Skip to content
BLBlender

Clean Cycle Bake (Smart F-Curve Bake)

by karlo pavicic ravlic·Workflow

Images © karlo pavicic ravlic. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

Earns a place in the Superhive library as a focused smart-baking tool for cycling F-curves, echoing a workflow familiar from Maya.

What is Clean Cycle Bake (Smart F-Curve Bake)?

Clean Cycle Bake (Smart F-Curve Bake) is a Blender add-on for baking down cycling F-curves. It works on selected bones, baking into the time range using only the keyframes the user has created, so looping animations can be cleaned up in a non-destructive way. The developer notes it functions similarly to Maya's smart baking.

You can bake down F-curves for all selected bones, while locking or muting the ones you don't want affected. Baking can use the scene range or a custom bake range you set. When baking, you can choose to overwrite the existing action or create a new one, and you can uncheck Remove Cyclic to keep the cycle modifier after the bake.

The panel appears in the Graph Editor under the "Fcurve" section of the N panel. It can also be reached by pressing F3 and searching "Clean Cycle Bake", and it can be added to a quick menu for easy access. Documentation is included. It was tested with Blender 4.2.3.

Who is Clean Cycle Bake (Smart F-Curve Bake) best for?

Clean Cycle Bake (Smart F-Curve Bake) is best for blender animators cleaning up looping, cycling animations non-destructively.

How much does Clean Cycle Bake (Smart F-Curve Bake) cost?

Clean Cycle Bake (Smart F-Curve Bake) is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Bakes down cycling F-curves for selected bones into the time range using only existing, user-created keyframes
  • Bakes down F-curves for all selected bones, with the option to lock or mute bones you don't want affected
  • Uses the scene range or a custom bake range you set
  • Overwrite the existing action or create a new one
  • Uncheck Remove Cyclic to keep the cycle modifier after the bake
  • Accessible by pressing F3 and searching "Clean Cycle Bake", or added to a quick menu
  • Documentation included

Tags

#blender#animation#f-curve#baking#smart-bake#keyframes#graph-editor#3d-animation

Frequently asked questions

What Blender versions does Clean Cycle Bake work with?

Clean Cycle Bake (Smart F-Curve Bake) lists support for Blender 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5. The developer also notes it was tested with Blender 4.2.3, so behavior on that release is documented as well. Because listed compatibility can change and this add-on was published some time ago, check the developer's page for the current supported versions before installing. This is worth doing especially if you are running a newer release than the versions named here, so you can confirm the tool still works as expected in your setup.

How do I install Clean Cycle Bake in Blender?

Clean Cycle Bake (Smart F-Curve Bake) installs through Blender's Add-on section in Preferences. Open the folder you've unzipped, select "CleanCycleBake.zip", and press install, then click the checkbox to enable the plugin. Once enabled, the Clean Cycle Bake panel appears in the Graph Editor under the "Fcurve" section of the N panel. You can also reach it by pressing F3 and searching "Clean Cycle Bake", or add it to your quick menu.

How does Clean Cycle Bake decide which keyframes to use?

Clean Cycle Bake (Smart F-Curve Bake) bakes down cycling F-curves for selected bones into the time range by using only the keyframes the user has already created, rather than generating new ones across the range. This keeps the process non-destructive. You select the bones you want to bake and can lock or mute the ones you don't want affected, then choose the scene range or a custom bake range for the operation.

Is Clean Cycle Bake free to use?

Clean Cycle Bake (Smart F-Curve Bake) is listed as free in this catalog, and it is distributed under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA). Licensing terms can change over time, so check the developer's page for the current details before use. Note also that the developer describes themselves as a hobby developer who may try to fix issues but cannot guarantee the time or ability to do so.

Similar plugins