Moho Forum

This ought to be easy to correct and is an extremely powerful technique.

Right now you can use referenced actions on your main timeline. That way if you've defined, say, a head turn action and use it ten or so times but find out the timing is off all you have to do is edit the action and the references on the timeline mean the changes will show there. All well and good.

Even more powerful is the ability to put references IN your actions. Thus an action that blinks eyes can reference an eye closed position and if you decide you want the eye close to be more in the middle any blink action will change accordingly (and so will the references to it used on the main timeline). However, in order to do this you can't simply insert a reference to a previous action in an action -- you need to first put this reference on the main timeline and then copy from the main timeline into your new action.

It's a PITA and a workaround but because it works it means there isn't any reason why a reference can't just be allowed within an action (right now it's grayed out). Just enable this ability and all will be well (I bet it's two seconds of programming time :>)

mkelley wrote:This ought to be easy to correct and is an extremely powerful technique.

Right now you can use referenced actions on your main timeline. That way if you've defined, say, a head turn action and use it ten or so times but find out the timing is off all you have to do is edit the action and the references on the timeline mean the changes will show there. All well and good.

Even more powerful is the ability to put references IN your actions. Thus an action that blinks eyes can reference an eye closed position and if you decide you want the eye close to be more in the middle any blink action will change accordingly (and so will the references to it used on the main timeline). However, in order to do this you can't simply insert a reference to a previous action in an action -- you need to first put this reference on the main timeline and then copy from the main timeline into your new action.

It's a PITA and a workaround but because it works it means there isn't any reason why a reference can't just be allowed within an action (right now it's grayed out). Just enable this ability and all will be well (I bet it's two seconds of programming time :>)

I totally agree with this request. However, I have trouble even getting the first function you described to work. When I update an action that has already been referenced in the timeline, it sometimes updates the action in the timeline, but most of the time I have to re-reference it to make sure (and I am definitely using reference action and not copy action). It may have to do with type of keys in the action, which is why it works sometimes, but not others.

I don't suppose you can post a file that has this behavior? It might help the gurus here to try and figure it out.

I've never had an issue with this but I will tell you that as a general rule I don't use references with my actions on the main timeline. I find them far better used inside of actions I construct (and they seem to work properly in this regard but, as you say, perhaps it's the type of keys I'm using).

most of the time I have to re-reference it to make sure (and I am definitely using reference action and not copy action)

I get the same thing, which made me wonder about the reference actions feature.