If you´re an animator with previous 3D experience in other packages you need to know how the Non Linear Animation Editor works in Blender. We´ll review some key concepts first, and then we´ll be diving into practice with a short animation I created for my Blender anime conference later this year.

Go from ZERO to HERO and MASTER one of the power lines in Blender animation without a shadow of a hefty doubt.

If you´re an animator coming from another package, we´ll demystify some of the things for you so the only things that you´ll break down will be your animation keys into proper animation.

Reusing and editing Animation Clips

The NLA can help you in many different things for example a walk cycle, so you can animate on top of it while the clip plays along the timeline. You also have modifiers that can enhance your animation channel keys.

The NLA editor is one of the 17 main interaction modes located in the lower menu bar.

The second most important thing you should know (if you´re using blender 2.79) is that you can only select your NLA clips using RIGHT select. If you´re a left click user, switch temporarly to RIGHT click select from user preferences, and later set it back to left click.

Last and most important, to play animation clips on the NLA you have to select NONE. If you are working with 1 clip select, none of the other channels will playback. Only the current selected with a star icon will playback.

Blender 2.8 has a lot of new and improved points and tools for the NLA! I´ll be reviewing it after May later this year. If you have any questions, please ask them here. And also don´t forget to share and like this article. Thanks!

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