Why can't you paste layers when creating actions?

[Telemacus]

I'm not sure if I understand what I'm talking about, but here it goes anyway.
I'm experimenting a little with actions and morphs. It really is amazing what a difference AS 9 has made in this regard.
One thing I don't fully grasp though is why you can't paste layers when creating an action.
Let me explain:

I think I understand the concept of actions. Let's say we have a vector layer with a square shape. I move a few dots around, create a 3d effect or whatever and then that's the end of the action. I save it and it's all good. I can reuse it at different points of my animation. So, what we have here is a starting layer with some data representing the shape. The final layer, with different data, representing the shape after the transformation. The program takes care of all the frames in between.

Why doesn't let the program let me paste the final layer instead of having to move the nodes around?
In other words, why does the final layer in the action have to be manipulated manually instead of letting me paste it? surely the program should be able to interpret the data in the final layer as easily as it does when I manipulate it by hand.

Sure, moving those dots around is fairly easy, so why would I want the program to do that? obviously because there are other shapes where moving the nodes around would be a lot harder, for example with slight movements of a character's face, etc.

Is this just conceptually impossible or do you think the program will be able to do it in a future version?

Note: I posted this on another animation forum also.

[funksmaname]

despite the word count in your post, I'm still struggling to understand what the issue is...
Are you saying you've already moved the points in the main line and you want to move them into an action?
If so, you can do that by placing the main line into the action timeline in the same way you paste actions into the mainline, by being in the action, selecting the mainline in the action menu (1 click) and then clicking on 'insert copy'... from there you can delete out the frames you dont need and move the relevant frame forward if needed.

That's my best guess at what you're asking - if you can simplify the question perhaps I'll have a better answer

[Telemacus]

Say you're trying to do a sideways head turn using smartbones.
You have a starting frame, say with a frontal view of the face (A), and then you have a side view frame of the face (B).
Your task is to make A transition to B smoothly. But it seems that in order to achieve this with AS, you actually have to manipulate the bones/nodes manually, because you can't paste "B" into the actions, AS can only identify "B" when you manipulate the bones to get frame "B".

[heyvern]

If you already have frame "A" the front view, and frame "B" the side view but it's in the main time line, you can copy the keys that create the changes to create frame "B" into an action as described in the previous post.

Some of your description leads me to think that maybe you don't quite understand the animation process of Anime Studio. All animation is achieved by manipulating points and bones that effect points. Those keys are what changes the shapes on layers. It's the keys you need to copy and paste not the layers. Just want to make sure it's clear.

[Telemacus]

Yes, I understand that it's the points that change the shapes in the layers, that's how the animation is achieved. (the other 2 ways being moving the whole layer around and the third using bones to change the shapes, although the bones actually change the the points).
But in all the tutorials that I've seen about morphing and face turns, they never copy and paste layers, they modify the points instead.
Copying and pasting all the points in one layer (without sub-layers) would be fairly easy, but a face is normally made of several layers and sub-layers.
But if each one of the nodes in each one of the layers can be identified (which is obviously the case), why couldn't you achieve a face turn by copy a whole set of layers and sublayers as origin and destiny? If the computer can identify node 2041 in image A, and node 2041 in image B, why would it matter?

[Danimal]

You can do something like that in switch layer like that with layer visibility, but the move would be instantaneous. To get actual movement, you need to work with points or bones. The in-betweening doesn't happen otherwise. There's no "here's one layer, now morph to this layer" function. Even if there were, I would imagine the movement wouldn't be even slightly organic. Anime Studio wouldn't say "oh, it's supposed to be a head turning," it would just blob the points around.

[Telemacus]

But when you do morph dials, you only use a few frames and the program builds up the "in between" frames. And that's my point.
So, in a way, there is some kind of basic "morphing" happening already, isn't there?

[Danimal]

Morph dials still rely on actually moving the points around yourself. If you think your idea should be a feature, there's a Feature Request forum and I would suggest you post it to see if it can or will be done. Otherwise it looks like your question has been answered three times now. It would definitely seem that you should work through the manual & tutorials to get a better understanding of how animation works in Anime Studio.

[Telemacus]

I beg your pardon??
Since I'm the one who's asking the question, perhaps I'm in a better position to judge if my question has been answered or not, don't you think? I don't feel it has been answered. Thanks though.
As for reminding me about the feature request, thank you very much. I did know already.
I too would like to remind you of something else: you are free to reply or not reply to a question, I didn't ask you personally to answer it. You are also free to think that my question has been answered, although I do not share your opinion in this particular case.

Try to loosen up a little, mate, this is the second time that you've replied to one of my posts in such terms, avoid it please.

Thank you.

[Telemacus]

And, by the way, morph dials do involve moving points around, but the program does create the in between frames, and that's the concept that we're talking about here.

[Danimal]

Since I'm the one who's asking the question, perhaps I'm in a better position to judge if my question has been answered or not, don't you think?

Evidently, the answer to that is no.

I don't feel it has been answered.

Perhaps a more direct answer will register then: no, what you ask is not possible in the program. If you want points to move, you have to move them.

Again, the manual and tutorials are very helpful.

[heyvern]

Morph dials, actions, main time line keys, they are all exactly the same thing. They "morph" or change between keys. Morph dials aren't different than anything else going on in Anime Studio. They simply mix actions with sliders which could also be done by hand. It's all the same.

Based on your example of a front and side view "morphing" smoothly, there is a problem with this. Translation of points (and bones) is always linear. Change the position of a bone or a point and the motion is in a straight line. This means that a smooth head turn requires multiple keys done by hand.

A head turn can not be "automated". There is no "quick solution". It has to be done by hand with multiple keys.
(As we use to say on the Animation Master forum "There is no 'make dragon' button". )

Once you have done all the hard work of creating multiple keys or poses for your head turn, then you can use the cool features of Anime Studio, like morph dials or smart bones, to insert into the main time line. What is key here is that the SOURCE of a morph dial or smart bone has to be created FIRST by hand with effort. The feature you are requesting won't solve your problem or make head turns or complex morphing easier.

[Telemacus]

To Danimal:

You too should read a manual: "being polite to people who are starting out". I know it must be hard for you, but give it a try, mate.
Perhaps you're a brilliant animator, but your social skills are evidently lacking.
Please stop replying to any of my posts.

Thank you.

[Danimal]

Please stop replying to any of my posts.

Awwwwwwwwwwww...

[Telemacus]

Morph dials, actions, main time line keys, they are all exactly the same thing. They "morph" changes between keys. Morph dials aren't different than anything else going on in Anime Studio. They simply mix actions with sliders which could also be done by hand. It's all the same.

Based on your example of a front and side view "morphing" smoothly, there is a problem with this. Translation of points (and bones) is always linear. Change the position of a bone or a point and the motion is in a straight line. This means that a smooth head turn requires multiple keys done by hand.

Thanks for that, makes a lot more sense now.

A head turn can not be "automated". There is no "quick solution". It has to be done by hand with multiple keys.
(As we use to say on the Animation Master forum "There is no 'make dragon' button". )

. There is no dragon button "yet".

Once you have done all the hard work of creating multiple keys or poses for your head turn, then you can use the cool features of Anime Studio, like morph dials or smart bones, to insert into the main time line. What is key here is that the SOURCE of a morph dial or smart bone has to be created FIRST by hand with effort. The feature you are requesting won't solve your problem or make head turns or complex morphing easier.

"has to be created FIRST by hand with effort".
Thanks again, Heyvern. The "Character holding and throwing sign" tutorial is on my task list.