How do a copy an animation from one object to another

[ossaioputa]

Hi, I'm wondering if it's possible to copy a sequence of movements from one object/character in an animation and paste it into another.

For example, lets say I create an animation of a man that punches a punch bag three times, kicks it three times, and then knees it three times.

Would I be able to somehow save that sequence ( whether though Actionscript code or some other way) and apply it to a female character or a child character without having to go through the whole process of recreating the animation for the woman and child?

[travisbrainerd · Accepted solution]

There are a couple of ways this might be achieved.

First, you can copy the motion from one layer of tweens to another layer with a fresh symbol. Highlight the keys, right click and select Copy Motion, then select the new symbol, right click and select Paste Motion. This applies the motion relative to the selected symbol's starting point. This option works best when the parts are set up ahead of time with identical pivot points

There is also a Paste Motion Special... option which allows you to paste certain motion properties but not others (for example, rotation could be included, but not position). You may need to do certain adjustments manually if the new character has different body part proportions. You can also adjust the proportions as needed by using Edit Multiple Frames and the Transform tool.

Secondly, you can select Duplicate Symbol from the context menu to copy the original character, then Duplicate Symbol/Swap Symbol for each individual part and add the new character art. Use Edit Multiple Frames to select a timeline of animation and swap out the symbols for each keyframe. The duplicate character symbol will keep the original animation with the new character art.

[ossaioputa]

Thanks for your answer, Travis. I'm quite relieved. The methods you've suggested look much easier than what I was expecting. I thought it would involve some serious coding.  I'll go and try them out and will let you know how I get on.

[ossaioputa]

Yes it worked. I used the copy and paste motion option. I'm sure I'll be back to you when things a bit more complicated. Thanks again.