15: Keyframe Animation

Most tools support animations. Once the animation is created, it can be stored in a clip and played together with the clip. Define the position and size of a tool drawing in several keyframes (time points), position and size between the keyframes is automatically interpolated.

Basics

Create new animation

1. Select a clip.
2. Select a tool to animate and place drawing into preview.
3. Define the position of the drawing at several time points (drag drawing to the desired position).
4. Size can be changed by mouse wheel while holding a Ctrl key.
5. Save the animation into a clip

Edit existing animation

1. Select a clip with a stored animation.
2. Press the Edit button.
3. Adjust the animation and save it to the clip.

Remove existing animation

1. Select a clip with a stored animation.
2. Press the Edit button.
3. Press the Clear button.
4. Press the Save button.

Controls

Control	Description
	Keyframe
	Hovered keyframe Click it to move to the time of keyframe
	Active keyframe
	Delete actual keyframe
	Enable keyframe visualization
	Disable keyframe visualization

 

Linked Keyframe Animations

Paths

Paths allow you to create one-click animations from an existing path:

• Each existing Keyframe animation represents a path.
• Clips imported from Virtual Placement 7 with Tracab are capable to carry paths of all players.

Bind tool to a path

Each path represents a position animation that can be used to animate another drawings. Several drawings can be bound to one path.

1. Select a clip that contains paths.
2. Select the tool you would like to bind to a path.
3. Press the Bind button. (see image below)
4. Select one of the paths.

Only tools with motion tracking ON can be bound to Paths created by a motion tracked tool. Paths that cannot be used by the selected tool are not displayed.

Delete drawing bound to a path

Use Graphic Eraser to delete drawings.

Change offset from the path

You can change offset of the drawing from the path. The drawing will animate on the path but will keep fixed offset from it.

Pick the drawing to be adjusted and place it on desired offset from the path.

Edit existing path

The paths are editable. When a path is changed, trajectory of all bound drawings is changed to follow the updated trajectory of the path.

Editing is implemented the same way as editing a keyframe animation.

Remove path

Removing paths is not supported.

Choose which paths are visible

In default state paths are visible and accessible at the same time. But when pitch calibration is defined a user can come across two types of paths:

• 2D = Defined in pixel coordinates directly on the screen.

• 3D = Defined in meters on the virtual pitch set by calibration.

To see only one type or the other simple use the Paths view button in the left top menu to rotate between these 3 views:

Display	Description
	All paths
	Only 2D
	Only 3D

 

Shape a path

To adjust small imperfections in paths, coming from the Player Tracking processing or after using the Join/Swap tools below, the path shaping tool can be used.

To shape a path:

Step	Display
1. Enable Path Shaping tool by activating the Path Shape button. All existing paths get shown as circles for current player positions with a trail visualizing immediate previous and next movement.
2. Click on any path manipulator to select it, visualize its whole trail and hide all other paths
3. Jog the time where the path needs to be shaped.
4. Drag and drop the path manipulator to a new desired position.
5. Click on the path manipulator to go back to edit other paths (step 1) or repeat steps 3 and 4.

 

Linked paths

If some paths are linked together for example with the Linked Cursor tool, all linked paths will act as one, meaning clicking on either one will select/deselect all of them, and will be visualized at the same time.

Smoothing

Path shaping tool also supports adjustable level of smoothing/propagation of the adjustments to the nearby times to control whether only the current position should be edited or a more realistic player movement is preferred (without spikes).

To adjust the smoothing level, hold the CTRL key (CMD on macOs) and scroll. The current level is visualized by a white highlight around the current keyframe.

Examples
No smoothing only the current position is adjusted.
Low smoothing.
High smoothing.

 

Extending paths

Path shaping tool can also be used to extend paths on either end.

To extend a path: 

Step	Display
1. Jog outside its definition (before beginning or after end). This is visualized as a dashed manipulator at last known position.
2. Drag and drop the path manipulator to a desired position.
3. This will define a new keyframe at given position and current time and add it to the path.

 

Swap paths

Another tool used most often to improve results of player tracker processing.
Allows to swap two paths crossing each other where at the crossing point, paths get swapped between players incorrectly.

To swap paths:

Step	Display
1. Enable Path Swap tool by activating the Path Swap button. Existing paths get shown.
2. Jog in time a few frames after the incident. Click one of the two path manipulators to select the path. Its selection is visualized with a blue color.
3. At the same frame, click the other manipulator to select the second path.
4. After both paths are selected, they are swapped at the point of the crossing, or at the point where they are closest to each other, when they are not crossing directly.

 

Split paths

Any path can also be split into two at required time. Typical use case for this is cutting off sections which otherwise would be difficult to shape into desired form. The missing section then can be filled by extending the "well-behaving" part via the Shaping tool.

To split a path:

Step	Display
1. Enable Path Split Tool by activating the Path Split button. Existing paths get shown.
2. Jog to the time where you want the split to occur. Click the manipulator of the path that should be split.
3. Path is now split into two and the first part (earlier in clip) stays selected and highlighted.
4. Select the Shaping tool to edit/extend the first part or click the manipulator again to deselect the first part, jog forwards and select the second part

 

Join paths

Typical scenario for Path Joining is connecting two distinct paths coming from the Player Tracking processing. Paths to be joined should not overlap in time. In case they are overlapping, the path that is starting first in time takes precedence.

To join two paths:

Step	Display
1. Enable Path Joining Tool by activating the Path Join button. Existing paths get shown.
2. Jog to the 1st path time range. Click on the path manipulator to designate the first path for joining.
3.Jog to the 2nd path time range. Click on the path manipulator to designate a second path for joining.
4. Paths get joined.

 

Graphic Eraser

You can selectively clear any graphics.

Erase the whole drawing

Press the Eraser button. A cross button is displayed at the end of graphic elements that belong to the currently selected tool. Press the cross control to erase the drawing.

Erase one keyframe

Enable keyframe visualization. Press the small eraser button to delete the current keyframe only. The button is available only when a keyframe is selected.