Animating SHIFT+Rotate and SHIFT+Scale

When the Auto Key button is on, the transform center defaults to local pivot, and the flyout on the toolbar is unavailable. If you choose one of the other centers and turn on the Auto Key button, the center returns to the local pivot. This means you can’t directly animate with SHIFT+Rotate and SHIFT+Scale. For example, you can't use this method to create clones in an arc or circular array around a common center.

Using Non-Local Centers

To use a center separate from the object you’re cloning, you can do any of the following:

Use a dummy object.
Offset the local pivot.
Change the default animation center.

Using a Dummy Object as Center

In this procedure, you use the axis tripod of the dummy object as the center for rotation or scale.

To use a dummy object as center:

Create a dummy object at the center of rotation or scaling.
Link the object you want to clone to the dummy object, which becomes the parent.
Select both the dummy and the object, then transform them with SHIFT+Rotate or SHIFT+Scale.
- For SHIFT+Rotate, the dummy’s center becomes the pivot.
- For SHIFT+Scale, the dummy and selected object scale together toward a common center.

For details of dummy object use in hierarchies, see Using Dummies.

Offsetting the Local Pivot

In this procedure, you move the object’s pivot to the center of rotation or scale. This works much like using a dummy object.

To offset the local pivot:

On the Hierarchy command panel, choose Pivot and then Affect Pivot Only.
Select and move the local pivot of the original object to another location in your scene.
On the Hierarchy panel, deactivate Affect Pivot Only.
SHIFT+Rotate or SHIFT+Scale now animates around the offset center. This works with the default setting for local center.

Note: Moving the local pivot can adversely affect linking and inverse kinematics. If this is a possibility, consider changing the default instead of moving the local pivot.

To change the default axis while animating:

In this procedure, you change the default of animating only around the local axis.

Choose Customize menu > Preferences and open the Animation panel of the Preference Settings dialog.
Turn off Local Center During Animate.
This changes the default and activates all the transform center buttons. You can now animate around either the selection or coordinate center, as well as local pivot.
Note: Changing the default animates the rotation you see in viewports as a rotation plus translation, which might not be the effect you wanted.