Strips

Types

There are four kinds of strips: Action, Transition, Sound clip and Meta.

Action Strips

An Action Strip is a container of keyframe data of an action. Any action used by the NLA first must be turned into an Action strip. This is done so by clicking the Push Down action button see above. Alternatively, you can go to Add ‣ Action Strip.

Transition Strips

Transitions interpolate between Actions. They must be placed in between other strips. Select two or more strips on the same track, and go to: Add ‣ Transition.

Transition Strip.

Sound Clip Strips

Controls when a speaker plays a sound clip. Add ‣ Sound Clip.

Meta Strips

Meta strips group strips together as a whole, so you can move them as one. If you find yourself moving a lot of strips together, you can group them into a Meta strip. A meta strip can be moved and duplicated like a normal strip.

Reference

Menu: Add ‣ Add Meta-Strips

Hotkey: Shift-G

Shift-select two or more strips.

Combine them into a meta strip.

A meta strip still contains the underlying strips. You can ungroup a Meta strip.

Reference

Menu: Add ‣ Remove Meta-Strips

Hotkey: Alt-G

Editing

Start Tweaking Strips Action

Reference

Menu: Edit ‣ Start Tweaking Strips Action

Hotkey: Tab

The contents of Action strips can be edited, but you must be in Tweak Mode to do so. The keyframes of the action can then be edited in the Dope Sheet.

Strip in NLA mode.

Strip in Tweak mode.

When your finished editing the strip, simply go to Edit ‣ Tweaking Strips Action or press Tab.

Start Editing Stashed Action

Reference

Menu: Edit ‣ Start Editing Stashed Action

Hotkey: Shift-Tab

It will enter and exit Tweak Mode as usual, but will also make sure that the action can be edited in isolation (by flagging the NLA track that the action strip comes from as being “solo”). This is useful for editing stashed actions, without the rest of the NLA Stack interfering.

Duplicate

Reference

Menu: Edit ‣ Duplicate

Hotkey: Shift-D

Creates a new instance of the selected strips with a copy of the action.

Linked Duplicate

Reference

Menu: Edit ‣ Linked Duplicate

Hotkey: Alt-D

The contents of one Action strip can be instanced multiple times. To instance another strip, select a strip, go to Edit ‣ Linked Duplicate. It will uses the same action as the selected strips.

Now, when any strip is tweaked, the others will change too. If a strip other than the original is tweaked, the original will turn to red.

Linked duplicated strip being edited.

Make Single User

Reference

Menu: Edit ‣ Make Single User

Hotkey: U

This tools ensures that none of the selected strips use an action which is also used by any other strips.