at the top of the Animation Layers panel to prevent it from updating if you select a different object.
Creating an animation layer allows you to add keys in a separate layer to an object’s main animation that’s in the base layer. When you add keys in the new layer, it adds an offset to the animation in the base layer. The results of all layers are added together.
To create an animation layer
1. Make sure that the animated object for which you want to create an animation layer is in a model structure.
2. Select the animated object to which you want to add animation.
3. Click the KP/L tab at the bottom of the main command panel to access the Animation Layers panel.
4. Click the Create New Layer icon in the Animation Layers panel.
A new layer (called Layer1) appears above the Base Layer and becomes the current (active) layer.
As well, a source for this layer is created in the model’s Mixer > Sources > Animation folder and a clip representing this layer source appears in the animation mixer.
To rename the layer, see Renaming Animation Layers.
5. To add another layer, click the Create New Layer icon again.
The new layer is always added above the selected layer, regardless of its location in the layer stack. Each subsequent layer you create has the subsequent number appended to its name, such as Layer2, Layer3, and so on.
You can create as many layers as you want.
6. Set keys on the object as you like in this layer—see Animating in a Layer, then edit its fcurves and keys as usual—see Editing the Layer’s Animation.
To lock and refresh the Animation Layers panel
• Click the Lock icon at the top of the Animation Layers panel to prevent it from updating if you select a different object.
Click this icon again to deactivate it (and update the panel if the selection has changed).
• To update to a new object while keeping the Animation Panel locked, select the model or object and click the Update icon 
at the top of the panel.
This refreshes the panel’s contents to the currently selected object.
After you create or duplicate an animation layer, you may want to give it a more descriptive name than the generic Layer1, Layer2, etc.
To rename an animation layer
Do any of the following:
• Right-click on an animation layer in the Animation Layers panel and choose Rename Layer, then enter a new name.
When you rename a layer this way, its layer clip in the animation mixer is also renamed, but not the layer source.
or
1. Right-click on an animation layer in the Animation Layers panel, or right-click on a layer clip in the animation mixer, and choose Clip Properties.
2. Change the Name in the layer source’s property editor that appears.
When you rename a layer this way, the layer’s name is updated in the Animation Layers panel, the layer’s source, and the layer’s clip. The word “_Clip” is automatically appended to the new layer’s name in the clip and the Animation Layers panel.
or
• You can rename animation layers in the same way as other elements in the explorer. See Renaming Scene Elements in the Explorer [Interface and Tools].
You’ll find the animation layers under the appropriate model’s Mixer > Sources > Animation folder.
When you rename a layer this way, the layer’s name is updated in the Animation Layers panel, the layer’s source, and the layer’s clip. The word “_Clip” is automatically appended to the new layer’s name in the clip and the Animation Layers panel.
When you’re working with layers, you may want to make a copy of a layer and then alter it to create different variations on its animation. When you duplicate a layer, a copy of the layer is created above the original and becomes the current (selected) layer. The original layer is automatically muted so that its animation isn’t duplicated in the result.
To duplicate an animation layer
1. Select the layer you want to duplicate.
2. Click the Duplicate and Mute icon in the Animation Layers panel.
3. If you want to keep the copied layer, you can rename it as described in Renaming Animation Layers.
When you delete a layer, you remove the animation in only that layer. The animation on any other layer, including the base layer, is not affected. Deleting removes the layer from the Animation Layers panel, the layer source, and its layer clip in the mixer.
You can not remove the Base Layer because this is the object’s main animation.
To delete a layer and its animation
1. Select the layer that you want to delete.
2. Click the Delete Layer icon or press the Delete key.
The layer immediately above the deleted layer becomes the current layer.
If the deleted layer had layers above it, they are not renumbered to be in a sequential flow with the previous layers.
Autodesk Softimage v.7.5