[Bf-committers] NLA Editor / Animation Layers

[Hidde Jansen]

Hello everyone,

I have some issues with the way the NLA editor works in Blender. I've
previously posted a thread about this to the Blenderartists forum. I
would like to use some type of animation layer system in Blender, in a
way that is similar to Maya. The main reason why I like Maya's
implementation of animation layers is that it allows me to work in a
non-destructive fashion. If I'm happy with my basic animation and want
to add some motion on top of it, I can just add to a new layer, make
some edits, and if I don't like it, I can just delete that layer and
still have my initial animation.

Now, in Blender, what we have to work with are the NLA strips. I tried
using these as a stand-in for animation layers, but only ended up doing
more work than necessary and not getting the benefits I would get from
actual animation layers. The problem is that if you try to keyframe a
controller on a new layer it will take into account the existing
transformations (accumulated from previous layers) and it will result in
double transformations.

I understand that manpower is a big issue for an open source project
like Blender, but for my sanity and the sanity of my fellow animators, I
have to ask: is there any chance of a feature like this? Would this be
difficult to implement? I have intermediate programming experience with
Python, but I'm not very familiar with Blender's API and very little
experience with C++. I would like to contribute if possible, but I'm not
sure where to start or of my skills will suffice.

Either way, thanks for your time and the work you guys do. Blender has
come a long way over the last few years!

Kind regards,
Hidde Jansen



Blenderartists Thread:
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?397297-Issues-with-animation-layers&p=3039434