How to create and link an animation layer

Use this guide when an item, stance, or presentation mode needs its own broader Motion pose set. Do not create a linked layer just for baseline first-person held pose; use the automatic held pose overlay driven by AutomaticHeldPoseSettings on the item config for that path.

Create the layer

1. Locate ABP_ItemAnimLayersBase in Plugins/MotionCore Content/EpicGames/Characters/Heroes/Mannequin/Animations/LinkedLayers.
2. Create a child Animation Blueprint.
3. Rename it for the role it represents, such as ABP_ShotgunAnimLayers.
4. Keep it parented to ABP_ItemAnimLayersBase.

Most layers start as data overrides rather than copied graph logic.

Assign animation assets

Open the new ABP_*AnimLayers Blueprint and assign the exposed animation variables.

Common groups include:

• Idle: standing and crouched idle animations.
• Walk and jog cardinals: forward, backward, left, and right clips.
• Starts, stops, pivots: directional transition clips.
• Jump: start, loop, apex, fall, and land clips.
• Aiming: hip-fire pose and aim offset assets.
• First person: optional item-space or compatibility clips when this layer needs behavior beyond the baseline automatic held pose overlay.

Use ABP_UnarmedAnimLayers as the baseline reference and ABP_PistolAnimLayers as the item-specific example.

Add custom graph logic only when needed

Good candidates for custom graph logic include:

• helper-space transforms in FullBody_FirstPersonItemItemSpace
• unique aiming behavior in FullBody_Aiming
• item-specific hand IK in FullBody_SkeletalControls
• left-hand override behavior through LeftHandPose_OverrideState

Keep custom logic close to the layer function it affects.

Link the layer

For local first-person items:

1. Create or open a MotionNativeFirstPersonItemConfig asset.
2. Set a complete first-person/world mesh pair.
3. For automatic mode, set AutomaticHeldPoseSettings.FallbackHeldPoseAnimation and any optional gameplay tag held pose entries.
4. Set LinkedLayerClass to your new ABP_*AnimLayers class only if this automatic-mode item needs the linked-layer pose set.
5. Set the first-person and world relative transforms.
6. Set that config as the active item config.

For this path, do not call Link Anim Class Layers yourself. UMotionHeldItemComponent performs that call when the active config changes and a linked layer class is assigned. Automatic overlay-only configs can leave LinkedLayerClass empty.

For non-item systems, call Link Anim Class Layers from the system that owns the stance or presentation mode change.

Test the layer

1. Start PIE.
2. Activate the item or stance that links the new layer.
3. Walk, jog, sprint, crouch, jump, and land.
4. Aim up and down if the layer changes aim offsets or upper-body behavior.
5. Equip and unequip during movement.

For baseline held pose validation, test the automatic held pose overlay with every gameplay tag entry that should select a different item held pose animation, plus the fallback state. Locomotion states should continue to come from the host locomotion graph; the overlay only supplies item held pose presentation.