Graph Editor or Motion Editor?(For animation)

[Pepper]

Ok so I have been using and practicing sfm for maybe 2 years now? :s so I have majority used graph editor for animation and sometimes on the motion editor but only recently I got so interested in motion editor so I need help on which one is better. So Im gonna tell you my downside on these two:

Motion Editor: Animations are already fixated on the timeline unless you undo(ctrl+z) and move the bookmark to another place.

Graph Editor: I really dont know how to explain this formally but whenever I move the foot, it bookmarks the foot and only the foot. But if I try to select the whole body and create a bookmark, then the following poses and bookmarks will be affected like I try to make a simple hand wave but it only does an over exaggeration of rapid hand movements which is ugly to look at and I have no idea what is wrong or happening.

So tell me which one is better?

[Bop]

Graph editor for animating. Motion editor is usually for initial pose.

[Pepper]

Funny how I made a smooth kick with motion editor awhile ago lol x) Anyways, about my problem in the graph editor, is there any way to fix that or is it just really like that and I just have to deal with it?

[Bop]

It's a little complicated to explain. Key-framing the whole body would unwantedly affect other body parts. When using the graph editor, always animate one control/bone at a time. It makes it all easier.

[Meik]

let me join in please.
Is there a way to use the graph-editor for jitter-effects? or can i do that just with the motion editor?

[Bop]

Originally posted by Meik:

let me join in please.
Is there a way to use the graph-editor for jitter-effects? or can i do that just with the motion editor?

That is motion editor only. Graph editor is for keyframes, which create the motion. The motion editor, as the name suggests, is able to refine the motion and add effects, basically editing the motion.

[Pepper]

Originally posted by Dr. Cooldude:

It's really about personal preferences. Some use the motion editor, while others use the graph editor. Personally, I use the graph editor for key-framing (because you can easily move the individual keys separately), and then the motion editor for smoothing and other kinds of fancy tweaking. There's really no holy-and-almighty way of doing this, so just experiement, and find out which works best for you.

I think motion editor for me is better when it comes to intense action moves (e.g, Punching, Kicking, Backflips, dive roll etc...) while graph editor is recommend for calm conversation and other related scenes with less action. So yeah Im gonna use both lol

[raptornx01]

Neither, it's just personal preference. there really isn't much you can do in one you can't do in the other. it's what you feel most comfortable with. it can't hurt to try learning both though.

[Bogdan]

Well I've had alot of problems with the Motion Editor so I guess I choose the Graph Editor.

If you're using the graph editor don't forget to select THE WHOLE MODEL before putting down a keyframe, I used to accidentally put a keyframe only on a single bone, and the other parts of the body would not "see" it, so it would screw up my animation.

[Bop]

I present to you this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necronomicon

[Pepper]

This thread was like last year. Its Old. Well...so is my mom and I still listen to her...

[Bop]

Both. It's been almost a year since some of us have met on these salty lands. How have things changed?

[Pepper]

Originally posted by Dr. Cooldude:

Haha, so... what do you prefer, Motion, Graph, or both? :P

I gotta say I prefer both. But I rely more on the graph editor when it comes to animating.