Basic Animation Primer

Tutorial – Blender

Article from Issue 305/2026
Author(s):

Blender is a complex piece of software, but it's relatively simple to get into using it for animation. We show you the basics of moving things around and applying physics in Blender.

Blender is a fantastic, free application for creating and animating 3D graphics. It ranks as one of the most extensive open source applications, and it offers tools that can put you in the realms of the pros. However, it is also one of the most complex open source applications. As soon as you've got the hang of one section, it's time to explore the tools offered by yet another tab, menu or window. It's fair to say that the Blender developers haven't exactly gone out of their way to simplify the application for beginners.

In this article, I will take a look at the animation tools offered by Blender. In particular, I'd like to show beginners the basics of moving objects around within Blender with an eye to creating a finished animation. This is the sort of animation you could use for a YouTube video or similar. It could be your logo, or it could be a call to action such as telling the viewers to subscribe to your channel.

Installing Blender

Last year saw the release of Blender 5.0, but like the Linux kernel, Blender development has always focused on incremental improvement rather than version number milestones. Version 5.0 of Blender did bring some improvements but nothing that radically changes how the program works or looks.

[...]

Use Express-Checkout link below to read the full article (PDF).

Buy this article as PDF

Download Article PDF now with Express Checkout
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
Print Issues
Digital Issues
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Print Subscriptions
Digital Subscriptions

Related content

  • Fragrance Workshop

    Blender's massive feature set can seem overwhelming at first. Choosing a manageable project can help you get started.

    more »
  • Blender 3D Animation

    Blender not only generates realistic single frames; it is also capable of capturing the natural movements of people and animals. We’ll introduce you to some of Blender’s animation features.

    more »
  • Blender

    With a little help from Blender you can create your own 3D models – including animations. This article shows you how to assemble a partially automated virtual watch model with Blender and Python.

    more »
  • Free Software Projects

    Free software enjoys an excellent reputation in the field of 3D graphics. In addition to Blender, other projects stand out: MakeHuman creates realistic 3D humans, and Art of Illusion – with its intuitive interface – lets users enter the world of animated movies.

    more »
  • Blender 3D Modeling

    Although Walt Disney’s masterpieces are not forgotten, legacy cartoon techniques are a thing of the past. As long ago as 1995, the movie “Toy Story” proved that computers are more than up to the task of animating pictures. We’ll help you get started with building your own animations.

    more »
comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters

Support Our Work

Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

Learn More

News

Tag Cloud

Administration Community Desktop Events Hardware Linux Mobile Programming Security Software Ubuntu Web Development Windows free software open source