Module 8: Basic Animation Principles
Now let's make things move! This module introduces the core concepts of animation in Blender: the timeline and keyframes. You'll learn how to bring your static models to life.
Video Tutorial: Your Very First Animation
This video provides a fantastic, beginner-friendly introduction to the concepts of keyframing and using the timeline to create movement.
Key Animation Concepts 🏃
The Timeline & Keyframes
At the bottom of your screen is the Timeline. Animation in Blender works by setting keyframes—snapshots of an object's properties (like its location or rotation) at a specific frame in time. Blender then automatically generates the frames in between (called "tweening").
How to Set Keyframes
The fundamental workflow is simple:
- 1. Go to a specific frame.
- 2. Position your object.
- 3. With the object selected, press the I key to open the "Insert Keyframe" menu.
- 4. Choose which property you want to record (e.g., Location).
What You Can Animate
You can animate almost any property in Blender, but for prototyping, the most common are the object's transforms:
- Location: The object's position in 3D space.
- Rotation: The object's orientation.
- Scale: The object's size.
Practice: Animate the Sun Rising
Your Task!
Let's apply these concepts to the weather app screen you built in the last module.
- Open your weather app scene from Module 7.
- On the Timeline at the bottom, make sure the blue playhead is on Frame 1.
- Select your sun object. Move it down (G then Z) so it's just hidden below the bottom edge of the camera view.
- With the sun selected, press I and choose Location from the menu. A yellow diamond will appear on the timeline at frame 1. This is your first keyframe!
- Now, drag the blue playhead on the timeline to Frame 60.
- Move the sun object back up (G then Z) to its original, visible position in the center of the screen.
- Press I and choose Location again to set the second keyframe.
- Go back to frame 1 by clicking the "Jump to Start" button (⏮️) on the timeline, then press the Spacebar to play your animation. The sun will smoothly rise into view!