You can offset the channels within an animation clip to change how Maya interprets channel values within that clip. Clip channels can have an absolute or relative offset. You can set a clip’s channel offsets with the Channel Offsets controls. See Channel Offsets.
Absolute channels do not accumulate motion. This means that when the offset of a clip channel is absolute, then that channel does not add the motion of the equivalent channel in the previous clip to its own animation. This is useful when you want to create a sequence of cycled animation.
For example, if you want to create a walk cycle, the cycle should have relative translation channels (so that your character doesn’t jump back to its initial position at the end of each cycle) and absolute rotation channels.
Relative channels accumulate motion. This means that when the offset of a clip channel is relative, then that channel adds the motion on the equivalent channel in the previous clip to its own animation.
For example, suppose you’ve created two clips that play sequentially in the Time Slider. The first clip is a character walking away from the origin along the X-axis, the second clip is the character running away from the origin along the X-axis.
If the clip’s translation channels are relative, the character walks away from the origin and then starts running from the position where the walking clip ends and the running clip begins. If the clip’s translation channels are absolute, then character walks away from the origin and when the walking clip ends and the running clip begins, the character moves instantly to the origin and starts running from that position.
To offset a clip’s animation channels
See Channel Offsets.
To copy the channel offset settings from one clip to another clip
The destination clip now has the same channel offset settings as the source clip.