# EP14 — Timeline (Pick-only Ani · Test Animation)

https://youtu.be/yLlcHUpL-_g?si=OvFMVFbvSKU5QVZC

## 1. Bottom animation panel

This episode covers the **bottom Timeline** in SkinLayer Studio.

The video starts after **Pick All** has already brought the mesh in from 3ds Max. The same idea applies in **Blender · Maya**.

Button and dialog details: [F14 — Timeline · Animation](/guide/skin-layer-studio/ui-timeline?lang=en).

---

## 2. Pick All vs Pick-only Ani

| Action | What you get |
|--------|----------------|
| **Pick All** | Mesh (skin data). If there is no anim yet, the timeline stays empty |
| **Pick** | Can also bring animation |
| **Pick-only Ani** | **Animation data only** (does not touch mesh · weights · bind) |

Look at the bottom: the **green bar** is the cached anim on the timeline.

---

## 3. Frame 0 = bind pose

Skinning starts from the unkeyed **original pose (bind pose)**. That is why an earlier lesson asked you to match **frame 0 to Figure Mode**.

Some DCCs make it hard to restore the start pose. To keep this easy, **the moment you Pick**:

| DCC | Right after Pick |
|-----|------------------|
| **3ds Max** | **Figure Mode** |
| **Blender** | **Rest Pose** |

Figure Mode / Rest Pose **is** the bind pose. Frame 0 now has the bind stored.

---

## 4. The 0 → 1 pop is intentional

If you Pick with animation on, you would expect the legs to move. After **Pick-only Ani**, it **pops when going from 0 to 1**. That is intended.

- **Frame 0** — bind pose
- **From frame 1** — animation starts

---

## 5. Save a test animation

The test anim on the timeline can be **saved separately**.

1. Dots (`:`) menu → **Save Animation...** — the bone list opens.
2. Name example: **Test-Ani**.
3. You can save every bone, but **you do not need all of that data**.

| Usually skip | Keep |
|--------------|------|
| **Seg** motion | Main bones such as **Thigh · Calf** |
| Skirt | Body used for skinning checks |

---

## 6. Filter with Bone Set

To save only the main bones, use **Bone Set**. You can filter the clip you just brought in and keep the main bones.

- A **Biped** list is there as well. You can select Biped only.
- Saving everything is also fine.
- You can select, save under another name, and add it to a Bone Set.

In the video, everything is saved first, named **Test-Ani**, then **Save**.

---

## 7. Clear · Load Animation

1. **Clear Animation** — the cache is empty.
2. **Load Animation** — **Test-Ani** you just saved is listed.
3. Load it, and the same anim comes back.

You do not have to put a test anim into the DCC and Pick every time.

---

## 8. Reuse on a different character

Test animation stays **similar even on another character**. Games and animation production usually agree on a bone structure, and that structure almost never changes. Save once, then Load.

There are **two default Templates** now, with more planned. You can save your own clips the same way.

---

## 9. Rotation data only

This clip stores **rotation only**. Even if proportions differ, it only stores values such as “rotate the legs 90 degrees,” so **any proportion still works**.

---

## 10. One-line summary

```
Pick All (mesh) or Pick-only Ani (anim only)
    → Frame 0 = Bind (Figure Mode / Rest Pose)
    → Anim from frame 1 (0→1 pop is intended)
    → Save Animation · Bone Set (main bones)
    → Clear / Load — reuse without DCC
```

UI reference: [F14 — Timeline · Animation](/guide/skin-layer-studio/ui-timeline?lang=en)