What's New in Director 8.5 > Working with Models and Model Resources > Animation modifiers |  |

Animation modifiers

Once you've created animations in your modeling software, you apply animation modifiers to models to play them back in Director.

Director supports both model keyframe and character bone animations, and modifiers are available to enable both. Keyframe animations modify a model's `transform` properties over time. Bones animations modify the model's geometry over time. Creating bones animation in a 3D modeling application can be complex, but it results in more natural-looking movements.

The two animation types can be combined. You might, for example, combine a "run in place" bones animation with a "move around the room" keyframe animation.

Bones animations use the Bones player modifier. Keyframe animations use the Keyframe player modifier. Most commands and properties are available to both players.

| Motions: A 3D cast member contains a set of motions authored in your 3D modeling application. For bones animation, each motion contains a list of tracks, and each track keyframes a particular bone. A bone is a segment of the skeleton of a model. For example, track 14 of the motion named `Run` could be named `RtKneeTrack` and move a bone named `RtKnee`. These names are defined in the 3D modeling application.
| Play list: The Bones player manages a queue of motions. The first motion in the play list is the motion that is currently playing or paused. When that motion finishes playing, it's removed from the play list and the next motion begins. Motions can be added with `bonesPlayerOrKeyframePlayer``.play("run")`, which adds the motion to the top of the list, or `bonesPlayerOrKeyframePlayer``.queue("motion")`, which adds it to the end of the list. Using the `play` command starts the motion immediately. The motion previously at the beginning of the play list is halted unless `autoBlend` is turned on. When you use `queue`, the motion is added to the end of the play list. Motions are removed from the play list automatically when they are complete, or you can remove them explicitly using `bonesPlayer.playNext()`.
| Motion blending: If `autoblend` is `TRUE`, an ending motion blends smoothly into the next motion using the `bonesPlayerOrKeyframePlayer``.blendTime` property to determine how long the blend should be. You can control this manually by setting `bonesPlayerOrKeyframePlayer``.autoBlend` to `FALSE` and using `bonesPlayerOrKeyframePlayer``.blendFactor` to control the blend frame by frame.
| Motion mapping: You can create new motions by combining existing motions. For example, a walking motion could be combined with a shooting motion to produce a walk-and-shoot motion. This is available only with Bones player animations.

You can add the Keyframe player modifier at run time to a model created in Director 8.5, but you cannot add the Bones player modifier at run time. The Bones player modifier is automatically attached to models with bones animation exported from a 3D modeling application. Since the required bones information can't be assigned in Director, it has to exist before the model is imported into Director.