Smart Bone controlling actions

[Hoptoad]

Action A controls switch layer A and has 9 keyframes.
Action B controls switch layer B and has 9 keyframes.

Actions A and B always happen at the same time, and I always use Insert Copy to place the actions' keyframes on the timeline where I need them.

This is a big time-saver, but I'm wondering if the process could be faster.

I have to leave the bone layer (where I'm animating) and select the switch layers one at a time to add their respective actions/keyframes to the timeline.

Is there a way to make a smart bone on the character's bone layer that, when I rotate it, copies of the keyframes of actions A and action B to the switch layer channels, so that I don't have to travel to the switch layers to do it? Or some other sort of solution? I imagine I'd have to go to the switch layer channels to delete the keyframes if I needed to delete them, I couldn't delete them from the bone layer by deleting the smart bone keyframe. Right? Or is this whole thing impossible?

> BONE LAYER
>> SWITCH LAYER A
>> SWITCH LAYER B

Thanks.

[sang820]

You can create all materials (vector models, bone bindings) on the bone layer, then click on the layer, right-click to pop up the menu, and turn it into a switch layer.This switching layer will retain both the bone function and the switching layer function.

[MrMiracle77]

Depending on how deeply nested your switch layers are, you could tie both switches to a 9-frame smartbone, with each step of the smarbone tied to a shift to the next step in the switch layer. Then you could just pick the start point on the timeline, make a frame for the smartbone's start point, then advance the timeline 9 frames and move the smartbone to the '9' mark. This might make more of one kind of work while reducing another, though.

[Hoptoad]

Depending on how deeply nested your switch layers are, you could tie both switches to a 9-frame smartbone, with each step of the smarbone tied to a shift to the next step in the switch layer. Then you could just pick the start point on the timeline, make a frame for the smartbone's start point, then advance the timeline 9 frames and move the smartbone to the '9' mark. This might make more of one kind of work while reducing another, though.

Thank you! I already had made a smart bone for the switch layers, but I didn't realize that I could quickly animate with it, so I was copying Actions to the timeline. I was thinking I would have to move the smart bone slightly, advance a frame, move it slightly, advance another frame, and so forth for all 9 keyframes on the timeline.

But like you said, all I need to do is click the smart bone to make a keyframe, then advance 9 frames and rotate the smart bone to the end point, thereby creating the final keyframe and all 9 switch layer will be animated.

I had a feeling that I was missing a critical piece of information. It's kinda funny. I had already made the tool I needed, but I didn't know how to use it. Now that I know how to use the smart bone, it works great.

Thanks again.

[MrMiracle77]

And now that you have the smartbone, you could even create a Standard Action for the smartbone and drop the 9-frame movement into the timeline all at once.

[Hoptoad]

And now that you have the smartbone, you could even create a Standard Action for the smartbone and drop the 9-frame movement into the timeline all at once.

GASP!

That's an awesome idea.