Keyframes, rigging & motion

Step-by-step

1. 1

   Insert your first keyframe

   Move to frame 1, select an object, press I and choose 'Location'. Advance to frame 30, move the object, and press I again. Press Spacebar to play — Blender interpolates between the keys.
2. 2

   Read the Dope Sheet & Graph Editor

   The Dope Sheet shows keyframes as diamonds across time — drag them to retime. The Graph Editor shows their interpolation curves; bend handles to control easing.
3. 3

   Build an armature

   Shift + A → Armature. In Edit Mode, extrude bones (E) from the root. Parent your mesh to the armature with 'Automatic Weights' (Ctrl + P) to bind it.
4. 4

   Pose the character

   Select the armature, switch to Pose Mode, then rotate (R) bones. Insert keyframes with I → 'Location, Rotation & Scale' to record the pose.
5. 5

   Render an animation

   In Output Properties set the frame range and output folder. Choose a video format (FFmpeg → MPEG-4 → H.264) and hit Ctrl + F12 to render the full sequence.

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