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reusing and renaming annimation clips in different timelines

Discussion in 'Timeline' started by ewanuno, Sep 16, 2019.

  1. ewanuno

    ewanuno

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    i am making a Digital comic with unity/timeline. it's basically a master timeline with sub timelines per scene and per "frame" which gets paused on every frame and then restarted when the user taps the screen.

    since many transitions are reused, e.g. a fade on the alpha property of a sprite, i want to just create clips for each transition type once, and then reuse them in each timeline.

    whilst i can do this easily within the same timeline it is not possible to copy and paste to a different Timeline.(nothing happens) or to drag and drop the clips from the timeline asset in the project window.(an empty clip is inserted into the timeline)

    also i can't find a way to rename the animation clips, they are all called "Recorded(n)" and it's not obvious to me how to rename them.
     
    ewanuno, Sep 16, 2019
    #1

  2. c0ffeeartc

    c0ffeeartc

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    Try duplicating (ctrl+d or cmd+d) a 'Recorded' clip in project window, then work with this copy.

    Update:
    Renaming is possible for me when choosing `Recorded` clip in timeline and changing `AnimationClipName` field in inspector. Also drag-and-drop works from project window into a different timeline
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2019
    c0ffeeartc, Sep 17, 2019
    #2

  3. ewanuno

    ewanuno

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    briliant!, that works!

    when i drag it into a timeline though i can't see the animated values in the timeline curves editor, i have to open it in the animation editor. but it does work, this was making me think the clips i dragged into the timeline were empty.

    update:
    you're right, it is possible to edit the animation clip name int he inspector for the clip, i don't know how i didn't see that before.
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2019
    ewanuno, Sep 17, 2019
    #3

  4. ewanuno

    ewanuno

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    so, it looks like the bugs are:

    1. clips that are dragged into the playlist are not viewable/editable in the timeline window curve editor.

    2. copy and paste of clips between timelines doesn't work.
     
    ewanuno, Sep 17, 2019
    #4

  5. seant_unity

    seant_unity

    Unity Technologies

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    This is by design. We don't allow editing external clips in timeline. If the animation clip is 'owned' by the timeline clip (i.e. using the recording feature), timeline lets you edit it.

    We probably should however, allow editing of non-readonly clips, like in your case, provided there is an indication to the user that the animation clip may be use elsewhere.

    Try using the menu, instead of the keyboard shortcut.
     
    seant_unity, Sep 17, 2019
    #5

  6. ewanuno

    ewanuno

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    ok, that makes sense. its not obvious to the uninitiated though.
    making it visible but greyed out would be a lot easier to understand what is going on. like ghost copies in (1990s)cubase. in cubase if you edit a ghost copy the editor asks you if you want to edit the master or make a new copy.


    really, i forgot that copy and paste had menu items.;) Thats a bug if you ask me.
     
    ewanuno, Sep 17, 2019
    #6

  7. seant_unity

    seant_unity

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    That's a good idea - early on we had something like that, but the inline curve editor couldn't handle the data of a typical fbx clip (it wasn't really designed for it). But, it's advanced a lot since then. An option to instance the clip is great idea.

    And that's definitely a bug. I've passed it on to our QA team.
     
    seant_unity, Sep 17, 2019
    #7

  8. ewanuno

    ewanuno

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    i've used a load of different timeline based midi sequencers, audio and video editors over the years, as well as ancient hardware midi and tape systems, every time i use unity's timeline, i see something missing that's already been solved in another tool.
    is there a place where it makes sense to post these observations?, i imagine your team already has experience with all the historical ways timeline editing has been done, so i'm not sure if i'm wasting bandwidth if i post them here.
     
    ewanuno, Sep 18, 2019
    #8

  9. seant_unity

    seant_unity

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    Please feel free to post them here. I think you hit the nail on the head when you state there is quite a history of linear sequence editors that solve a variety of problems. There are no shortage of features, workflows that we could, and would like to, implement - the hardest part is determining which ones will be of most value. Feedback that helps guide those decisions is always welcome!
     
    seant_unity, Sep 18, 2019
    #9

  10. ewanuno

    ewanuno

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    another confusing thing i noticed about this is that i can't rename clips until i have saved the scene. it makes perfect sense if you think about it, but i was struggling to understand why i could rename some clips and not others.
     
    ewanuno, Sep 24, 2019
    #10