Download files for this lesson:
 bouncing_ball.svg
bouncing_ball_done.svg
Use the Pacing Palette to edit the pace, or acceleration, of a tweened animation. For example, by editing the pacing of an animation you can create the animated effect of gravity.
Because the pace of any segment of any tweened animation is adjustable, pacing settings apply to any keypoint except the final keypoint in an animation bar. To edit the pacing of an animation, select a keypoint at the beginning of an animation segment of any tweened animation in order to activate the Pacing Palette (be sure to select a keypoint only, and not an entire animation bar).
(Note that the Pacing Palette does not apply to Visibility animations.)
Add "Weight" to Your Animations
In the following example, we'll adjust the pacing of the bouncing ball so that it mimics the natural effects of gravity.
First, download and open the bouncing_ball.svg animation in Animator. Preview this animation using any profile you want.
Without any pacing effects applied, the ball's bounce lacks sophistication and appears unnatural. By simply adding the appropriate pacing to the position keypoints at the right times, we can easily make the ball appear to follow the laws of gravity.
First, we'll try the preset "Ease-in" and "Ease-out" pacings as the ball drops and rises, respectively. Select the keypoint at the beginning of the first position animation to activate the Pacing Palette. Now select "Ease-in" from the preset drop-down. Similarly, select the keypoint at the beginning of the position animation where the ball begins to rise up from the ground (at 1:20 seconds for example), and select "Ease-out" from the presets.
Note that you can always preview the animation by rewinding the Timeline Marker and pressing Play in the playback controls at the top of the Treeview, as well as via the Preview Window.
The "Ease-out" pacing looks good, but the "Ease-in" pacing could use some adjustment. Select the first position animation keypoint again, and now click and drag the second red control handle in the Pacing Palette upwards to overlap the curve end-point at the end of the pacing curve. Your pacing curve should now look like this:
Preview your animation again. The downwards pace of the falling ball appears more natural with the modified curve.
Click the Save button at the bottom of the palette and save your customized curve as "Down Pace".
Now, apply your customized pacing setting along with the preset "Ease-out" pacing to each of the appropriate keypoints in your animation.
The final position animation, where the ball rolls to a stop, also could use some customization. Try manipulating the Control Handle points on your own and see what you can come up with.
When you are done, check your work against the finished version of this animation called bouncing_ball_done.svg.
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