NLA Editor with HEAT

Using Blenders NLA (Nonlinear Animation) Editor with HEAT to blend and bake animations.

ADDING ANIMATION TO THE NLA EDITOR

• Begin by importing an animation into your scene as described in the Quick Guide above.

• Once you have a working animation in your scene click the 'Timeline' button () in the lower left corner of the screen.

• Select the 'Nonlinear Animation' option within in this menu.

NLA Editor selection

• If you cannot see the NLA editor grab the split point between the Layout 3D viewport and the Animation Area and pull it up.

• You will now see your animation in the NLA Editor.

Imported animation on Armature in the NLA Editor

• Press the button () to the right of the animation name. This is the 'Push Down Action' button and it will convert your animation action into a 'Strip'.

Animation successfully converted into a strip

• Once the animation action is converted to a strip we are able to combine animations, blend them together, and even retarget our newly combined strips to a completely different armature.

BLENDING MULTIPLE ANIMATIONS IN THE NLA EDITOR

• With the same armature selected in the 3D viewer use the HEAT Bridge to pull in a second animation.

Make sure when you import the second animation you have the 'Export to Selected' button () activated in the HEAT Bridge to avoid bringing in a new armature.

• As you did above, use the 'Push Down Action' button () in the NLA Editor to convert this newly imported animation action into a 'Strip'.

• You will now see two animation strips under the same armature in the NLA Editor.

A single armature with two animation strips attached to it, ready to be blended

• Drag and arrange the two strips to where you would like them to blend. Make sure they overlap where you want them to blend and that the first strip to play is the one on top.

The first strip chronologically in your NLA editor must be the strip on top otherwise you will not see the animation.

• With the top strip selected adjust the 'Blend Out' option in the 'Active Strip' window on the right of the NLA Editor.

Blend Out option in NLA Editor

• Your animations will now blend together!

Example of full animation blending procedure

BLENDING ANIMATIONS WITH TRANSLATION

Animation on the left is improperly synced, animation on the right is correct

• After blending your animations as described above, select both animation strips by highlighting one and then shift+clicking the second.

• On the right hand side of the NLA Editor window click the button for 'HeatTools NLA'. If you do not see that window you can open the NLA sidebar by pressing the 'N' key while hovering the mouse over the NLA Editor.

HeatTools NLA window

• With both animation strips selected click the 'Sync Bone Positions' button () within the HeatTools NLA window.

• Your animation will now blend and stay in the location that the first animation ends!

Completed bone synced animation blending

BAKING BLENDED ANIMATIONS FOR FURTHER USE

• Select the animated armature in your 3D View.

• Select all of the NLA strips that you want to bake.

• In the HeatTools NLA window click the 'Quick Bake Action (Heat)' button ()

• When the Quick Bake Action (Heat) window pops up click the 'OK' button.

Quick Bake Action (Heat) window

• You can now use the entire blended long-form animation as if it were an animation action. You can export it, further manipulate it, or even retarget it to a different mesh, which we will go over in the Retargeting with HEAT section up next.

Next we will go over how to retarget from a HEAT armature to a user model armature.