Merge dialog box

The Merge dialog appears when you click the Merge button in the Animation Layer toolbar or when you right-click in the Animation Layer editor and select Merge from the contextual menu.

You can merge selected layers to a new layer, or merge all layers to the BaseAnimation layer.

Merge dialog box

Layers area

Activate the Current option to merge the animation of selected layers onto a new layer. This new layer is named Merged Layer.

Activate the All option to merge animation on all layers with the BaseAnimation layer.

Note

If you select the BaseAnimation layer as well as other animation layers, then activate the Current option, the animation is merged to the BaseAnimation layer, not to a new layer.

Properties area

Activate the Selected option to merge only selected properties with the new merged layer. Activate the All option to merge all properties with the new merged layer.

Objects area

Activate the Selected option to merge only the selected objects to the new merged layer. Activate the Scene option to merge all objects in the scene to the BaseAnimation layer.

Note

If no objects in the scene are selected, only the Scene option is available and animation from all objects in the scene will be merged.

Smart Plot area

The Smart Plot option lets you merge layers without adding keyframes. For example, when two function curves with three keyframes each are merged onto one layer using Smart Plot, the resulting function curve has no more than six keyframes. The options in this area are the same as the options in the Plot Properties window.

Result Layer Mode

The Result Layer Mode menu lets you select the Layer mode for the new merged layer.

Select Additive to set the new layer to Additive, or select Override to set the new layer to Override.

When you select Automatic, the merged layer is set to either Additive or Override. If any of the selected layers is set to Override, the new merged layer is set to Override. If all selected layers are in Additive mode, the new merged layer is set to Additive.

Delete Merged Layers

Activate the Delete Merged Layers option to remove the newly-emptied layers from the Animation Layer stack.

Disable this option if you want to keep the layers in the stack. When the animation is merged onto a new layer or to the BaseAnimation layer, the original layers are empty of animation.

The Delete Merge Layers option only deletes selected layers when they are empty. For example, if a sphere and a cube both have keyframes on AnimLayer1, but only the cube is selected to be merged, then AnimLayer1 is not deleted because the sphere’s animation remains.

Merge button

Click Merge to combine the selected layers, properties, and objects onto a new merged layer or with the BaseAnimation layer.

Cancel button

Click to stop the Merge operation.