Blender 2.8 Set Up a Camera Rig and Animate On A Path
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- Опубліковано 2 січ 2019
- Blender 2.8 has some cool features when it comes to setting keyframes and animation. This video shows you how to animate a camera on a path or curve using empties for a simple rig.
- 📲👍Grab a free CG Animation Time Saver eBook here, learn about the industry and get lots of shortcuts and links: gum.co/LpWCWO
- Check out my Patreon where you can grab most of my .blend files and other cool things:
/ kevbcg - Фільми й анімація
Fantastic tutorial!
Lots of gaps and assumptions. I got lost almost instantly and spent hours watching other tutorials just to figure out where buttons are located and what the hotkeys are so that I could follow along. Don't let that stop you - this tutorial is worth the effort.
My interface/layout did not look like this.
I did not have left or right mouse controls. Left/right clicking only moved a silly target icon around the screen.
Fix: Uninstalled Blender and installed newer version (Blender 2.9). Now the layout/interface matches. There's most likely an interface setting, but I couldn't find it.
Move Tool. The tutor didn't explain how to get to the move tool. You can select the object and then move by selecting and sliding the arrows, or you can press the letter "G" on the keyboard.
Object's "Transform Editor". Where is it?? From the Collection Panel, select the object. Then select the "Item" tab to the left. Voila.
Camera View vs User Perspective. Yikes. I hit the 0 key as instructed in the tutorial but did not know how to get back. I'm guessing by saying you can hit the 0 key again?? I found a tutorial that explained some of the hotkeys and ended up pressing 7 on the number pad. Completely different perspective, but workable.
This is my first time using Blender. I hope this information fills in a few gaps and saves you tons of time.
This is how to leave a comment! Well done! You could have just said I suck and gone on a hate rant, but you addressed all the sort falls that I assumed would be common knowledge, and could have addressed better. This will make me better, so thanks! It will also be valuable for others! Thanks Tom!! I just pinned it so others can see it immediately if they have the same problems. 😀
@@KevBinge u both rock! wish this kind of exchange is what internet normally looks like :D
BTW....I appreciate the way you clearly speak and keep it on track. Very good delivery and cogent info.
so you're basically happy that's he's not Indian
Yep
Yep
here are my notes if notes if anyone needs them :
Camera Movement: To add camera movement, add curve, bezier circle. Add empty cube. Parent camera to cube. Parent cube to circle. Do constrain to cube, follow path, select circle. Click follow curve and fixed position in constrain settings. You can now change offset.
Then add constraint on camera and select track too. Up Y and -Z works well. Make sure you select your target. Then you can right click offset and add keyframe. You can also add keyframes by pressing N and right clicking positions.
You can also change target from camera to another object which you can also animate the position.
Wow, thanks!!! Very helpful!!
i spent 2 days fiddling around trying to get my camera moving but without success. But once I stumbled upon your video and watched and followed it, I was able to get the camera following my desired path. Thanks!!
I just watched almost all of the videos in your 2.8 playlist and it was very helpful.
Thank you for making them!
Wow! You "binged" lol! I apologize for the less than good audio ones, but THANK YOU! I'm glad these help, and I'll keep making more. Have a great weekend 😀
@@KevBinge lol yes I definitely binged. I actually got most of it as well and I plan on going through the rest as well. :D :P
I have been messing around with 3D for ages but never seriously. That might well change soon. =)
Oh yeah and i subbed, of course.
That's great to hear! If you have an interest in 3D, and it sounds like you do, now is a great time to jump in seriously. If I were to predict another golden age of 3D coming, this would be the start, with virtual and augmented reality really becoming viable (not to mention the coming "streaming wars". There will be a need for content far surpassing the usual entertainment and straight video applications. Call me optimistic, but even if the economy turns, tech doesn't really slow down. Welcome to the community 😀
I had a calculus prof, years ago that was as clear as you. I aced the final in 19 minutes!
Keep on with Blender and do not switch to advanced math teaching! LOL
I wish I had great math teachers lol! I will not be teaching math , don’t worry haha!! I’ll leave that to Khan, he’s a cool guy.
@@KevBinge Or 3Blue1Brown
New to Blender first time learning about the empty however the empty is what I needed for my 3d scene. You and Suzanne work good together as a team.
Lol! We do make quite a team when she cooperates 😀
@@KevBinge Maybe I am ignorant, but what does the added Empty allow that just parenting the camera to the Circle would not? :/
::Edit:: The Cube is a Dolly/Cage that houses the camera. It is constrained to the paths, while the camera can Crane in various directions away from the Parent.
Really cool. You're getting into some of that Alfred Hitchcock camera angle stuff. He wrote the book on it back in the Golden Era of Hollywood.
THANKS THIS REALLY HELP
Thanks!! I’m glad it helps!
Thank you. Finally found a video that explains if Fixed Position is selected, starting point is 0, and ending point on the path is 1. Without that, starting point can be 0, and ending point can be -100 on the offset of a bezier curve.
The good audio and little touches of sarcasm and dry humor helps me watch them till the end😀
Thanks! I’ve really been cleaning up my audio so it’s really, really nice to hear that it sounds good. I try to take something that has many steps and is a bit more involved and make it somewhat interesting. Thanks!
Great, great video! Nice pace, nice presentation, nice explanations. Keep up the terrific work, blenderBinge.
Thank you so much!! I’ll keep it up 😀
VERY clearly presented and extremely easy to follow. This video could not have been much better. Awesome job!!!
Thank you very much!! I’m glad it helps 😀
SUPER valuable and timely info for me to find. Didn't even finish the tut and went off half-cocked animating planetary systems and ships and finding out how many other things I didn't know I need to know but this info here is KEY. I don't understand why an empty is needed (for the camera) but apparently it is. Muddled, but slogging through. Being a noob is the pits.
Thanks! You’re only a noob for so long lol! You don’t “need” and empty, but it gives you more control of you need it when animating 😀
I needed a quick reminder being away from 3D Art, couldn't remember which empty/contraints to use and this did the job. I learned a new trick for panning too, you only know as much as you try and I have only thought of it in context of keying which I'm familiar with but the additional control by having an empty is pretty nice , Now my brain is gonna constantly be making up more stuff for the next few weeks
Awww yeah. Mine is always doing that lol.
@@KevBinge lol Hell yeah brother, I wish I could keep up with it 😣
I'm a complete beginner and this was super helpful for 2.8, thanks!!
Good video. What I've been doing for some time now is to set up my default startup scene with an empty that I use as a target for the camera track-to constraint. That saves me from having to remember which axises to use. Then I lock the camera to the view and grab the empty to aim the camera and pan and zoom it in the viewport. Works pretty nicely.
That’s a great tactic, and time saving as well! Remembering axis can get crazy, especially if you are rigging off-axis in a far off space lol! Thanks for adding great value here!!
Thanks - Really useful technique to get subtle camera movements. Been working on a rocky landscape earlier today so the timing of this is great!
Glad to hear it! This lets it get really subtle, or go to a huge sweep without much setup. It’s “quick and dirty.” Thanks!!
Sir, you certainly are one of the best Instructors in the Blender Community. Keep banging out the hits.
Thanks Clint Westwood! (I love the name)
You are such an amazing teacher. Articulate, precise, to the point YET laced with nice numour.
Thank you so much!
I read a comment from someone who mentioned his calculus prof like you and he "aced" to final in 19. LOL: apt!
If I had found you some years back, I would MOST DEFINITELY have gone into blender earlier than now. Glad to have found you. Will have to go through your stuff.
Thanks again! I feel that way myself about Blender. I spent 14 years with Maya every day, and Houdini for 2+ years, with Lightwave, Max, and XSI sprinkled in over the years...and while I love them, Blender is making it all fun again!
I wish I had good math teachers lol! Someone could have spotted that I had the order of operations wrong... that would have changed everything lol.
@@KevBinge I am so pacified to hear that someone came from all those BIG players to Blender. I once opened the blender interface and it took me just 5 minutes to close it again.. same for Maya.
So I continued tinkering around with Modo, to make my BGs for my 2D .. that I also stopped in2015.
Now, as I started animating in VR in January, I eyeballed Octane renderer (cos of Modo) but it was just too expensive.
I felt lost till I came upon a IG post saying it was rendered in "eevee" (sounded like "susanne" to me though LOL)
I have seen some tuts and was seriously considering letting it all be.. till I came across your stuff last night!
:)
I hear that! I was similar with Blender for a long time as well... I also could have had very early access to Octane, but couldn’t bring it into my company at the time. I really bummed out their sales VP, but I had no choice or I would have brought it in.
EEVEE is still evolving but it’s showing real promise. I still like Cycles for most things but EEVEE is so fast! I feel like commercial apps are playing catch-up here.
VR and AR are awesome. I really want to get back into that. What are you using in that space?
Thanks!
So much to learn on this program. Your channel makes it a little easier :)
That’s great to hear, thanks! 3D is a crazy world for sure haha!
Thank you, easiest tutorial to follow. This was enough to let me use the bezier mode and set it up also. Good info.
Awesome!!
Oh my god, thank you so much. It was exactly what i needed for my project. Thanks a lot and keep up the good work.
Thanks! I’m glad it worked and you found it when you needed it. I’m definitely making more videos 😀
doing great work keep it up GOD bless you
Thanks! God bless you as well 😀
May your God boom you
Thank you! This tutorial is still extremely useful in Blender 3.0!
You’re welcome 😁
Quick... easy... to the point and easy to follow as usual Kev. Another nicely done.
Thanks Danny!!
Thank you so much! This was great and explained a ton.
You’re welcome, and I’m glad it helps! Thanks!!
Just discovered you today & watched three of your videos. Immediately subbed, thanks for the help!
Thanks Dinosaur Hunter! Welcome to the channel!
Excellent tutorial. I actually needed an easier way to to this. Thank you!
Thanks! I’m glad it helped 😀
By the way this is my second or third watching this video - first for instructional value, second humor. I also wanted to mention that somewhere under the camera tab there's a checkbox that says show axis. I remember in earlier versions of Blender I would do this to keep from "tearing my head off" in the constraint tab😆
Haha! Thanks! I’ll have to look for it and when I find it I’ll do a quick video. I’m glad you get something out of watching my drivel hahahaha!!! Thanks!!
Thank you for this tutorial! It answered -all- of the questions I have been trying to search and piece together from a bunch of other tutorials. I have only been using Blender for a couple of months but I found your explanations to be detailed enough that I could follow along very easily!
Thank you! It took me an hour to discover, once again, that I hadn't applied rotation and location. The Alt+G and Alt+R did the trick.
I love alt-g and alt-r. They save me so much time 😀
Thank you so much for this tutorial it really help me while working on a commercial projects.
Glad it helped!
Thanks Kev, your very easy to understand and follow.🙂
You’re welcome Janice. Thanks for the kind words 😀
Now I can do this Im looking for your keyframe vid Im trying to do cinematics thanks for the help
You’re welcome!
One of the most helpful videos, thanks man
Thanks, and you’re welcome 😀
BTW...your modeling vids are very well done and easily followed. Love your clarity!
Thanks!!
I looked for a video like this for more than two days... finally!!! amazing video
Thanks!! I’m happy to be able to help 😀
I give this Tutorial an A+
that's pretty useful, Im glad you made a tutorial
Glad I could help
Thanks for the tutorial man, learned a lot from it.
Also, if anyone's camera doesn't start where they want it to, you can always just rotate the Bezier Circle so the camera lines up exactly where you want it to.
(Not sure if this was already mentioned in the video, I wasn't able to finish it because I'm in a rush to get something done)
I might or might not have, so this helps regardless. Thanks!!
Easy to follow :). THank you for doing this
You’re welcome. Thanks!!
Been searching for this a while really loved your video.
Thank you!!
Thank you sir! Helped me finish up this project.
You’re welcome! I’m glad to hear it. 😀
Another very effective video thanks again for all your tutorials
You’re welcome, and thanks!!
Setting the axes in the "Track To" constraint can be confusing, but it's actually quite simple: Change Blender's transform orientations to "local", then you can easily see which axis of your camera (or any other object) needs to point in which direction.
Excellent tip! Thanks!!!!
This is EVERYTHING I needed tonight, and didn't even know it yet.
That happens to me like once a week at least. It’s awesome! Glad it helps 😀
Thanks a lot. I was able to complete my project thanks to your video.
Awesome!!!!
i subscribed for one reason i wanted to learn something about cameras in blender and you walked me through the steps on how to do cool things in blender alot of people make videos and dont talk theya just play music and just expect you to follow along while some annoying song is plaiying ore they dont teach they talk about why they decided to make a video which is just a way to make their video longer and agh i watched alot of those videos but you are awesome Thumbs up and I will share your videos
Thank you so much!!
Thanks ... Very Helpful !
You’re welcome! I’m glad it helps 😀
Thank you soo much ! i legit learned like 6 things in this video !
Great tutorial. I have been using C4D for nearly 20 years now for broadcast and commercial work, mostly for consumer electronics manufacturers. Blender is starting to look very interesting especially with Cycles X/K hot on the heals of Redshift and Octane which are what I’m using now. In dipping into Blender I’m finding that I like it, especially how broad the add in market is. It seems like there is a great add on for just about anything.
One issue that I’m having and maybe there’s a simple way to do this that I’m overlooking but I can’t seem to find an easy way to do more complex camera moves like I do in C4D. In C4D you can look through the camera and translate, rotate, zoom, dropping a key frame at each new place you move, rotate and zoom to and C4D will be drawing a spline between all of your key framed moves while your looking through the camera. No need to constrain to a curve you have to add and attaché the camera to through what seems like a unnecessarily complex nesting of null or empty objects as they are called in blender. In c4d it feels a lot like how you would film in the real world with the ability to smooth out the spine points, add additional or fewer spline point subdivision in between key frames in order to speed up or slow down the move. There is also various easing in and out options between key frames.
I’m not sure if Blender has anything similar and I’m hoping it does or perhaps a way that’s even better. Thank you for the great tutorial!
Jordan, for some reason this was in the “hold” folder so I’m just seeing this now lol!
C4D is one platform I haven’t used, but I’m aware of it pretty deeply. The direct integration with AfterEffects is awesome as are the camera controls you’d mentioned.
I too have spent years in industrial animation using Maya, Max, and now Houdini. Blender lacks in the camera department comparatively but it hasn’t derailed me. While you won’t find the type of control used for broadcast proven C4D, here are ways to feel better using it lol.
You can turn on auto-keyframe and when you set camera as “lock to camera view” under the little view tab on the right side of the workspace window you can operate like you’re holding a camera. I’ve been able to drop keyframes that way but it’s picky from version to version. That’s the pace of development. They definitely move fast and break things haha.
Does that help at all?
it's clear and easy to follow and understand, good job! thanks for share!
Thank you!! You’re welcome!
Thanks for your knowledge! This is great!
You’re welcome, and thanks!!
That was a great, demystifying video. Thanks!
You’re welcome. Thank you!
@@KevBinge : used your rigging with a few other tutorials - solved exactly what I needed: ua-cam.com/video/WQGZ9boav1o/v-deo.html
great tutorial, extremely well explained. Watched a few similar ones that were bad before finding this one ... I am able to take these simple steps to create some sick, super smooth, camera movement.
That’s awesome! Thanks Charles!
Very cool stuff, Kev. There's some stuff like that in my preferred animation program, iClone, but this is definitely good to know when I get brave enough to attempt animation in Blender.
In iClone, empties are usually referred to as "dummies". :)
Awesome!! It’s a bit convoluted in Blender with a few steps that you can’t ignore, but when you get it working, it’s great!
Fantastic. Really appreciate this video as a newbie to Blender
Thank you. I’m glad it helps! 😀
thank you sooooo much! I'm so new to blender I get overwhelmed and this ended up being way more simple thanks to you!
You’re welcome. I’m very happy to hear that it helped 😀
Excellent! I learn a lot with this videos
I’m happy to help. Thanks!
Thanks, i got a little confused at the beginning but after watching your video a couple of times I got it....😺
Awesome!! I’m happy it helped 😸😸
blenderBinge yes it did 😺, i’ll post here as soon as I finish my video, it is short...😺😺
Really great tip.
Another thing you could do is attach a light (or a couple) to your rig (parent empty) which will act like "video lights" mounted on a camera. Could be handy for adding subtle fill light in certain situations. Use area lights and add a track-to constraint to get them to put to the parent empty of the target.
In fact, I would use a single track-to constraint between empties so that you don't need to add them to the camera and the lights (depending on how much parrallax there is between the light and camera.
That’s a really cool idea for motion. The lights would need to be subtle but yeah, that could work for some situations where you’d want some extra bounce or key light. Thanks!!
Back to you man! nice job growing your channel dude!
Thanks!!
Hey man, I just want to say thanks once again because you saved my lousy 3D-A** AGAIN!!!! Going now to your Patraeon page to give something back. KevBCG on Patreon right? Greetings to LA. I hope you are good despite of this virus chaos.
Thanks Leben!! That’s correct, and thank you so much! It’s getting crazy here. I have friend who runs an emergency room at a hospital here in LA and they are preparing for a massive wave. How is it there?
Thanks a lot dude!
You’re welcome!
Oh man, I learned a lot from this and just made my animation working. That is far better key-fame insertion than pressing the confusing "i" button.
Thanks! I thought so too, being that “I” is quick but until you define what you want to key, it’s confusing. This is just a little more clicking but you can see numbers and know where you are. I thought it would be easier to show on screen too 😀. I’m glad it helps.
@@KevBinge First time I tried this, my 3D cursor was not at 0,0 when adding objects, and I got some confusing elliptic orbit. How to quickly place the 3D cursor to 0,0?
Yeah, that happens lol! Hit Shift - S and choose 3D Cursor to Grid Center (I’m away from a computer now, but it’s called something like that). You’ll see it. Let me know if that helps.
@@KevBinge Thanks, that works. I am having problems making a wooden pier look realistic in the sun. Can you suggest any video tutorial that can help by any chance?
What kind of wooden pier? Like one that goes out in an ocean or a lake?
Awesome. Thanks for the share
You’re welcome, and thanks!!
Thank You. Beautiful font.
Thanks! Lol. I need some work in the graphic design department 😀
Thanks!!
Awesome tutorial! Thanks
You're welcome!
Great tutorial! Solved exactly the problem I was having. Thanks and keep it up!
I’m very happy to hear that it helped! I have a huge list of new videos I’m producing, just not as fast as I’d like, but I plan on keeping it up lol. Thanks!
@@KevBinge Well, you got my subscription! Looking forward to the new tings!
Awesome! Thanks!!!!
oh my gooodddd. I lOVE U !!!!! thank u so much!
You’re welcome 😀
u r just awesome ! thanks very much. subscribed
Thank you!! Welcome 😀😀
Happy to be a new subscriber!
I am new to blender and think I can compose whatever but knew I wanted an early understanding of camera control. I know after effects and the empty equals the null object and it’s nice that you made blender feel really familiar to me. Thanks for this video! My show is called Paint by Monster. It’s 5 years old. It’s a muppet-style, monster puppet visit about Art and cartooning for an hour 6 days a week Live on Facebook, uploaded later here to UA-cam. I’m still a really small channel, but I think my audience would love some special effects I have in mind and Blender is gonna get me there. Thank you again for the video! See you!
That’s awesome!!! I’ll check it out. I love Muppets haha!!
Straight forward and to the point. Thank you
You’re welcome, thanks!!
Thank you. This was very helpful.
You’re welcome, and thanks!!
What if you're wanting to rotate around the object more than 360 degrees. What if you want to rotate 5 times around the object... so 1,800 degrees. Do you reach 1 on your path and then have an immediate keyframe at 0 to start over each time?
You could loop it like hat, yes. You can also use the follow path constraint and use more or less frames and adjust the amount of animation frames as well. Did I understand you correctly? Thanks!
This is what I was looking for... Perfectly explained. Thx!
Thanks!
Thanks for this one brotha. You rock
Thanks, likewise!!
what a great tutorial. simple, intuitive and fun to follow!
Thank you! I’m happy it helps 😀😀. By the way, that’s one of the coolest screen names!
Thanks that is just what I needed.
You’re welcome! I’m happy to help 😀
Cool video as always. Thank you. Keep 'em coming brother... So, LET'S GO.
Thank you!!
thank you, been looking to do this for a while now :)
Awesome. Glad I could help 😀
Very helpful. thanks so much!
You’re welcome! Thank you so much 😀
Is it possible to set Suzanne as target for the camera and add a constraint to this camera to make it follow the circle without adding an empty cube?
Sure. The empty cube is only for illustrative purposes and something that’s simple to see. It can be anything really 😀
Good tips, thanks!
Thank you!!
Nice tutorial. One thing which i always did wrong was not zeroing out the position of the empty, and directly trying to apply the "Follow path constraint", and the camera used to move somewhere else , and no matter what i did, It didn't follow the curve at all.
Any idea, Why it doesn't work, if someone doesn't zeroes out the position of the empty? I'm sure there must be a reason behind that as well
Hey, thanks for making this video. It's helped a bunch, and I learned some valuable techniques :]
You’re welcome. I’m glad it helps 😀
Thx its really helpful I have been searching how to do this for days
You’re welcome!
Super useful. Thank you very much!
You’re welcome, and thank you!
WOW. Thank You for this great tutorial.
You’re welcome! Thanks 😀😀😀😀
Seems very clear and simple but I have a number of issues with 2.81.16. Took multiple tries to get the Camera parented to the Empty and when telling the empty to track to Suzanne, the Empty/Camera is not on my bezier circle. I had issues in my bigger scene so I am trying to carefully follow each step in simplest way to get the same results. Object selection in the Scene Collection may be giving me different results than object selection in the Viewport. I'll keep looking, but thanks for the very straightforward video!
I found that I do not want 'Fixed Position' selected on the Empty/Follow path in order to get good keyframes
Sorry, I didn’t see this comment, but it looks like you’ve solved your main issue!
Great tutorial! I have just made my very first Blender animation using your guide. Thank you.
Awesome!!! You’re on your way!
Thanks this tutorial was great
Thanks Liliana!!
For anyone who's having troubles with the camera going to center: This is caused from scaling the circle up with "s" shortcut and not setting your scale / position. (which should all be 0'd out)
To do that you just gotta press "Ctrl + A" and apply whichever you changed that needs set. That was my only mistake on this XD otherwise a great tutorial and definitely saving!
Yes, thanks. Applying scale really helps and I think I I may have left that out.
@@KevBinge np hun! Its something i often forget xD 💜
Absolutely wonderful man, thank you!
I’m glad it helps. Thanks!!
What about adding GEO-Body and GEO-Eyes to the Mesh menu? I was desperate to create a figure, or a person! Can you show me the video of that, please?
I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking for? Are you asking for a rigging video, like rigging a character? Thanks.
This was exactly what I needed and so easy to understand, thank you!!!
You’re welcome, and thanks for the encouragement 😀😀
really nice explanation
Thanks!
Man these tutorials are golden,and straight to the point,and one thing i really love is,you really are covering lots of areas in blender
one thing i wanted to ask you,if you maybe can help,is there a way to snap uvs to pixels,when you unwrap in blender,i see a feature,but doesn't work for me :/
Thanks! Yes, I can help out. I’m not at a computer at the moment but I’ll see if it’s working. I’ll edit this comment when I can.
Yes, it’s working. If you enable UV -> Snap to Pixels, the zoom in to the pixel level, when you move the uv, it will snap to the corner of the pixel. The trick seems to be zooming in far enough to see the pixels lol.
@@KevBinge Ok thanks man,will try it later.
Cool. Let me know if it works for you.
How did I never know about the alt g and alt r? so awsome
You didn’t know because no one knows everything about 3D software except for the losers who thumbs-down videos. They know everything lol.
@@KevBinge But something so baseline and useful, weird. Thanks, never got into animating the cameras but it can add so much emotion to the scene, figure its as good a time as any.