How do i make a mesh animate, without bones etc.
Im trying to add mesh to ipo and cant get it to work
Position your Scene to Frame 1. Add a mesh object to your Blender Scene. Press I to Insert a key. In the popup Insert Key window, select Loc.
Go 30 frames further on and move the object by Grabbing it and dropping it somewhere else. Again use I. Now we can immediately press ↵ Enter since Blender remembers our last choice (Loc) and will highlight it. The new position is inserted in the IPO Curves at frame 30.
Press Alt+A to see the animation.
Go Here for a longer explanation:
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:Manual/Animation/Basic/Tools/Creating_an_Ipo
@ facingbook – loopduplicate has described a simple Object animation, in which transforms like change of Location, Rotation and Scale can be keyframed to produce an animation.
Since you mention “without bones etc.” you may be a looking for a way to animate the shape of the mesh, in which case you need to look up Shape Keys in the Manual… in fact, this whole section of the Manual would be valuable reading. Also look into the Mesh Deform modifier.
Cheers guys, havnt been able to try method atm, is 2:30 atm.
try soon. TY
Sorrry, but this isnt what i was looking for, i was looking to animate “the vertices” etc not the object, so that i can make the mesh change shapes during an animation etc. Sorry for not being more specific, my fault
i.e. I want my object to melt so that a part of it becomes floppy, or i want a section of the mesh to change location but only a part of it.
ive tried to use the “i” key and use “mesh” deform then used shape keys but i cant seem to get it to work.
And now ive just downloaded 2.5 im a lil lost since it doesnt even have the “i”, “mesh” keys.
How do i make a mesh change shape as an animation, Thankyou.
Well, to be honest, there’s no simple answer to your question. Your question is probably as easy to answer as ‘how does a computer work?’, it’s a very broad question. Blender is filled with a ton of tools to accomplish various tasks and it comes down to figuring out what you want, and what tool or combination of tools to use to do it best.
Two bits of advice: Since it sounds like you are a little inexperienced with animation, I would stay away from 2.5 - alot of tutorials out there are written for the 2.4x versions, and trying to find the same tools in 2.5 can be a bit hard, some of them aren’t even in 2.5 yet.
Second, the link chipmasque provided is as good as any starting point. It describes all sorts of ways of transforming a mesh. Shape keys are the easiest way to start.
There’s an attached 2.49 file that has a cube that ‘melts’, using shape keys. Yea, it’s simple and not very good (took 2 mins to make). If I wanted to improve it I would need more time, more tools & techniques.
Sorry I can’t be of more help,
Randy
Attachments
ShapeKeyMelt.blend (129 KB)
I agree with r’randy that you sound like you have only small experience with animating 3D objects, in which case, it’s much better to spend time learning about general concepts, operations and Blender-specific tools, before just jumping in with both feet – the waters can be deeper than expected!
You’ll find that there are two basic ways to deform meshes (I use bold face because that’s a key terms to understand): skeletal animation, which means an armature and bones, which you said you wanted to avoid; and vertex keyframe animation, aka shape keys (also aka RVKS – relative vertex keys – and aka morph targets, depending on the application you’re using). Shape keys are the “older”
technology, but are still used extensively, and are better-suited for certain kinds of animated deformation than using a skeletal system.
There are other, more advanced (and more complicated) methods, like lattices and mesh deform modifiers, but understanding how they work requires a good understanding of the more basic concepts and processes. So learn about shape keys, find some tutorials, study the .blend posted here, get to know the tech a little before trying to make it work, 'cause otherwise, you’ll be spending too much time fiddling when you should have faddled, so to speak, and make little progress toward your goal.
@revolt_randy.
Thankyou, kinda wat i wanted its been about three years since ive needed to use shape keys, hook always performed better for me because they can carry dynamic attributes, and so far this is waht i have needed, though i dont like hooks for complicated mesh deformations. Either the process has changed its been so long i used it or apparently i just remembered how to use it wrong. Still im just looking for a tutorial that, for example, changes from a blob to an animated person, so that i can then have bones moving the animated person. I want to know how armatures are affected by shape keys and ways i this may be advantageous or not.
Also, im stuck on this tutorial if you can help me at the 14:00 minute mark, i cant get the stencils to layer (either 2.49 or 2.5)
read post on link provided
(i am using 2.5 for some prototypes to my final project so i can see the advantages and disadvantages of the new system as well as giving me a “heads up” to whats coming out)
@ chimpmasque, Doesnt make sense
Well, since you’re wasting your time, you’re also wasting ours, which means it’s unlikely you’ll get any more answers. Too bad.
Well, since you’re wasting your time, you’re also wasting ours, which means it’s unlikely you’ll get any more answers. Too bad.