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[edit] Stride bone (offset bone?) and walk cycle support

Please add a description of what the stride bone actually does.

The manual should stand by itself and should not rely on an external tutorial. Also the tutorial is a formula and does not explain the principle behind the stride bone.

There was a new 'offset bone' referred to in some documentation (eg here). This is not the same as the stride bone. Does this replace the stride bone?

  • There is some documentation out there ([1], [2], BSoD/Introduction to Character Animation/Improved Foot Rig, [3], [4]) but it talks in riddles and parables. I think the functions of the stride bones are:
    • Distance from position of stride bone at start and end of action strip indicates stride length
    • For intervening keyframes, the location of the stride bone is subtracted from the location of other bones
    • To animate 'on a treadmill', move the stride bone backwards at each keyframe.
    • To animate moving forward, leave the stride bone in place, and then jump it forwards at the final frame to indicate the stride length.
    • The 'offset' bone is not just another name for the 'stride bone', see [5].
      • Are stride bones obsolete? Should the documentation just say don't use these any more?
      • If both (stride bones and offset bones) are still useful, they should both be documented.
      • I think the right place for offset bones is here.

But this is all just my guess; please put in the correct version into the manual.

If the answers appear elsewhere in the manual, please add a cross reference so those who come to this page can find the answers.

More generally, the NLA Strip Options section requires more explanation.

Also the buttons panel is changing in the new release so you might want to update the graphic and the text. M.e 07:53, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] IPOs, Actions and NLA: confusing.

The intro has the following sentence: Both Object Ipos and Actions can be blended. Every object may have only one composite animation. From a newbie perspective, this is a bit confusing. The terms Object IPOs and Actions should be introduced, explained or linked to a page where they are defined. I know about IPOs. What are Actions? How do they relate to the NLA? Do we use the NLA to blend actions and IPOs? Overshoot.tv 08:23, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

Well, with regard to Actions, I found the two following pages. However, even there 'actions' are not defined. Overshoot.tv 08:41, 16 May 2009 (UTC) http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:Manual/Animation/Armatures/The_Action_Editor http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:Manual/Constraints/Action

[edit] Cameras and lamps

The examples in the page only show the NLA with bones and such objects. I came here to find an answer to the following question I had: can we use the NLA to edit the camera and lamp IPOs? I had a simple test blender file where I only had IPO curves for the camera (DOF, lens) and a lamp (energy). I wanted to insert 30 frames at the beginning of it all and thought the NLA was the good place to do it. However, I haven't found a way to make the NLA display the camera/lamp IPOs. I ended up moving everything back thirty frames in the IPO window itself.

So, the documentation should clarify what is possible and not possible with regards to lamp and camera IPOs. Can we use the NLA to move a WHOLE (inc. all camera movements, lens, DOF, lamp IPOs, etc.) scene back or forward in time? Overshoot.tv 08:48, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

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