Blender: Intro to Animation

by Jonathan Williamson

In this blender video we will cover the basics of animation within Blender.

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Discussion

53 Responses to “Blender: Intro to Animation”
  1. ilija
    Posts: 3

    thn man your great help :)

    #
    1
     Sep 17, 2011 at 7:49 am
  2. Alice
    Posts: 2

    I have a problem :(
    Whenever I got put in a key frame a hit I and I select LocRotScale but an error message comes up saying ‘no suitable context info for active keying set’.
    What do I do?
    Thanks for the help and the tutorials

    #
    2
     Sep 29, 2011 at 11:13 am
    • Jonathan Williamson
      Posts: 2949

      Hi Alice,

      Is the object you wish to keyframe selected? When you insert a keyframe it only affects the currently selected object by default.

      -Jonathan

      #
      2.1
       Sep 29, 2011 at 11:45 am
      • Marian D.
        Posts: 1

        hello! this tutorial is great. i have been trying to expand so i made this head and shoulders out of a sphere, tried making the head rotate like if looking from side to side but the keyframe would only show the last position of the head. like if there was no animation. any ideas?

        Thanks!

        #
        2.1.1
         May 13, 2012 at 9:41 pm
  3. Alice
    Posts: 2

    Thank you Jonathan! I can’t believe I missed something so simple! Your tutorials are really helpful and I’m getting the hang of Blender. Thank you :)

    #
    3
     Sep 29, 2011 at 2:19 pm
  4. Zeke
    Posts: 1

    How do u delete a keyframe??

    #
    4
     Oct 12, 2011 at 3:52 pm
    • Jonathan Williamson
      Posts: 2949

      Move to the frame it is on and then press ALT + I in the 3D view. Or you can do it in the Dopesheet by selecting it with Right Click and then pressing X > Delete Keyframe.

      -Jonathan

      #
      4.1
       Oct 12, 2011 at 4:03 pm
      • Gabriel
        Posts: 1

        Is there any way to move a keyframe to another frame? Or to duplicate keyframes?

        #
        4.1.1
         Jun 27, 2012 at 2:52 pm
      • Jonathan Williamson
        Posts: 2949

        Yep! You adjust individual keyframes from the DopeSheet editor.

        #
         Jun 27, 2012 at 3:15 pm
      • bladeofeternity
        Posts: 4

        Thank you! I was a bit stuck on that one.

        #
        4.1.2
         Jul 29, 2012 at 11:56 am
  5. Portgas D Ace
    Posts: 4

    hi jonathan,can u tell me how to move the screen???….Argh..actually im not expert in english…just look at 3:17-3:18 :)

    #
    5
     Oct 17, 2011 at 9:21 am
    • Portgas D Ace
      Posts: 4

      and one more thing,can u teach me how to create a male character,a weapon n texturing… from a-z..

      #
      5.1
       Oct 17, 2011 at 9:40 am
  6. Nick
    Posts: 1

    First, your tutorials are tremendously helpful. They are clear, concise, and really well organized. (I think they are the best I’ve encountered, and I’m learning a lot! Thank you!)

    Second, is there a way to move, rotate, or scale just part of an object rather than the entire object? For example, could I make just two sides of a cube swell out at one keyframe and then go back in at another? (Thank you.)

    #
    6
     Oct 17, 2011 at 2:53 pm
  7. Michelle
    Posts: 1

    Hello, these tutorials are very helpful. Thank you.

    I was wondering how I can have a second object appear later in the time line in my animation. For example I want a sphere to appear only after frame 80, and not before. How do I tell the object to do that?

    I am sure this is probably a very simple solution, I just haven’t seen it addressed in any of the tutorials I have been watching.

    Please help! thank you for your time. :)

    -M

    #
    7
     Oct 26, 2011 at 10:22 pm
  8. jackisback
    Posts: 1

    Whenever i press the “I” key to insert a key frame, there is no menu showing up, only a little dialog box pops up with the “Insert Keyframe Menu” written on it but there are no options to choose. Why is that?

    #
    8
     Nov 5, 2011 at 5:30 am
  9. Yorick Tran
    Posts: 2

    Hey,

    can you only move the camera too?
    i was doing this:
    http://cgcookie.com/blender/2011/08/24/creating-a-scene-from-space/
    Then i wanted to do an animation where the planet flies nearer, but because there are different objects, its too hard to move them, would be easiier to move the camera closer…this is possible too?

    thx cheers

    #
    9
     Nov 13, 2011 at 9:59 am
    • Jonathan Williamson
      Posts: 2949

      Yes you can animate the camera. This is actually the recommend way of doing it. Unless your objects are specifically supposed to move, they should stay still; let the camera do the moving.

      #
      9.1
       Nov 13, 2011 at 3:06 pm
      • jayson
        Posts: 1

        how to do use this blender??

        #
        9.1.1
         Mar 14, 2012 at 2:01 am
  10. Zach Schermerhorn
    Posts: 4

    How do I delete or move points on the timeline?

    #
    10
     Jan 14, 2012 at 9:26 pm
    • Zach Schermerhorn
      Posts: 4

      I mean keyframes

      #
      10.1
       Jan 14, 2012 at 9:27 pm
      • Stefanos Farantopoylos
        Posts: 1

        Move to the frame it is on and then press ALT + I in the 3D view. Or you can do it in the Dopesheet by selecting it with Right Click and then pressing X > Delete Keyframe.

        This way you can delete keyframes.

        #
        10.1.1
         Feb 6, 2012 at 4:45 pm
  11. Kevrack1999
    Posts: 1

    How do You animate a figure that is composed of several objects but you only need to move one?

    #
    11
     Feb 8, 2012 at 5:10 pm
  12. joe condon
    Posts: 2

    I can import my vector outlines from Adobe Illustrator but I can not extruded them in to solid shapes. They extrude only as outlines, how can I extrude them as solids?

    #
    12
     Feb 26, 2012 at 7:05 pm
  13. Everett G
    Posts: 1

    Thanks for the blender tutorials it really helps, though i’am using Blender 2.62, so in some parts that they have updated, i don’t understand. Like for example in the extrude, I couldn’t do it freely.Luckily, i figured it out. I wanted to ask, I’am on a laptop, and when i click seven to go to top view, all it does is deletes my object! PLEASE HELP!!!!

    #
    13
     Mar 11, 2012 at 12:01 pm
    • Jonathan Williamson
      Posts: 2949

      Hi Everett,

      By default the top number keys change your layers. Press the “`” key to get your objects back. In order to change views with the top numbers you need to enable “Emulate Numpad” in the Input section of the User Preferences.

      Cheers,

      -Jonathan

      #
      13.1
       Mar 11, 2012 at 4:09 pm
  14. Alec White
    Posts: 5

    I can’t find out how to toggle, and my Keyframes are undefined. How do i set them to -5 like yours

    #
    14
     Mar 16, 2012 at 7:19 pm
    • Alec White
      Posts: 5

      Also i don’t know how to get to my user preferences, so i can’t change it, 7 or other numbers will delete my cube

      #
      14.1
       Mar 16, 2012 at 7:27 pm
  15. Leifur Thor
    Posts: 1

    Great video! Having also learned SolidWorks, Blender can also be daunting only because of it’s depth which is a luxury problem I like to have. Also Blender being free while SolidWorks is $6,000 doesn’t hurt as well, and the Blender interface is better by a long shot.

    #
    15
     Mar 26, 2012 at 2:54 pm
  16. Robert
    Posts: 1

    If you want to “zoom” into an object would you scale the object up or is there a separate key for zooming??

    #
    16
     Apr 12, 2012 at 7:22 pm
    • Jonathan Williamson
      Posts: 2949

      You can zoom by using your scroll wheel or by using the “-” and “+” keys.

      Cheers,
      Jonathan

      #
      16.1
       Apr 12, 2012 at 10:38 pm
  17. Sander
    Posts: 3

    Hey Jonathan,

    When i press “I” no insert keyframe option appears.
    What to do?

    #
    17
     Apr 23, 2012 at 7:24 am
    • Sander
      Posts: 3

      Nevermind, i found out you have to be in object mode.

      #
      17.1
       Apr 23, 2012 at 7:25 am
  18. Jon Maynell
    Posts: 1

    Jonathan: First, your tutorials are GREAT. Awesome delivery and style – not to mention breakdown of content. I’ve viewed all of your intro tutorials, and now I’m wondering where I should best turn next: I’m not an animator by trade, but work in aviation and am trying to animate a new helicopter that has just been designed. I have the SolidWorks objects imported nicely, and now it seems I need to learn how to rig the helicopter and make it fly (it has dual coaxial rotors and a pusher prop in the back: see also Sikorsky X2 style helis). I’m looking for something like “Intro to rigging” or “aircraft animation” or something of that sort. I’d even PURCHASE a tutorial like this if it contained the right info. Any suggestions? Thanks again, and best wishes for your continued success as an educator/mentor!!

    #
    18
     Jun 14, 2012 at 11:05 am
  19. ivk0___
    Posts: 1

    there lessons in Bulgarian language

    #
    19
     Jun 19, 2012 at 1:45 pm
  20. TheBlenderGeek
    Posts: 1

    Thnx but umm on my blender my camera and light object dissapered help me pls?

    #
    20
     Jul 4, 2012 at 4:25 pm
  21. dannyboy
    Posts: 5

    For some reason after a few minutes of using blender the whole screen except for the area my mouse is over goes grey for example if my mouse is over the materials bar then the materials bar will appear but everything else will go grey. I can’t work under these conditions. I don’t know what to do.

    #
    21
     Jul 11, 2012 at 1:10 pm
    • Jonathan Williamson
      Posts: 2949

      Try going to User Preferences > System and changing the Window Draw Method. Try each of the options and see if it works better.

      #
      21.1
       Jul 11, 2012 at 1:54 pm
  22. dannyboy
    Posts: 5

    that makes everything reappear until i start moving the mouse around and then it just does the same thing over again. Its awful because every time i start to work most of the screen goes grey. except the panel my mouse is over/on. I can’t get anything done. I tried re installing blender but it still does the same thing

    #
    22
     Jul 11, 2012 at 6:33 pm
  23. dannyboy
    Posts: 5

    sorry but i just tried it again and now it is working. All i can say is that you are the man johnny boy. thanks a ton.

    #
    23
     Jul 11, 2012 at 6:35 pm
  24. jagdpanther
    Posts: 2

    what about moving an object along a path, is there any way you could for example move your box along a curvy line so that the “front” of your box always faces in the direction it is travelling?

    #
    24
     Aug 29, 2012 at 9:41 am
    • Andre Jordaan
      Posts: 35

      If there was a way that I can attach a blender file for you to see how to do it I would have done that. But for a quick explanation: make/add object that you want to use to follow path. Add your path and edit it according to how you want the object to move. Select object, shift + rclick on path(so that both the path and object is selected, but the path is selected last) and hit ctrl + P (to parent object to path) and select follow path from drop-down list. Hitting alt + A will play animation. To make object face one direction at all times select the path and go into the path options (situated next to the materials tab) and scroll down to ‘path animation’ and deselect the follow button.
      Hope this helped. ;)

      #
      24.1
       Sep 8, 2012 at 3:57 pm
  25. Stevo
    Posts: 1

    Thanks man you are turly amazing its taken me less then an hour to get two different colored squares flying around the screen rotating and getting bigger at the same time, so far this has been extremely easy with your help :)

    #
    25
     Sep 13, 2012 at 7:55 am
  26. Fred
    Posts: 1

    Helpful tutorials, but spoilt because of the idiotic banners for advertising. When will you people learn.

    #
    26
     Nov 2, 2012 at 10:21 am
  27. babawale
    Posts: 1

    Hello, i’ve been trying to sync audio to one of my recent animations and i can’t seem to find the buttons to activate ‘sync and scrub’ would really appreciate help with this!! thankss

    #
    27
     Nov 8, 2012 at 3:14 pm
    • Alex Telford
      Posts: 454

      In your timeline go to playback and choose: AV-sync, Audio-Scrubbing
      -Alex

      #
      27.1
       Nov 8, 2012 at 3:46 pm
  28. Marty
    Posts: 2

    the record button doesn’t show up on the software and i don’t know where to find it

    #
    28
     Nov 24, 2012 at 9:41 am
  29. Marty
    Posts: 2

    the record button isn’t on the interface i don’t know where to find it

    #
    29
     Nov 24, 2012 at 9:45 am
  30. rollow65
    Posts: 1

    Hello Everyone,
    This was very helpful on the basic, but what needed help with how to SAVE a animation.
    What I’m not sure of is what to do.I see the OUTPUT under the RENDER tab and it say’s “/tmp\” with a folder beside it.
    I open the folder for my location on my computer.
    My question is, do I save it as a .jpg file. I know that I can put it all together as a animation in another program like PhotoShop, Or do I save it as a .avi file.
    I would like to put it on another site like DeviantArt, as a .jpg file.

    That’s it folks,
    Thanks for the help,
    HHH

    #
    30
     Dec 12, 2012 at 4:49 am
    • Alex Telford
      Posts: 454

      Hi,
      change /tmp/ to something like /projectDirectory/rendername.jpg to save it out.
      render to an image sequence not a movie, this is so if it crashes half way through you can just start where it stopped.
      -Alex

      #
      30.1
       Dec 14, 2012 at 6:17 pm
  31. Francois de Klerk
    Posts: 2

    >>How do u delete a keyframe??<<

    If you set your very FIRST marker (at the beginning of the timeline) by clicking "M" – or through the Marker menu – you can delete all subsequent markers by clicking on the markers and press "X".

    #
    31
     Jan 4, 2013 at 2:04 am
  32. Donatien
    Posts: 2

    Hello,

    Really thank for your tutorial it’s a great work.

    I have one question, i understood animation’s concept that you explained nevertheless i have one little problem.

    If I try to duplicate my object during the middle of the capture then Blender considers that i duplicated at the beggining and I start with 2 objects…

    Question : How can I duplicate an object during a capture ?

    Sorry if you don’t understand my poor english.

    #
    32
     Jan 14, 2013 at 7:46 am
  33. Donatien
    Posts: 2

    Apologize, I found a solution :)

    please don’t consider my question.

    BR

    #
    33
     Jan 14, 2013 at 7:50 am

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