You can import and export individual animation layers, or hierarchies of animation layers.
Note: If you are importing a scene that contains animation layers and you don't want the imported file's base animation layers to be moved under the existing scene's base animation layer, you can activate the
Merge Base Animation Layers option at import time in the
Import Options window. This is useful if you are importing many assets.
To export an animation layer
- In the
Animation Layer Editor, select the layer you want to export.
- Do one of the following:
- Right-click the layer and select
Export Layer.
- Select
Layers > Export Layer from the
Animation Layer Editor menu bar.
- In the file browser that appears, enter a name for your exported layer file and click
Export.
The layer node, its animation curves, and its blend nodes are exported as a
Maya file. Any models with attributes associated with the layer are not exported.
To export a hierarchy of animation layers
- In the
Animation Layer Editor, select a parent layer.
- Do one of the following:
- Right-click the parent layer and select
Export Branch.
- Select
Layers > Export Branch from the
Animation Layer Editor menu bar.
Note: You can only export one hierarchy at a time.
- In the file browser that appears, enter a name for your exported layer hierarchy file and click
Export.
All of the layer nodes, animation, and blend nodes are exported, and the structure of your layer hierarchy is saved.
To import an animation layer or animation layer hierarchy
After you have exported a layer or layer hierarchy, you can import it into another scene.
- Select
File > Import from the main menu bar.
- Navigate to select a file containing an exported animation layer or animation layer hierarchy, then click
Import.
Note:
In order to play the imported layer’s animation, your scene must contain the same objects and attributes (by name) as those on the imported layer. If the scene does not contain the same objects and attributes, the imported layer animation cannot be properly connected in the dependency graph, so it has no affect on the result animation in your scene.