Time for action – making a simple animation with keyframes

In animation, keyframes are the beginning and end of a transition. This transition could be a movement, rotation, or scaling of an object. It can also be a change in the color of an object, the brightness of the light, or almost anything that you can set in Blender. The animation is a sequence of keyframes. So let's start by making a simple animation:

  1. If the cube is not selected, select it with the RMB.
  2. With the cursor over the left-hand side of the 3D View window, press the I key, (I for Insert), to insert a keyframe. A menu will appear, as shown in the next screenshot.
  3. Select Location and press the LMB.
  4. In the Timeline window below the 3D View window, drag the green current frame indicator ...

Get Blender 3D Basics Beginner's Guide Second Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.