Animation Cache: User Guide

What is the Animation Cache Add-on?

Have you ever tried to play an animation in Blender's 3D viewport, only for it to stutter and lag because your scene has too many objects, heavy rigs, or complex modifiers?

The Animation Cache add-on solves this problem. It pre-records (caches) the exact position, rotation, and scale of every object and bone in your scene frame-by-frame. When you press play using the add-on, it bypasses all of Blender's heavy calculations and simply pulls those recorded positions from memory. The result? Smooth, real-time viewport playback at your target framerate, allowing you to preview your animation's timing without needing to render a playblast first.

Where to find it

Once installed, open your 3D Viewport. Press N on your keyboard to open the sidebar panel, and click on the Animation Cache tab.

How to use it: Step-by-Step

1. Set your Timeline: Make sure your scene's Start and End frames are set correctly in the timeline, as the add-on will only cache this range.

2. Choose your FPS: In the Animation Cache panel, select your desired Playback FPS (e.g., 24 FPS, 30 FPS).

3. Cache Bones: If you are animating rigged characters with armatures, make sure Cache Bones is checked so the add-on records your character's pose.

4. Cache the Animation: Click the Cache Animation button. The add-on will read through your timeline. You will see a progress bar indicating the build status.

5. Play: Once the cache is built, click Play from Cache. Your animation will now play back smoothly!

6. Stop: Click Stop Playback to pause the playback and return to normal Blender operation.

7. Make Changes? Clear and Rebuild: The cache is a "snapshot" of your animation. If you move a keyframe, change a pose, or add a new object, the cache becomes outdated. You will need to click Clear Cache and then Cache Animation again to see your new changes play smoothly.

Advanced Settings (Optional)

For most users, the default settings work perfectly. However, if you have a massive scene, here is how you can tweak the add-on:

1.Chunk Size: This controls how many frames the add-on processes at a time while building the cache. If Blender feels unresponsive while caching, lower this number. If you want it to build faster, raise it.

2. Max RAM (MB) & Use Disk Spill: The add-on stores the animation data in your computer's RAM for the fastest playback. If you have a huge scene that uses up all the allowed RAM, the add-on will automatically save the extra data to a temporary file on your hard drive (Disk Spill) so Blender doesn't crash.

3. Cache Folder: By default, if the add-on needs to save to your hard drive, it puts the temporary file next to your .blend file. You can choose a different folder here if you prefer.