select all keyframes in the channel: double LMB on a channel header.

Editing

  • Rename: Ctrl-LMB

  • Delete selected: X or Delete

  • Lock selected: Tab

  • Enable Channel Setting: Shift-Ctrl-W

  • Disable Channel Setting: Alt-W

  • Toggle Channel Setting: Shift-W

Sliders

../../_images/editors_dope-sheet_introduction_action-editor-sliders.png

The Action editor showing sliders.

On channels headers you can have another column with number fields or sliders, allowing you to change the value on the current keyframes, or to add new keyframes. See View Menu for how to show these sliders.

Editing

Delete Channels

Reference

Menu

Channel ‣ Delete Channels

Shortcut

X

Deletes the whole channel from the current action (i.e. unlink the underlying F-curve data-block from this action data-block).

Warning

The X shortcut is area-dependent: if you use it in the left list part, it will delete the selected channels, whereas if you use it in the main area, it will delete the selected keyframes.

Un/Group Channels

Reference

Menu

Channel ‣ Un/Group Channels

Shortcut

Ctrl-Alt-G, Ctrl-G

Un/Groups the selected channels into a collection that can be renamed by double clicking on the group name. For example, this helps to group channels that relate a part of an armature to keep the editor more organized.

Toggle/Enable/Disable Channel Settings

Reference

Menu

Channel ‣ Toggle/Enable/Disable Channel Settings

Shortcut

Shift-W, Shift-Ctrl-W, Alt-W

Enable/disable a channel’s setting (selected in the menu that pops up).

Protect, Mute

Todo.

Toggle Channel Editability

Reference

Menu

Channel ‣ Toggle Channel Editability

Shortcut

Tab

Locks or unlocks a channel for editing.

Extrapolation Mode

Reference

Menu

Channel ‣ Toggle Channel Editability

Shortcut

Shift-E

Change the extrapolation between selected keyframes.

Show/Hide

Hide Selected Curves H

Hides the selected curves.

Hide Unselected Shift-H

Show only the selected curve (and hide everything else).

Reveal Curves Alt-H

Show all previous hidden curves.

Expand/Collapse Channels

Reference

Menu

Channel ‣ Toggle Channel Editability

Shortcut

NumpadPlus, NumpadMinus

Expands or collapses selected channels.

Move

Reference

Menu

Channel ‣ Move…

This allows you to move selected channels up/down PageUp, PageDown, or directly to the top/bottom Shift-PageUp, Shift-PageDown.

Revive Disabled F-Curves

Reference

Menu

Channel ‣ Toggle Channel Editability

Clears “disabled” tag from all F-curves to get broken F-curves working again.