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

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.

2. Pick All vs Pick-only Ani

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:

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.

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