NLA (Non-Linear Animation) Editor

The NLA Editor works similar to a video editor: you can load “strips,” mix them together, layer them, and make them longer or shorter. However, instead of videos, you’ll be using animations.

You can load actions you saved in the Action Editor (a mode of the Dope Sheet, as described previously in this chapter) and mix them to build a larger animation. Later, you’ll use this editor to take the walk cycle you’re going to create in a moment and repeat it constantly. This means that instead of animating Jim taking 10 steps, you just need a cycle of 2 steps (one for each leg) and, with the NLA Editor, you can repeat that action as long as necessary.

Imagine that you had another action with Jim running. With Shift + A, you could add it as another strip to the NLA Editor and mix it with the walk cycle animation so Jim moves progressively from walking to running.

Another option would be to add adjustments to an animation as if they were layers: for example, you could have an animation with Jim turning his head back and forth. You could add it over the walking animation and Jim would be walking and moving his head at the same time.