Hi.  Hope everyone is well and animating.   
My question today as a newbie is, this.   When I want say, a prop, or an arm to move half way into the animation, I can't figure out how to make it start moving at a particular point in the clip, rather than start to slowly move from the beginning.   
Yes, sometimes I get it by accident, but can't figure out what I did, or I move the sprite from the beginning all the way up the clip to where the arm or prop finishes moving.  
I know it has something to do with camera, or set sprite.   So, it will be a fantastic help if I can simply, one two three, move an object at a given point in time.   Thank you!!!!!!

The answer is Keys!
At the beginning of the transform timeline for the character is a key at frame 1. This key holds the initial position of the character.
If you move down the timeline (say frame 10) and change the characters position another key will be added to the transform timeline at frame 10 which holds the new position.
Playing it back the system will "tween" the motion from frame 1 to frame 10 causing a transition from the frame 1 position to the frame 10 position.
Now say you move the timeline to frame 30 and position the character in a different position.
Playing it back now will tween from the position at frame 1 to the position at frame 10 and then immediately start moving/tweening from the position at frame 10 to the position at frame 30.
Now say you don't want the character to move from the frame 10 position to the frame 30 position until starting at frame 20 thus having the character not move from frame 10 to frame 20.
All you have to do is copy the transition key at frame 10 to frame 20 and it is done.
Since the position at frame 10 is the same position as at frame 20 there will be no movement (i.e. no tweening) between frames 10 and 20.
Play it now and it will move/tween from frame 1 position to frame 10 position, not move from frame 10 to frame 20, then start moving/yweening from frame 20 position to the position at frame 30.

Hope that helps.

Jeff




Get my Plugin Manager and TaskNotes plugins for iClone.
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thats how I accidently got it to work sometimes.   Other times it didnt.  I was just wondering if there was a way to just start action on the frame you are on at the time you move the bones or prop.  I thought the camera had something to do with that, and there is a set key, for body and body part which i dont understand.  thanks

No the camera does not have anything to do with it.

You can double click on a frame to add a key. This key will be a dup of the previous key.
If you want the character to be in the default position then:

1. use the 3D Motion Key Editor and click on "Default"
2. use the 2D Motion Key Editor and click on "Default Pose"

to place a transform key with the character in the default position at the current frame.

When working in 2D motion use the Body_Transform in the timeline to add keys.
If you are working with 3D motion then use the 3D Motion Layer in the timeline to add keys.

Jeff



Get my Plugin Manager and TaskNotes plugins for iClone.
Check out EZColors and Other products for CTA/CA. EZColors: the easy way to change Render Styled (RS) colors!
See my CTA Tutorials on the YouTube channel CTAStepByStep