NOOB: Can't convert action to NLA key. Help?

Support Basics & Interface
#1

Hi,

I’m working my way through armature animation. I have created a four legged skeleton and have begun to animate the legs for my first attempt at a walk cycle. I have created separate actions for Front and Rear Right legs. In the NLA window I can convert the rear leg (which I did first) to an NLA key, but I cannot convert the font leg to an NLA key (no error message either). The front leg action has an upside down orange triangle thingy to the left of the name, and the NLA editor shows the 9 steps of the cycle rather than the action bar.

Anyone know where I have gone wrong and what to do about it?

(Also how can I post images to this site? I’d have clipped the NLA window to show my prob. but how do I upload to this site to include in this post?)

Cheers

GV

#2

Upload your image to Imageshack or Photobucket or similar and then link to it from here. I’d have to see that image to comment. When you add the action for the front legs is that action selected in the Action window? Also, you need to delete the action in the action window for it to be a useable strip in the NLA (though you can add new to make it LegsFront.001 so that you don’t loose it altogether).

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#3

OK, this should work - here’s an image.

I’m probably doing something wrong, 'cos when if I delete the action from the action window as you suggest, it gets deleted from the NLA window too, which makes conversion to an NLA a moot point.

I’ll try posting the image two ways.

http://202.21.128.20/photoserver/24/15751324_full.jpg

http://202.21.128.20/photoserver/24/15751324_full.jpg

Its ActionFore1.R that I want to covert to NLA but cannot.

Cheers

GV

#4

Ok, on the AR fore1.R use Shft-A, select it from the menu and it should have a strip added.

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#5

Thanks Fligh %. That has made progress, I now have both the action strip and the keys. But if I delete the keys, the action strip no longer works?

My window looks like this. (Thanks for your patience with these nooby questions, BTW).

http://202.21.128.20/photoserver/49/15753849_full.jpg

Shouldn’t the first ActionFore1.R line be gone now? Also what is the meaning of the downward orange triangle, and how did I get it?

Ta

GV

#6

Shouldn’t the first ActionFore1.R line be gone now?

That’s what I meant in my first post; Go back to the Action window and select that Action from the menu and make sure it has an ‘F’ (Fake User) in front of it so that you don’t loose it when you save the file later. Hit the X next to the Menu Datablock to delete it. Go back to the NLA and it will be gone.

Also what is the meaning of the downward orange triangle, and how did I get it?

It’s just an Icon. I have not found anything that says exactly what it’s of but I think of it as similar to the Object Center in the 3D window; each object has one.

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#7

Thank you, yes that works. I did find that I had to make sure I had the corresponding items actually selected in the 3D view to get the desired result.

Thank you for your help Fligh %. Very Much Appreciated.

GV