VaM 1.x Timeline syncing animations with different names across layers?

Hi, am wondering if someone can explain how layers are meant to work together in AcidBubbles' Timeline?

If I create two layers, each with one animation, they both play together, even though the animations have different names and are not in the same set. And if a layer has two animations the first one plays, and I am not sure how Timeline decides which one should play.

I am using the Play Clip button, not the Play All button.

I thought from the Wiki only animations with the same name play together.

What I would like to do is to have a layer for the right arm, a layer for the left arm, and then another for the hip/chest/head. Each layer would contain transitions between different poses for just that part of the body, and I can trigger them, individually or in parallel, by animation name. Is that possible?

"Play Clip" is just a way to preview. Using "Play" through trigger will behave like "Play All" if your character is not yet playing something.

Layers are just... layers. But the main thing you gotta understand is that when you create layers, ALL layers will play when you start an animation. You cannot start an animation with a layer not playing. As for which animation will play, it's just "the first one available if not defined".

And "defined" comes in two ways:

• Either as you said, name them the same way
• Or use the "Anim set" (in sequence tab) to sync several anim with different names across layers

So in your case, let's imagine we have three layers : body, left arm, right arm.
Create your start animations in all layers body, left and right arm :

• If you use the "naming" trick, have at least an animation for each layer named the same way
• If you use the "anim set" trick, create your animations for each layer named however you want, define at least for one animation of each layer the same anim set for instance "startAnim"

Then when you start the anim everything will be synced, then you can trigger however you want animation in the arm layers afterward.

Thanks hazmhox! OK so if I want each animation to control different targets, I either need to use segments or have something external turn the weights up or down before playing, right? (I don't think there's a way to not set at least the first keyframe for each controller.) I'll have another go this way!