Multiple different shots in a scene

[goblincrusher94]

Hi!

I've been using Source Filmmaker for a few years to create comics, and it's really simple in there to create different shots for different panels: I just crop the timeline down to one frame (or one "shot"), import all the models I'm gonna be using in the project, and then just copy and paste that initial frame/shot to create a new comic panel when I need it.

I've been wanting to make the jump to Blender for the VASTLY increased fidelity. I've already got experience using other 3D-modeling/animation software, so that's not really an issue. What I AM having trouble figuring out is how to replicate my workflow from SFM as closely as possible.

TL;DR: Anyone know a (relatively) quick and easy way to create many different shots within a single Blender file, that I can then easily scroll through? Some layer trickery perhaps? Are there any features along the lines of Matineé in Unreal Engine?

[Lumpengnom]

You mitght be looking for "Scenes":

https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/d...system/scenes/

[3pointEdit]

Yeah use scenes and append objects - models/scenery etc. then modify this "instance" instead of the original file. So you make the assets in another Blend file and import them to the story Blend file.

[sozap]

You can use one frame per "shot" by setting keyframes on camera and objects.
Maybe you can have one scene per set, so you don't have various sets inside the same scene.

You can also have a more animation oriented workflow/pipeline . So you have one .blend with a character that is linked into other .blend that are the "shots"
Then , once you modify the original character all modifications are done in the 'shots' .blend
In this workflow, it would be better to have different camera angles and pose as keyframes along the timeline in one scene (as with the first solution). But to have various scenes inside the .blend can be more complicated. This is a bit more technical , maybe the first solution is enough in your case.
If you can provide some screenshots of your typical blender scenes and/or your comics, it can become more obvious to give you advices.

[Richard Culver]

I tried using scenes before and I did not like it all that much.

But in your case nothing stopping you from creating a keyframe for each angle. (as suggested) You can also keyframe all of the other camera parameters.

Personally I just like to save out a new file for each shot. Alternatively assets that you won't change can be linked - not appended - and this will save disc space if you save a lot of scenes files - as I do.

[goblincrusher94]

"Of course there's a specific goddamn feature for it..." I mutter to myself as I read up about Scenes.

Thanks everyone! Seems like a similar workflow to References in Maya.

[Lumpengnom]

The thing with saving out one file per shot is that if something changes further down the line you might have to change it in every single file manually.

However, if the objects in your scene change mainliy transformations and things like that and not whole settings it probably makes sense to simply use the time line and either animate the camera or - perhaps more convenient - use several cameras and use markers in the timeline to automatically switch cameras when rendering.

https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/d...mera-to-marker