# Slotted Action Testing

A list of issues discovered while testing slotted actions with addons, production files, etc. after taking them out of experimental:

[#128889: WIP: Anim: Remove 'Slotted Actions' experimental flag](https://projects.blender.org/blender/blender/pulls/128889)

## General Poking

- [x] Inserting keys (that create new fcurves) isn't auto-creating the channel groups like it should. ([#128891](https://projects.blender.org/blender/blender/pulls/128891))
- Fixed!

## Addon Testing

- ✅ [Camera Shakify](https://github.com/EatTheFuture/camera_shakify/):
- ~~The code that assigns the action to the action constraints no longer works, breaking the addon. This is a twofold issue:~~
1. ~~Just in general, assigning an action with one slot with an unspecified id_type doesn't auto-assign the slot like it should.~~
2. ~~Camera Shakify has a workaround for a (now fixed) bug in Blender, and that work-around sets the id_type of the slot before attempting to assign to the action constraint.~~
- Fixed!

- [Action to Scene Range](https://extensions.blender.org/add-ons/action-to-scene-range/)
- Wasn't able to test due to encountering a crash (`BLI_assert`) when trying to switch actions. Come back to this later after that's fixed.
- Sybren writes: the add-on also won't do the auto-switching, because the `bpy.types.SpaceDopeSheetEditor` property doesn't change any more. We may want to see if we can get that to work again. ([add-on source](https://projects.blender.org/extensions/action_to_scene_range/src/branch/main/source/__init__.py))

- ✅ [Nuke Animation Format (.chan)](https://extensions.blender.org/add-ons/nuke-animation-format-chan/)
- Works like a charm, and even ends up putting related data into the same action (e.g. camera transforms and camera data) just because of how automatic action assignment works when keyframing.

- ✅ [Bake Shape Keys](https://extensions.blender.org/add-ons/bake-shape-keys/)
- Works like a charm.

- ✅ [Convert Rotation Mode](https://extensions.blender.org/add-ons/convert-rotation-mode/)
- Works at least as well as before.
- It even works on the appropriate slot when converting the keys of a multi-slot action!

- ✅ [Export Camera Animation](https://extensions.blender.org/add-ons/export-camera-animation/)
- Works like a charm.

- [Unreal PSK/PSA (.psk/.psa)](https://extensions.blender.org/add-ons/io-scene-psk-psa/)
- Crashes immediately after selecting the "Export -> Unreal PSA" menu item.
- ...but that's already the case in main.
- Come back to this later once that's fixed.

- ?? [VRM format](https://extensions.blender.org/add-ons/vrm/)
- Exporting .vrm is broken, but the error is complaining about not being able to do Python `import` of gltf, so probably not us.
- Was able to export from Blender 4.2.2
- Exporting .vrma doesn't seem to work, but it's identical in Blender 4.2.2.
- Importing .vrm doesn't do anything, but it's identical in Blender 4.2.2.
- Didn't test importing .vrma because I wasn't able to export any files to test with.
- All-in-all this addon seems badly broken even without our help. But maybe I'm just not using it right...?

- ✅ [Real Time Paths](https://extensions.blender.org/add-ons/real-time-paths/)
- Works at least as well as before.
- Only works in "After Change" mode, not "Real Time" mode, but it's identical in Blender 4.2.2.
- Only works with things animated on the first slot, although that's probably to be expected with the backwards-compat APIs.

- ✅ [AnimAll](https://extensions.blender.org/add-ons/animall/)
- Works like a charm.
- Even with multiple IDs animated by different slots on the same action.

- ✅ [Cake_Particles](https://extensions.blender.org/add-ons/cake-particles/)
- Works like a charm.
- (Side note: creates an action for every particle. Seems like a prime example of an addon that could take great advantage of slotted actions!)

- ✅ [CloudRig](https://extensions.blender.org/add-ons/cloudrig/)
- Works great, including the action constraint features.

- ✅ Rigify
- Works great, including the action constraint features.
- (In theory there could still be issues with external feature sets if they use action constraints, but given that action constraints are working with everything else, that seems unlikely.)

## ✅ Gold Production File Testing

- [x] Open a variety of animation files (both heavy and light) from a variety of scenes and test playback.
- No apparent issues: they load and playback correctly compared to opening them in 4.2.2 as well as 4.3 beta.
- Performance with an optimized build is also very comparable: sometimes a little slower, sometimes a little faster, but always in the same ballpark (to the point that I had to check the fps numbers to tell if they were different).
- [x] Test out editing the animations.
- Opened a handful of animation files and screwed up the animator's beautiful animations. Everything worked fine.
- Saved one of them and then opened in 4.3 beta, and the forwards compatability stuff worked: opened perfectly, including my screwed up version of the animation.
- [x] Test out lighting files (to test linked animation).
- Opened a handful of lighting files, and the animation all played back correctly. Looking at the Action editor, the actions from the linked files were properly upgraded, along with the auto-created slots from the upgrade being assigned correctly.
- Opened the lighting file for the animation file that I messed with and saved. That also worked correctly.
- Also tested the same in 4.3 beta, and the forwards-compatability worked correctly from the lighting file as well.

## Grease Pencil Demos

- [x] Color Void
- Tested animation and lighting file for shots 0010 and 0060.
- Everything loaded and played back correctly, comparing to Blender 4.3 beta.
- [x] Cowboi
- Tested all files under `shots` directory for playback, and they all worked identically to Blender 4.3 beta.
- [x] Windmill
- Tested playback in the animation and lighting file.
- [x] Embedded node trees (at least in materials) are not getting their new slot assigned when upgrading actions. In this case this leads to the water texture not animating. (Fix: [#129002](https://projects.blender.org/blender/blender/pulls/129002))
- Otherwise everything appears to be working.

## Other test files

- From [blender.org demo files](https://www.blender.org/download/demo-files/):
- [x] Ellie Pose Library (use within the same file) (found issue, fixed in #128992)
- [x] Bike Ride (playback)
- [x] 'Hi, my name is Amy' (playback)
- [x] Internal Air Pressure (playback)
- [x] Chains Compound Collision (playback)
- [x] [Weight Shift](https://studio.blender.org/training/animation-fundamentals/5d7108e641dac1bab63cccc1/) (playback)