Switch Selection from Parent Bone Layer

[JoelMayer]

I think it would be great if, instead of shuffling around in endless sub-layers till you find the Switch layer, click on it and then get the appropriate selection in the Switch Selector Menu, we could select all available Switch Folders from the regular Top Bone or whatever Layer.

A possible solution could be something like this in my super crappy, quick and dirty Mock-Up: No matter where you are on a rig, the Switch selectio menu always shows you all available Switch Folders and you can select them from there and then conveniently change the images.

[hayasidist]

like this? https://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34078

[JoelMayer]

like this? https://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34078

I don't know the tool but this is just from the built-in Switch Selector with Thumbnails. The only addition is that you can select the Switch Layers of a hierarchy directly from the Window as well.

[Hoptoad]

I don't know the tool but this is just from the built-in Switch Selector with Thumbnails. The only addition is that you can select the Switch Layers of a hierarchy directly from the Window as well.

I would like this feature to be added to Moho.

Nearly every time I activate the nifty "Switch Selection" feature, I get this message: "The current layer is not a switch layer." And then I'm like, "Oh, yeh. I'm on the main bone layer." And then I have to find and select the switch layer and start again.

Being presented with a convenient list of all the switch layers (within the selected bone layer) would be great.

Bonus idea: after the Switch Selection feature is closed, make the character's main bone layer selected by default.

Moho is all about speed, and these features would definitely speed things up for me. A few seconds here and there add-up to minutes after a while.

[Greenlaw]

Layer Shortcuts does something like this. I use it for a while to create buttons on the workspace to select specific Switch layers that load into the Switch Selection Window. It's a great idea but unfortunately it breaks when you import the rig into another project. I hope either Wes can improve this or we get something comparable natively because, expect for the import issue, the is an incredibly useful idea. I made a video about it here...

Introduction to Layer Shortcuts

Note: I made this video before I discovered the import problem, which is why it's not mentioned there.

In the meantime, I've fallen back to Shift+Alt clicking over the visible artwork of a switch layer. This will select the group layer of the clicked on artwork, which can be a Switch Layer. If so, it will load automatically into the Switch Selection window. Unfortunately, there is a flaw with this method in that, if you tend to use groups inside your Switch layer (like I almost always do,) then this method will only select as high as that child art group layer and not the parent Switch layer.

(It's always something, isn't it?)

I have a few ideas to explore for making Switch Layer selection from the workspace easier. Will post when I have something satisfactory.

[Greenlaw]

Oh, one more option is to use Stan's Layer Selection Buttons. Using it for selecting Switch Layers is super easy:

1. Select the Layer Selection Buttons tool; a row of buttons will appaear
2. Select a Switch Layer you wish to assign to a button
3. Alt click on a button

Now you can use that button to select the Switch layer.

This idea is similar to Wes' Layer Shortcuts, less visually fancy but more direct for setup. The down side is that this setup doesn't carry over with import either so you will need to set it up for every new project. The upside is that it's very easy to set up and may only take a minute for even complicated scenes.

So we have a few different ways to select Switch Layers for the Switch Selection Window right now. None of them are perfect but they're each useful in their own way. Hopefully we'll see a better solution before too long.