Story tracks

In the Story window, a track is a path along which you can move and edit clips along a timeline. There are six different track types, based on what the track contains:

The type of track you create depends on what asset you drop into the Action Track list from the Viewer window, Asset or Scene browser. You can also create tracks using the Insert option in the Story context menu. See Story context menu.

There can be many clips on a single track, and each track has various settings that affect the clips it contains. See Action Track controls for detailed information on track settings. Each of these tracks can also have subtracks.

Animation tracks

An animation track appears when you drag an .fbx file containing animation or motion data from the Asset Browser to the Asset Track list.

Character Animation tracks

A Character Animation track appears whenever you drag an .fbx file from the Asset browser to the Asset Track list. The .fbx file must contain motion data or keyframe animation plotted to any characterized skeleton.

Unlike other tracks, a Character Animation track also has a Track Contents menu, which lets you use props with characters.

Note: Story Character Animation tracks cannot use data mapped to a Character Reference Node as part of its characterization. The Travelling Node in the Character Animation track prevents access to this data.

Camera Animation tracks

A Camera Animation track appears when you drag a camera from the Viewer window into the Action Track list. You could also add a Camera Animation track to the Action Track list and select a custom camera from the Track Content menu.

Constraint tracks

A Constraint track appears when you drag a constraint from the Asset browser or Scene browser into the Action Track list. See Create constraints clips.

Note: A Constraint track must be placed below the track containing the animation that the constraint is meant to affect. To move a track, click on its name and drag it up or down to the desired location.

Command tracks

A Command track appears when you drag one of the Command assets from the Asset browser into the Action Track list. There three types of commands. See About Story clips.

Shot tracks

A Shot track appears whenever you drag a camera from the Viewer window or Scene browser into the Shot Track list. Shot tracks are unique to the Edit Timeline. See Editing with shot clips and Edit Track list for more information.

Track priority

Clips placed on the same track blend horizontally. In cases where there are multiple tracks of the same type, the top tracks have priority. These tracks are read vertically, blending from top to bottom. The top-most “track” is in fact the Transport Controls window.

You can change how multiple animation tracks are read by using track options like Additive, Override, and Passthrough.

Note: A Constraint track must be placed below the track containing the animation that the constraint is meant to affect. To move a track, click on its name and drag it up or down to the desired location.

When you have many clips on one track, you can merge or “flatten” them into a clip by processing the track. You can also do this to multiple tracks and subtracks, provided they are all the same track type.

You can merge clips of tracks and subtracks into a clip to save the result of the animation clips in your scene without altering the original animation clips.