Maximo / Blender problem not starting at frame 0

Hello!

​Welcome to the world of Mixamo and Blender. What you are experiencing is a Keyframe Offset conflict. Mixamo animations are baked to start at Frame 0 by default, and when you move the keyframes manually without handling the 'Delta' transformations or the Action Clip, the math behind the 'Follow Path' constraint gets confused.

​To have your character stand still and then start walking at a specific frame, follow this professional workflow:

​1. Use the Non-Linear Animation (NLA) Editor (Recommended)

​This is the cleanest way to move animations in Blender without breaking constraints:

• ​Open the NLA Editor window.
• ​You will see your Mixamo animation as a 'clip' or 'strip'.
• ​Simply grab the strip and slide it to the frame where you want the walking to begin (e.g., Frame 60).
• ​Before that frame, the character will remain in its 'Rest Pose' (usually the T-Pose or the first frame of the walk).

​2. Setting the 'Initial State' (Stand Still)

​If your character defaults to a T-Pose before the walk starts:

• ​Go to the frame where the walk should start.
• ​In the Dope Sheet, select all keyframes and slide them to that frame.
• ​To keep the character standing still before that, you may need to manually pose it in a 'Stand' pose at Frame 0 and insert a keyframe (I > Whole Character).

​3. The 'Follow Path' Constraint Fix

​The "MESS" happens because the Walk Cycle has its own Forward movement (Y or Z axis) which fights with the Path’s movement.

• ​The Solution: In Mixamo, when you download the animation, check the 'In Place' box.
• ​This keeps the character walking on the spot. Then, use the 'Follow Path' constraint and keyframe the 'Offset' value to move the character along the path.
• ​This way, you control the speed of travel via the constraint, and the leg movement via the NLA editor.

​4. Check 'Evaluation Time'

​If you used the 'Animate Path' button:

• ​Go to the Path's data properties (Green curve icon).
• ​Under 'Path Animation', check the 'Evaluation Time'. If it has a generator modifier, it will start moving at Frame 0. You may need to delete the modifier and manually keyframe the Evaluation Time to stay at 0 until your desired start frame.