Post 6/30: VFX tutorial for Blender - Keyframe Animation Basics

Goal: Understand how to create keyframe animations.
Task: Animate a simple object (e.g., moving a cube from left to right).
Shareable Visual: A short animation of a moving object.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Open Blender and Set Up Your Scene

1. Open Blender and ensure you are in the Layout workspace.
2. By default, Blender opens with a cube in the scene. If the cube is not there, you can add one by pressing Shift + A > Mesh > Cube.
3. Set up the initial scene by ensuring your cube is centered and visible in the 3D Viewport.

Step 2: Set Up the Timeline

1. Look at the bottom of the Blender interface for the Timeline window, where you'll be setting keyframes.
2. Make sure the frame range is set appropriately, for example, from frame 1 to 100. You can adjust this by changing the Start and End values in the Timeline.

Step 3: Position Your Object for the First Keyframe

1. Select the cube (left-click on it).
2. Press N to bring up the Transform panel on the right if it isn't already visible.
3. Position the cube to the left side of the screen in the X-axis by setting Location X to a negative value, such as -5.
4. Move the playhead to Frame 1 in the Timeline (you can do this by clicking on the frame number or typing the number in the frame box).

Step 4: Insert the First Keyframe

1. With the cube selected and positioned correctly, press I on the keyboard.
2. From the Insert Keyframe Menu, select Location. This will create a keyframe at Frame 1 for the current position of the cube.

Step 5: Set Up the Final Position for the Animation

1. Move the Timeline playhead to Frame 100 (or any frame you want the movement to end at).
2. In the Transform panel, change the Location X value to 5 (moving the cube to the right side of the screen).
3. Press I again and select Location to insert another keyframe. This keyframe marks the final position of the cube at Frame 100.

Step 6: Preview the Animation

1. Move the playhead back to Frame 1.
2. Press Spacebar to play the animation and watch the cube move from left to right.
3. If the movement is too fast or slow, adjust the end frame number in the Timeline or move the keyframes closer or further apart.

Step 7: Adjust the Animation Curve (Optional)

1. Switch to the Graph Editor window (located in the same window dropdown where the Timeline is) to fine-tune the animation.
2. Select the keyframe curves and adjust them to change the speed and smoothness of the movement (e.g., make it ease in or out).

Step 8: Set Up the Camera for Rendering

1. Press 0 on the numpad to switch to the camera view. Adjust the camera position if needed by selecting the camera in the outliner and moving/rotating it until the cube is in view.
2. You can move the camera using G (grab), R (rotate), and then insert keyframes for the camera as needed.

Step 9: Render the Animation

1. Go to the Render Properties tab (the one with the camera icon).
2. Ensure the Output Properties are set correctly (resolution, frame rate).
3. Set the output folder in the Output Properties tab to save your animation file.
4. Go to Render > Render Animation to render the sequence. Blender will generate a series of images or a video, depending on your settings.

Step 10: Review and Share

1. Review your rendered animation by playing the saved file.
2. If satisfied, share it on your desired platform!

This simple animation sets the foundation for understanding keyframes, a crucial aspect of VFX and animation in Blender.

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