Controllers are used to set the keys for animation sequences. Every object and parameter that is animated has a controller assigned, and almost every controller has parameters that you can alter to change its functionality. Some controllers present these parameters as rollouts in the Motion panel, and others use a Properties dialog box.
Max has five basic controller types that work with only a single parameter or track and one specialized controller type that manages several tracks at once (the Transform controllers). The type depends on the type of values the controller works with. The types include the following:
Transform controllers are a special controller type that applies to all transforms (position, rotation, and scale) at the same time, such as the Position, Rotation, Scale (PRS) controllers.
Position controllers control the position coordinates for objects, consisting of X, Y, and Z values.
Rotation controllers control the rotation values for objects along all three axes.
Scale controllers control the scale values for objects as percentages for each axis.
Float controllers are used for all parameters with a single numeric value, such as Wind Strength and Sphere Radius.
Point3 controllers consist of color components for red, green, and blue, such as Diffuse and Background colors.
Note | Understanding the different controller types is important When you copy and paste controller parameters between different tracks, both tracks must have the same controller type. |
Float controllers work with parameters that use float numbers, such as a sphere's Radius or a plane object's Scale Multiplier value. Float values are numbers with a decimal value, such as 2.3 or 10.99. A Float controller is assigned to any parameter that is animated. After it is assigned, you can access the function curves and keys for this controller in the Track View and in the Track Bar.