Animating your Characters

Animating is all about keyframes and IPO-curves. A keyframe has a saved value of any item. Such a value may be the location of an object on the x-axis or also the alpha value of materials. The IPO-curve describes the developing of these values with respect to time.

A Very Simple Example

The figure on the right hand side shows a simple movement of an object. The vertical axis describes the development of the selected attribute (location, color, size, etc.). In this case it is the z-location of the object. The horizontal axis is the timeline. One has to keep in mind that time is not measured in seconds, but frames. To remind you the initial setting is 25 frames per second. If it is necessary one can also let seconds be displayed. The green line indicates the current frame. The following motion is built up by three key frames. When having the object selected just hit "I" to add a key. In the buttons window the current frame can be changed.
The object starts at position LocZ = 0, t = 0. After 50 frames the object is at the position two on the z-axis. Again 50 frames later the object is at its initial position.
Picture of an IPO Curve
IPO Curve of a simple motion
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