How to add a parameter dial to make both eyes blink together. I'm showing this for Dawn2 because she doesn't have a Blink parameter that does both eyes out of the box. Mostly this is a good excuse to document this. This procedure will work on any figure. Any parameter can be controlled by any other parameter or even multiple parameters. This looks like a lot of steps. I just wanted to be sure I explained this in high detail. It's not really as complicated as it looks.

First a rough outline of what we'll be doing.

A. Create a new Master Parameter.

B. Link dials that we want controlled to the new master and set it's "zero" point.

C. Add control points "Keys" between the new master and the controlled parameter.

D. Add some more control points that go the opposite direction.

OK Here we go ...

1. Load up Dawn (or what ever figure you intend to fix up) Find the parts that you will want to create dependencies for. Experiment to find the dial values are appropriate. Remember the values you want to use. After a bit of fiddling I decided The Lid Upper needed about X+40 and Lid Lower needed X-10. You will want the Hierarchy Editor (HE) displayed so you can select invisible or "ghost" bones. Dawn doesn't have control chips for the ghost bones.

2. Select the body part where the new master parameter will be. (The Head).

3. From the context menu at the top of the Parameters Tab choose "Create new Master Parameter" This will be the new dial that controls the blink in this case. Give the dial a sensible name "Blink Both"

4. Creating a new master automatically opens the Dependency Editor (DE). Make sure you are on the "Keyed Dependencies" tab. Click [Start Teaching]

5. WARNING: Everything you touch becomes a dependency of the new dial. Don't move anything you don't want included. If you need to move something you don't want included as a dependent parameter click [Stop Teaching] which is the same button.

6. From the Hierarchy Editor choose the body part you want to include Parameters from.

7. First thing is to set the zero point for the parameter. Make sure the Master is set to 0.000 on the Dependency Editor. Now 'Reset" the dial you want to add

8. When you reset the dial a Dependent Parameter was added to the list. Changing the dials value in any way will add it as a dependency,. The dependency doesn't do anything yet. That's the next step.

9. Set the Value on the Master to 1.000. (This can be any value but we won't add that complication yet)

10. Adjust the parameter dial that will be controlled to the value you decided on from step 1. I chose +40

11. Test it. See if spinning the Master dial on the Dependency Editor (DE) makes the eyelid blink. We'll trouble shoot at the end of this if it doesn't

12. Set the Master Parameter on the DE back to 0.000.

13. Select the next body part. (Lid Lower)

14. Reset the parameter dial so it gets added and zeroed.

15. Set the Master Parameter to 1.000.

16. Set the Parameter Dial to your per-determined value from step 1. (I chose -10).

17. Steps 12-16 is the real core of this process. Repeat this for each dial you wish to add to be controlled. So add each of the blink and wince parameters from the 4 eyelids.

18. [Stop Teaching] on the DE. Remember the warning from step 5 ... This is the place you'll likely mess up.

19. SAVE YOUR WORK

20. Test out your new master dial.

You now have a working "Blink" dial.But what if you want to make it more powerful? Maybe add a wide eyes capability by dialing Blink Both to minus 1. OK let's try the bonus round.

Let's add a negative range to the existing dial. This is also how you can edit (or remove) existing dependencies.

1. Click [Start teaching] again.

2. Set the Master Parameter on the DE to -1.000

3. Click the Dependent Parameter on the DE you want to add a negative value for. That makes the controlled parameter show in the Parameters tab. (Notice we don't need the Hierarchy Editor any more.)

4 Set the value you want for the negative master value on the Parameters Palette. (I chose -15 for the upper eye lid.)

5. Repeat step 2, 3, 4 for each of the dials you want to add a negative "wide eyes".

6. [Stop Teaching] on the DE.

7. Save and test your changes.

How to fix stuff

You'll likely at some point accidentally move something while "Teaching". Forgot to "Stop" or accidentally dragged the head. To remove the dependencies you didn't want. Select them in the Dependent Parameters pane and then click [Remove Selected]

You can edit or remove individual keys (The values that you set the dials to) by selecting and dragging them in the Key Graph. [Control] + Drag to move keys up and down.

You can delete a single key this way too.

If you need to edit existing dependencies click the dot by any controlled parameter. That will open the DE focused on that dials controls

Now that I've thoroughly confused you ping back with any questions you have.