Book Image

Blender 3D Basics Beginner's Guide Second Edition

By : Gordon Fisher
Book Image

Blender 3D Basics Beginner's Guide Second Edition

By: Gordon Fisher

Overview of this book

This book teaches you how to model a nautical scene, complete with boats and water, and then add materials, lighting, and animation. It demystifies the Blender interface and explains what each tool does so that you will be left with a thorough understanding of 3D. This book starts with an introduction to Blender and some background on the principles of animation, how they are applied to computer animation, and how these principles make animation better. Furthermore, the book helps you advance through various aspects of animation design such as modeling, lighting, camera work, and animation through the Blender interface with the help of several simple projects. Each project will help you practice what you have learned and do more advanced work in all areas.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
Blender 3D Basics Beginner's Guide Second Edition
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
3
Controlling the Lamp, the Camera, and Animating Objects
Index

Time for action – working with a Bézier curve


Bézier curves are very powerful. Blender uses them for modeling as well as for the F-Curves that control animation. Here is how to control them:

  1. In Graph Editor, the current frame indicator is the vertical line with a box at the bottom. Move it left and right to scrub along the timeline of the Graph Editor. Watch the motion of the cube in 3D View.

  2. Now, select the left dot on the upper Bézier handle, with the RMB, and move it up as shown in the next screenshot.

  3. Press the LMB to release the handle. The curve will go upwards. Move the current frame indicator back and forth again and watch the motion of the cube. The Bézier handles can be moved with all the same controls as keyframes and objects.

  4. With the cursor over either the Graph Editor or 3D View, press Alt + A to play the animation and Esc to stop.

What just happened?

You scrubbed the current frame indicator along the timeline of Graph Editor to see that the 3D views reflect how you are controlling...