--- title: "Keys" url: "https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/10616.html" section_path: "Animate > Timeline > Menu > Keys" description: "Many of these options function the same as those of the same name found in the Key Properties. These options can be accessed instantly via their …" --- # Keys Many of these options function the same as those of the same name found in the [Key Properties](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md). These options can be accessed instantly via their corresponding keyboard shortcuts, which saves you from constantly having to switch to the **Attributes Manager**. # Interpolation Activating this command (or its icon) will display the interpolation between Keys. If more than one type of interpolation is defined for the Keys, this command will remain disabled. Linear Step Sets interpolation to linear / step (abrupt transition between keys will result). Spline Spline Use this setting to set the interpolation type to Spline without changing the existing tangent settings. # Commands ![Image: 012821.jpg](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/012821.jpg)\ Left to right: Initial state; Soft; Ease In; Ease Ease; Ease out; Zero Angle / Length. Soft ![Image: 012822.jpg](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/012822.jpg)\ Top to bottom: Initial state; Auto Tangent; Soft. **Soft** has the same function as **Auto Tangent** with one exception: When soft is applied the first and last keys’ tangents will be aligned in accordance with a soft interpolation. Ease In Ease Ease Ease Out **Ease** interpolations are used for making an object's acceleration and / or deceleration more realistic. They are depicted as horizontal tangents on the F-Curves. - Ease In: The tangents will be broken. The right tangent remains unchanged and the left tangent will be rotated horizontally. - Ease Ease: The tangents will be placed horizontally. The F-Curve will be assigned a local minimum / maximum, preventing the animation from over-rotating. - Ease Out: The tangents will be broken. The left tangent remains unchanged and the right tangent will be rotated horizontally. Key Mute Use this command to [mute](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md) selected Keys. Executing the command again will unmute the Keys. The state of selected Keys can be recognized by the different color of the command and of the Keys themselves. If selected Keys have different states no activation will be shown. Lock Time Locks the current time in the animation. See also [here](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md). Lock Value Locks the key value. See also [here](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md). Breakdown Use this command to make Keys relative. This means that they will move relative to neighboring Keys that are moved. (see also [Make Relative](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md)). Breakdown Color Use this function to give selected keyframes a special color (for more information see [Breakdown Color](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md)). Clamp Two consecutive keys with equal values will be interpolated linearly. An exaggerated curve will result. See also [here](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md). Auto Tangents - Classic Sets a soft interpolation for all selected keys. See also [here](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md). AutoTangent - Fixed Slope Defines a soft interpolation with a fixed tangent slope for all selected keys. More details can be found [here](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md). Remove Overshooting Enable this option to prevent overshooting. Details can be found [here](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md). Weighted Tangent Enable this option to make the tangent length dependent on distance it lies from the neighboring key. Details can be found [here](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md). Automatic Weighting Details can be found under [Automatic Weighting](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md). Lock Tangent Angles Lock Tangent Length Locks the tangent **angle** / **length**. See also [here](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md). Break Tangents Makes the left tangent independent of the right tangent (and vice-versa). The tangents can be broken while editing them by pressing `Shift` when modifying them. Details s. [here](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md). Align Tangents ![A linear curve section is created from 2 selected keys using smooth interpolation.](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/2026-2_tangent_01_.png) By default, Cinema 4D creates keys with tangents, meaning they use smooth interpolation. If you now want to apply linear interpolation to a section of the animation, select two adjacent keys on the same animation track and then execute **Align Tangents**. This aligns the tangents between the two selected keys, resulting in linear interpolation. If these are broken tangents, only the segments of the tangents lying between the selected points are aligned.\ This command also works with multiple selected tracks, provided that two adjacent keys have been selected for each track. > **Tip:** Note:This command only works in F-Curve mode. Zero Angle (Tangent) Sets the tangent to a horizontal position. In doing so, the animation near the key will not reach greater/lesser values than those defined in the key itself. Zero Length (Tangent) Sets the tangent length to zero, which prevents a kink in the curve. Two sequential keys with this property will produce a linear interpolation between them. Unify Tangent Length Adjusts the left tangent length to that of the right tangent length. Both will have equal lengths. Unify Tangent Angle Sets the left tangent to the same orientation as the right tangent (only the tangent end point will lie opposite the other tangent). Their lengths will remain constant. Keep Visual Angle The angle between the left and right tangents remains constant when a tangent is edited, i.e., the other tangents move accordingly. Unify We suggest applying this setting only to broken tangents. The right tangent will be mirrored and will replace the left tangent. Reset Tangents Sets the key tangents back to a defined basic state (soft interpolation). This reflects the enabled [Auto Tangents](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/CKVALUE-ID_VKEY_PROPERTIES.html.md) option but without having to switch to this mode. Mirror X Mirror Y Use these options to mirror all selected keys. The mirror axis will be set as follows: - Mirror X: Centered between the first and last selected keys. - Mirror Y: Centered between the largest and smallest key value of selected keys. Quantize Selection In the course of editing your animation one or more keys may end up at a location that is not a whole key, e.g., frame number 12.3475. Applying this option will place a key on its nearest whole frame (in the case of our wayward frame: Frame 12). Cycle... ![Image: 012823.jpg](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/012823.jpg)\ The initial animation consisting of four keyframes (top) was duplicated using Cycle. Offset has been deactivated in the center and activated at bottom. Cycle lets you repeat an animation as often as you like. A given track's keys will be duplicated and arranged consecutively. The last key will be replaced by the first key of the cycle. To apply the Cycle function, switch to Dope Sheet mode in the Objects Area and select a given animation track to be duplicated (not the keys!). Animations can be repeated or an offset can be applied to make the repetition relative, e.g., for a walk cycle in which the feet don't just move back and forth but also have to move in the general direction in which the figure is moving. Selecting this option will open a dialog window with the following settings: - Copy: Use this setting to define the number of times the cycle should repeat. - Offset: If a difference in values between the first and last keys exists, this difference will be added by each cycle to the previous cycle, for all keys. Use this method for walk cycles.