Action editor doesn't switch to new action until you add keyframe #90882

New Issue

Robert S · 2021-08-23T21:17:05+02:00

Robert S commented

2021-08-23 21:17:05 +02:00

System Information
Operating system: Windows 10
Graphics card: 3090

Blender Version
Broken: 2.93.2
Worked: -

Short description of error
I have two actions on a character. But switching between them in the action editor and then scrubbing on the animation timeline continues to play back only the first action.

What I don't understand is that this can't be replicated in a new file. In a new file, switching actions behave as expected and the workaround below fixes the issue even for this file. But how did this error creep into this file and how come it's even saved with the file?

Exact steps for others to reproduce the error

Open the attached .blend file
Switch to ArmatureAction.001 and scrub the timeline.
Switch to GoodGuildLeaderIdleSittingAnimation and scrub the timeline.
GoodGuildLeader004.blend

Results
Regardless of animation chosen, only ArmatureAction.001 plays.

Expected
The animation for the chosen action should play.

Workaround
If you switch to GoodGuildLeaderIdleSittingAnimation and insert a new keyframe, Blender catches on and switches to that action.

**System Information** Operating system: Windows 10 Graphics card: 3090 **Blender Version** Broken: 2.93.2 Worked: - **Short description of error** I have two actions on a character. But switching between them in the action editor and then scrubbing on the animation timeline continues to play back only the first action. What I don't understand is that this can't be replicated in a new file. In a new file, switching actions behave as expected and the workaround below fixes the issue even for this file. But how did this error creep into this file and how come it's even saved with the file? **Exact steps for others to reproduce the error** 1. Open the attached .blend file 2. Switch to ArmatureAction.001 and scrub the timeline. 3. Switch to GoodGuildLeaderIdleSittingAnimation and scrub the timeline. [GoodGuildLeader004.blend](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F10314307/GoodGuildLeader004.blend) **Results** Regardless of animation chosen, only ArmatureAction.001 plays. **Expected** The animation for the chosen action should play. **Workaround** If you switch to GoodGuildLeaderIdleSittingAnimation and insert a new keyframe, Blender catches on and switches to that action.

Robert S commented

2021-08-23 21:17:05 +02:00

Added subscriber: @RobertS

Philipp Oeser commented

2021-08-24 08:57:08 +02:00

Added subscriber: @lichtwerk

Philipp Oeser commented

2021-08-24 08:57:08 +02:00

Changed status from 'Needs Triage' to: 'Needs User Info'

Philipp Oeser commented

2021-08-24 08:57:08 +02:00

Not quite sure I understand correctly:

when opening that file, GoodGuildLeader.001 is selected
GoodGuildLeader.001 has no armature, it does have the action GoodGuildLeaderIdleSittingAnimation associated, but this wont have an effect (since the action needs to be on the armature)
the mesh that does play the animation is GoodGuildLeader (or more precisely its armature GoodGuildLeaderArmature -- which has the ArmatureAction.001 action associated)
GoodGuildLeaderIdleSittingAnimation action only has a single keyframe (no animation to see here)

I can do the following:

unlink the GoodGuildLeaderIdleSittingAnimation action from GoodGuildLeader.001 mesh (does not make sense here)
select the GoodGuildLeaderArmature and switch between the two actions with no problems (they updae immediately)

Dont see a bug here, is this a misunderstanding? Does this work for you?

Not quite sure I understand correctly: - when opening that file, `GoodGuildLeader.001` is selected - `GoodGuildLeader.001` has no armature, it does have the action `GoodGuildLeaderIdleSittingAnimation` associated, but this wont have an effect (since the action needs to be on the armature) - the mesh that does play the animation is `GoodGuildLeader` (or more precisely its armature `GoodGuildLeaderArmature` -- which has the `ArmatureAction.001` action associated) - `GoodGuildLeaderIdleSittingAnimation` action only has a single keyframe (no animation to see here) I can do the following: - unlink the `GoodGuildLeaderIdleSittingAnimation` action from `GoodGuildLeader.001` mesh (does not make sense here) - select the `GoodGuildLeaderArmature` and switch between the two actions with no problems (they updae immediately) Dont see a bug here, is this a misunderstanding? Does this work for you?

Robert S commented

2021-08-24 12:53:28 +02:00

Thanks for looking into it. I tried to follow what you described, but unfortunately it did not work for me:

The image below does indeed seem to indicate that the action in question is associated with two models and one armature. The reason is probably because GoodGuildLeader.001 is simply duplicated.
So as noted, GoodGuildLeader.001 should not use it (as I removed the armature from it earlier). In order to remove the action from GoodGuildLeader.001, I follwed the exact steps you do for removing a material from a model. I selected the model, went to the appropriate editor, and clicked X on the thing I wanted to remove.
But after doing the above, the outliner still looks the same. There's still lots of animations associated with GoodGuildLeader.001, which means that the procedure for removing them is different than with materials (which seems like inconsistent ui design). You also can't go into the outliner and delete them (the option simply doesn't exist), and the data api doesn't seem to provide any list of users either (only a count).
So now I had to turn to web searches to find out how this is done, which unfortunately didn't help. The Blender documentation however indicated that there was a sidepanel menu (hidden, as usual in Blender), where you could also find the actions. However, reading that panel doesn't seem to indicate at all that GoodGuildLeader.001 is in any way associated with them and removing them from there seems to have removed them from the entire document.

So yes, there might not be a bug here, but from a UI standpoint, I'm completely lost as what to do next and I feel that I didn't get any help from the UI itself, and worse, even after undoing the step above that seemingly removed the actions completely, and my document now looking as in the screenshots still, neither of the two models in the document now animate when I scrub the animation timeline.

Oh, and after just deleting all the actions using that side menu, and attempting to create a new one having the correct model selected, I get the following when I want to add keyframes:

I know Blender developers despise anything that has to do with UI design in bug reports, so I'll try asking in the BlenderArtists forum instead.

Thanks for looking into it. I tried to follow what you described, but unfortunately it did not work for me: 1. The image below does indeed seem to indicate that the action in question is associated with two models and one armature. The reason is probably because GoodGuildLeader.001 is simply duplicated. ![bild.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F10318387/bild.png) 2. So as noted, GoodGuildLeader.001 should not use it (as I removed the armature from it earlier). In order to remove the action from GoodGuildLeader.001, I follwed the exact steps you do for removing a material from a model. I selected the model, went to the appropriate editor, and clicked X on the thing I wanted to remove. ![bild.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F10318405/bild.png) 3. But after doing the above, the outliner still looks the same. There's still lots of animations associated with GoodGuildLeader.001, which means that the procedure for removing them is different than with materials (which seems like inconsistent ui design). You also can't go into the outliner and delete them (the option simply doesn't exist), and the data api doesn't seem to provide any list of users either (only a count). ![bild.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F10318427/bild.png) 4. So now I had to turn to web searches to find out how this is done, which unfortunately didn't help. The Blender documentation however indicated that there was a sidepanel menu (hidden, as usual in Blender), where you could also find the actions. However, reading that panel doesn't seem to indicate at all that GoodGuildLeader.001 is in any way associated with them and removing them from there seems to have removed them from the entire document. ![bild.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F10318476/bild.png) So yes, there might not be a bug here, but from a UI standpoint, I'm completely lost as what to do next and I feel that I didn't get any help from the UI itself, and worse, even after undoing the step above that seemingly removed the actions completely, and my document now looking as in the screenshots still, neither of the two models in the document now animate when I scrub the animation timeline. Oh, and after just deleting all the actions using that side menu, and attempting to create a new one having the correct model selected, I get the following when I want to add keyframes: ![bild.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F10318553/bild.png) I know Blender developers despise anything that has to do with UI design in bug reports, so I'll try asking in the BlenderArtists forum instead.

Philipp Oeser commented

2021-08-24 13:40:50 +02:00

Yes, removing the Action can be done via the X.
However, your screenshot indicates the Action has 4 users

When opening your file, the action has 2 users (so not sure what you have done, please try this with exactly the file you have shared here)

The remaining actions associated with GoodGuildLeader.001 are the result of them being used in the NLA Editor https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/2.93/editors/nla/introduction.html
If you want to get rid of them as well, go to the NLA Editor [remove all clips, tracks, possibly call Edit > Remove Empty Animation Data], traces of animation will then be gone on GoodGuildLeader.001.

Oh, and after just deleting all the actions using that side menu, and attempting to create a new one having the correct model selected

Which panel / side-menu is this? Is this from an Addon?

Yes, removing the Action can be done via the X. However, your screenshot indicates the Action has 4 users ![bild.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F10318405/bild.png) When opening your file, the action has 2 users (so not sure what you have done, please try this with exactly the file you have shared here) ![image.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F10318590/image.png) The remaining actions associated with `GoodGuildLeader.001` are the result of them being used in the NLA Editor https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/2.93/editors/nla/introduction.html If you want to get rid of them as well, go to the NLA Editor [remove all clips, tracks, possibly call `Edit` > `Remove Empty Animation Data`], traces of animation will then be gone on `GoodGuildLeader.001`. > Oh, and after just deleting all the actions using that side menu, and attempting to create a new one having the correct model selected Which panel / side-menu is this? Is this from an Addon? ![bild.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F10318476/bild.png)

Robert S commented

2021-08-24 15:06:06 +02:00

Regarding the side-menu, I'm sorry but yes it appears it is from an add-on. I mixed it up because the documentation said "sidebar" and not side-menu (https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/animation/actions.html).

But that aside, opening the attached .blend again, you are correct that deleting the actions, as you do with materials, seems to remove them from GoodGuildLeader.001, but there also seems to be residue entries in the outliner under NLA Tracks that I can't get rid of (as if once they're there in the outliner, they're always there). I made a video of what I'm experiencing this time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow4ejtCXnvU

My theme uses red to indicate active, so GoodGuildLeader.001 is active when I delete the actions at 0:05-0:10.
I confirm that these have been deleted at 0:24 (here is where I would have liked to see information about who the users are and not just a count).
At 0:45 I use the the command you recommended and as you can see, it has no visible effect.
However, at around 1:05 there are effects seen when manually deleting strips, but I am never able to completely get rid of the NLA Tracks hierarchy in the outliner (1:23).
At 1:35 I now switch to the model I wish to actually have the actions on, but they don't seem to stick (note the 0 at 1:58) and the animation that plays is again the "wrong" one as I noted when I made this report.

Now, I suspect it's at the last step above I'm missing something, and I think part of the original confusion is that at some point before saving the file, I hit the "push down" button which I shouldn't have.

GoodGuildLeader005.blend

Finally, to further confuse the situation, as mentioned I did continue working on the file which is why the Action had 4 users as you noted, and the error message with "No suitable context info for active keying set" comes from that file which I attach here. If you open that file, add an action and attempt to add keyframes, that message pops up.

Regarding the side-menu, I'm sorry but yes it appears it is from an add-on. I mixed it up because the documentation said "sidebar" and not side-menu (https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/animation/actions.html). But that aside, opening the attached .blend again, you are correct that deleting the actions, as you do with materials, seems to remove them from GoodGuildLeader.001, but there also seems to be residue entries in the outliner under NLA Tracks that I can't get rid of (as if once they're there in the outliner, they're always there). I made a video of what I'm experiencing this time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow4ejtCXnvU * My theme uses red to indicate active, so GoodGuildLeader.001 is active when I delete the actions at 0:05-0:10. * I confirm that these have been deleted at 0:24 (here is where I would have liked to see information about *who* the users are and not just a count). * At 0:45 I use the the command you recommended and as you can see, it has no visible effect. * However, at around 1:05 there are effects seen when manually deleting strips, but I am never able to completely get rid of the NLA Tracks hierarchy in the outliner (1:23). * At 1:35 I now switch to the model I wish to actually have the actions on, but they don't seem to stick (note the 0 at 1:58) and the animation that plays is again the "wrong" one as I noted when I made this report. Now, I suspect it's at the last step above I'm missing something, and I think part of the original confusion is that at some point before saving the file, I hit the "push down" button which I shouldn't have. [GoodGuildLeader005.blend](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F10318888/GoodGuildLeader005.blend) Finally, to further confuse the situation, as mentioned I did continue working on the file which is why the Action had 4 users as you noted, and the error message with "No suitable context info for active keying set" comes from that file which I attach here. If you open that file, add an action and attempt to add keyframes, that message pops up.

Philipp Oeser commented

2021-08-24 15:58:59 +02:00

Changed status from 'Needs User Info' to: 'Archived'

Philipp Oeser closed this issue

2021-08-24 15:58:59 +02:00

Philipp Oeser commented

2021-08-24 15:58:59 +02:00

However, at around 1:05 there are effects seen when manually deleting strips, but I am never able to completely get rid of the NLA Tracks hierarchy in the outliner (1:23).

Delete the tracks as well (left hand side in the NLA, the tracks can be selected an {key X} will remove them, then Edit > Remove Empty Animation Data will get rid of the rest)

At 1:35 I now switch to the model I wish to actually have the actions on, but they don't seem to stick (note the 0 at 1:58) and the animation that plays is again the "wrong" one as I noted when I made this report.

You are still trying to use an armature action on a mesh object: wont work (the mesh does not have all the FCurve paths referring to bones), select the armature instead.

If you open that file, add an action and attempt to add keyframes, that message pops up.

If I open that file finally we have an action on an armature (good). Inserting keyframes (e.g. rotation) is not a problem then.

Think at this point we have to close this report since none of these things are bugs.

For help using Blender, please try one of the community websites: https://www.blender.org/community/

> However, at around 1:05 there are effects seen when manually deleting strips, but I am never able to completely get rid of the NLA Tracks hierarchy in the outliner (1:23). Delete the **tracks** as well (left hand side in the NLA, the tracks can be selected an {key X} will remove them, then `Edit` > `Remove Empty Animation Data` will get rid of the rest) > At 1:35 I now switch to the model I wish to actually have the actions on, but they don't seem to stick (note the 0 at 1:58) and the animation that plays is again the "wrong" one as I noted when I made this report. You are still trying to use an **armature** action on a **mesh** object: wont work (the mesh does not have all the FCurve paths referring to bones), select the **armature** instead. > If you open that file, add an action and attempt to add keyframes, that message pops up. If I open that file finally we have an action on an armature (good). Inserting keyframes (e.g. rotation) is not a problem then. Think at this point we have to close this report since none of these things are bugs. ``` For help using Blender, please try one of the community websites: https://www.blender.org/community/ ```

Sign in to join this conversation.

No Label

Download

What's New

Blender Studio

Manual

Developers Blog

Documentation

Benchmark

Blender Conference

Development Fund

One-time Donations

Action editor doesn't switch to new action until you add keyframe #90882