[Bf-animsys] NLA 'tweak mode'

[Matt Ebb]

I was having a chat to Joshua this morning about the current NLA 'tweak mode'.

It still feels very clunky to me, not only because the way it's
presented seems quite blocking and, but I also really don't like the
'tweak mode' button. It's disconnected from the actual strips and I
can't really quantify it, but it doesn't feel right. Perhaps it seems
a bit like 'application massaging' - i.e. rituals you have to perform
before you can actually get work done.

I was thinking about it, and all the tweak mode is really doing, is
nominating what you're going to be editing/adding keys to. It's almost
a form of selection, if you consider Blender's select -> operate
workflow.

I made a mockup with an alternative idea here:
http://mke3.net/blender/devel/2.5/nla_editing.png

The idea behind it is that rather than considering it a mode, it's
just nominating what you're editing, whether it be 'loose actions'
that haven't been instantiated as clips, or each individual clip. This
could be still accomplished with the tab shortcut, but also with a
button on each clip - click the icon to nominate it for editing.
What's being edited is signified by a proxy keyframe display (so you
can see what's there, but not edit it), and the red shading - this
unifies the loose actions and clips more.

cheers,

Matt