blender 3d animation nodes how to animate fcurv

How to Animate an F-Curve Using Animation Nodes in Blender 3D

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Animation Nodes is a powerful add-on for Blender that allows users to create complex animations without writing Python code. One useful feature it provides is animating curves, including those created using Bezier or B-Spline basis (also known as F-Curves). In this article, we will cover how to animate an existing curve in Blender 3D using Animation Nodes.

Prerequisites

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Before you begin with the following steps, make sure that:

1. You have Blender installed on your computer.

2. The Animation Nodes add-on is properly set up and enabled within Blender's preferences (Edit > Preferences > Addons).

Step-by-Noise: Animate an F-Curve Using Animation Nodes in 5 Steps

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### Step 1 - Create a New Project

First, create a new project in Blender by going to File > New > General (Empty) and then pressing the 'New' button. Name your scene something like 'FCurves Tutorial'.

### Step curve with F-Curve Tool

Next, switch over to the Timeline view by clicking on the little clock icon at the top right corner of the 3D Viewport or press Alt+G if you're using a Windows operating system (or Command + G on Mac).

Now click anywhere in the Graph Editor window and then left-click-and-drag your mouse from that point down towards where you want to end up with another curve. This will create two Bezier curves: one for our animation data, which we'll call 'curve1', along with its corresponding control points.

### Step 2 - Add an Animation Node

Now let's add a new node by right-clicking (or holding down the mouse button on Mac) inside your Graph Editor window and searching for 'Animation'. Select 'AnimCurveFBS' from among all results until you see this blue cube icon at top left corner when hovered over:

### Step 3 - Connect Nodes

Next, let's connect our curve to an Animation Node. To do so simply click-dragging between both objects in the Graph Editor while holding down Shift key on Windows or Command+Shift keys together if using a Macbook pro running latest OS X version after Sierra released last month ;).

### Step 4 - Animate Using F-Curve

Now, to animate our curve we just created above go back into regular Blender view by clicking anywhere outside the Graph Editor window. Then select both ends of your newly made Bezier Curve (A) and press Alt + E on Windows or Command+Shift+E on Macbook Pros running latest OS X versions after High Sierra.

### Step 5 - Set Up Animation Parameters

Finally, to set up animation parameters for our curve go back into the Graph Editor by clicking anywhere within it again. Now right-clicking (or holding down Ctrl button and then left-mclick) near any point along one of those four corner handles should bring up a context menu where you can choose 'Animated' underneath 'Curve' section if not already selected - this will give us access to various settings such as easing curves, length etcetera...

And That's It!

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Congratulations! You have now successfully animated an F-Curve using Animation Nodes in Blender 3D. With these basic steps and some practice, you can create complex animations without ever touching a single line of Python code.

Remember that this article is just a starting point for exploring the vast possibilities offered by Animation Nodes. Experiment with different nodes, connections, and settings to unlock even more advanced features and techniques in your Blender 3D projects!

Blender 3d animation nodes how to animate fcurv