Teach on Udemy

Turn what you know into an opportunity and reach millions around the world.

Learn More

Your cart is empty.

Keep shopping

Animating Your Imagination: Blender 3D animated Illustration

Name: Animating Your Imagination: Blender 3D animated Illustration
Rating: 4.6 (21 reviews)

Learn to create Dynamic 3D Animations from 2D artwork with the power of Blender

Created byAidan Wilson

Last updated 11/2024

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Learn straightforward but powerful methods for importing 2D illustrations into Blender and preparing them for 3D animation
Bring 2D illustrations to life with simple animation techniques, with no previous animation experience needed
Dive into the world of textures, materials, and lighting to enhance the visual appeal of your 3D animations.
Explore methods for adding effects, cinematic cameras and dynamic elements to your creations.

Course content

11 sections • 79 lectures • 7h 15m total length

Section Intro2:27
This is brief overview of everything we'll be covering in this section. Also in the resources we've provided a few useful links - so have a look a through and make sure you have everything you need!

RESOURCES
Dont worry - if you dont know where to start, or dont have any art yet - in the next lecture we'll include some starter resources such as our images, textures and a basic blender file to get started with.

SPEED RUN!
If you want, feel free to skip ahead to the "CAMERA, ACTION" Lesson, about halfway through the course.
You'll find a more complete version of the Blender scene already setup and ready for you to dive directly into the more exciting parts straight away! You can always come back to the start later!
Getting Started2:18
We show you our key art image that we'll be using going forward in this tutorial, and also show you the final blender scene we'll be working towards in this course!

RESOURCES
We've also included all the resources you might need at this stage if you want to follow along with our examples. In the resources you'll find;

a layered psd file of the main illustration
the individual elements saved as PSDs
the PNG textures version of those that we use in blender
a basic blender scene with the images set up
Preparing your 2D Image2:41
We'll look at how to take our 2D image in photoshop, or other image editor, and best practices for organising and optimising things for export later
Adding a Reference Image2:39
In this we'll learn how to create a camera and add a reference image - this will be our guide during the rest of the process as we bring in images and place them in the scene
Working with ImagePlanes3:49
Image Planes are going to be the main building blocks of our 3D scene in Blender. In this lesson we explain what they are, and how to use them effectively
Camera Setup3:20
We're going to learn how to create a camera now, and show you some of the best ways to go about that to set your scene up for cinematic success!
Background Images Vs ImagePlanes2:04
Image Planes and Reference Images can sometimes seem like the same thing - while there is some overlap, here we break down some of the key differences and why you'll want to use them in different situations

Section Intro1:40
In this section, we're going to go into a deep dive on our process for preparing our illustration for use in our 3D file.

If you don't have your own art, feel free to use our layered photoshop file (available in the previous section resources) as a reference.

If you don't feel too confident, or want to jump past this section, then that's fine too - there will be blender files in following sections that are set up to allow you to get up and running quickly and easily!
Preparing your Image12:21
In this lecture you'll learn the steps you'll need to take to fix up your main illustration file, fill in gaps and generally keep things organised!
Background extension - enlarging your virtual canvas!7:28
You'll learn why you sometimes need to extend your image border, and how to go about it using traditional painting tools. There might even be some more advanced techniques too!
Adding Detail - what do do when you end up with missing pixels!4:00
Now that youve extended and modified your image, looks like there might be a bit of fixing up to do! You'll learn to paint in any new details that we might need ...
Image Fixes - how to fix any parts of your image that have been cropped out17:29
...carrying on from the previous lecture, we'll go through the image and identify anything that might need to be fixed up a bit, and keep things looking as good as they can be
Exporting Images - some tips for a smooth workflow19:09
Now all the housekeeping has been done, its time to finish up in our image editor, and get everything ready for the exciting journey into the land of 3 dimensions...
Section End0:10

Section Intro1:50
Stepping into Blender 3D5:54
This section is going to be about going into a bit of detail about some things we'll be dealing with later on e.g.
transparency and depth of field, transparency settings, display errors and how to fix them, and how shaders and lighting work with the 2D planes in our scene.

Blender can be a complicated piece of software, with lots of settings, and some occasionally unintended results. This section will help guide you through all the essential things you'll need to know to make the most of your scene...having said that....

ITS OK TO JUMP PAST THIS!
For some, this may be too much information at this stage, so there's no problem to move on past it for now.
This section will still be here in future, when it can provide a useful troubleshooting resource for any issues you might encounter.
Image Transparency - everything you need to know about the different types!2:35
Image Transparency and all the various settings explained!
Transparency + Depth of Field - A great combination, but watch out for problems!7:14
We go over what depth of field is, and how to use it with transparent elements. If youre not careful, blender will make things look really, REALLY wrong. Avoid that with this handy guide!
Transparency Artifacts and how to fix them - tricks to make your art look great!4:36
Just when you thought you knew everything there was to know about making things a bit see through, turns out theres just a tiny bit more...but soon the student will become the master!
Shaders and Lighting - How lights and shaders will work together in your scene5:56
We're going to explain a few more of the settings we'll be using in this scene - dealing mainly with our image planes and how we want them to react to lighting.
Section End0:10

Section Intro1:10
After all the hard work, sleepless nights of studying, and weeks spent meditating under mountain waterfalls, we now get to the fun part - putting all the pieces into place and creating our 3D scene!
Making A Scene - putting it all together17:40
We begin the process of bringing in all our textured 2D image planes and arranging them with the help of our reference image
The Complete Scene - Finally, all the pieces are now in place!2:19
ITS ALIVE! all our wildest blender dreams have come true - we have everything in the scene that we need, and now we can begin thinking about all the different and amazing ways we're going to use them!
Section End0:10

Section Into1:28
WELCOME!
If youve arrived from the beginning section and jumped ahead, heres where the really exciting stuff begins!

RESOURCES - BLENDER FILE
to help anyone who wants to jump in at the deep end, we've included a more complete blender scene in the resources.

Even if youre working on your own scene, feel free to look at it as reference and see how we've been going about things
Camera Action! Now we get to put on our director's hats and start making a movie12:55
In this first part of this section, its time to get animated! We'll take our camera and add our first keyframes, the first step in creating our animated masterpiece
Motion Paths - A simple tip to show how objects are moving around your 3D scene3:35
In this lecture, you'll learn a simple tip to allow you to see "Motion Paths" - a way for blender to display the path objects take as they move through the scene. Very handy!
The Graph Editor - a beginners guide to some very simple animation techniques3:11
A very simple introduction to some basics of the Graph Editor - this allows us to play with our keyframes to give our animation a different feel. Dont worry, no animation experience required!
Adding Motion Blur - How to give your animation some more cinematic effects5:03
Motion Blur - so simple, yet very effective! You'll a bit about it, how it works in blender and how to apply it to your own creations
Depth of Field - you decide whats in focus, or not!5:35
We've already covered Depth of Field a little in previous lectures, but here we look at how to apply it our scene
Animated Depth of Field - even MORE power at the click of a button (or two)7:27
If you thought depth of field was good before, wait till you find out what else you can do with it...in this very lesson in fact!
Section End0:10

Section Intro1:38
With all the major components of our scene in place, from this point onwards we're going to discuss lots of optional techniques and effects you can use to enhance your scene even MORE!
Atmospheric Lighting - If you havent the foggiest idea, start here!4:41
This lecture covers the basics of volumetric in EEVEE - or more simply, making things look all foggy and hazy for ultimate moody vibes
Adding Lights - You'll find this bit extremely illuminating2:54
We previously discussed how most of our shaders dont actually need lighting, as theyre essentially self-illuminated. But you still might want to add lights to your scene, and this tells you why
Area Lights - yes, lights are square now. Or rectangles, or whatever you like!6:09
Now that you've got the basics covered, its time for some new light knowledge to be bestowed - Area lights! Buckle up for some learning
Anisotropic Fog - Dont run away, its simpler than it sounds!3:26
Yes, it sounds scary and difficult to pronounce (i dont think i've ever said it correctly as you'll hear in this lecture for yourself). But its pretty simple in practice, just a slider that you can adjust to give your atmospheric fog a more refined look in your renders
Section End0:10

Section Intro3:02
In this section we cover everything in some extra extra special sauce, also known as displacement maps.

RESOURCES

we've used Photoshop to generate our displacements, but if you don't have access feel free to use our provided textures (available in earlier lecture resources)
Maps All Over Displace - what is a displacement map, and how do i make one!4:11
what is a displacement / or depth map - why are they useful and how do i make one? all that and more in this lesson!
Blender Displacement Maps - lets see what we can do with displacement in blender6:28
we take our displacement depth maps into blender and show how to set them up for the best effect
Displacing the Planes - lets apply what we've learn to our 2D elements!16:51
We take what we've learnt so far and apply it to all our 2D image planes and make them 3 Dimensional
Simple Deform modifier - yet another way to add 3d to your 2d shapes!6:50
Creative Possibilities - Unleash your vision with the power of these techniques!8:21
We discuss how all these techniques open up new avenues of creative possibilities
Section End0:10

Section Intro2:49
We're on the home stretch now! Theres still a few more things we can do to spice things up and make our animation look even better than we could have imagined!

RESOURCES

we've added a BLENDER FILE with everything pretty much complete. So feel free to have a look and use it as reference during these lessons
Extra Special Effects - Getting a little Steamy!7:15
Smoke and Steam effects and how to make them!
Smoke Effects Animation - with special guest star, the displacement modifier!12:52
we use the displacement modifier, again, but this time for an easy animation technique!
Candle Animation - wax on, wax off2:01
We use the process from the previous lesson to add simple animation to our candles
Shape Keys - how to add animation to your characters (without being an animator)8:45
Shape Keys - a relatively simple but very powerful way to add animation to your scene!
Owl Animation - or "Owlimation"6:19
We use Shape Key animation on our monocular feathered friend
Bezier Curve Array - how to use curves and tubes to make special effects12:16
Bezier Curves based effects - much like the simpledeform modifier, these should be relatively straightfoward, but can be quite tricky to use. Unless you watch this lesson that is!
Shader Magic5:50
Modifiying shaders to create magical effects
Curve Placement - once you have the magic, where do you put it?6:39
The best place for your bezier curves, and how to get them there
Final Scene FX0:58
All of our new effects have been added - in the next section we'll look at even more effects we can have at our disposal
Section End0:09

Section Intro2:18
Theres still a few tricks up our sleeve, and our animation can only get better using things like the compositor and strategically placed effects like smoke and motes of dust
The Compositor9:26
A basic overview of the compositor and how it can help improve your final render
Clouds and Haze3:52
Using our knowledge of image planes and shaders to add a little bit of atmosphere!
Test Renders5:14
Its time to see how everything looks
Smoke Shader Tweaks6:15
Adjusting shader settings for the best results
Dust Motes12:27
RECOMMENDED PLUGIN
We dont use any 3rd party plugins in this course, and you dont need any,
but we can recommend the DUST PARTICLES+ addon
if you want a really good dust solution for a very reasonable price
(We DONT get a commission or referral fee for this!)
Rendering the Animation4:29
Its finally time to get our animation ready to render!
Section End0:10

Section Intro1:06
Time to wrap things up! We're almost done!
The Grand Finale!1:06
Our final Animation in all its glory
The Directors Cut1:26
Special Extended Brainbug Directors cut
The End0:18
Congratulations - youve made it the end and hopefully you now have your own animated epic to show for it!

Check us out on our website and social accounts and feel free to share your animations with us - we'd be delighted to see what you create

Requirements

This course requires some familiarity with 2D image editing software, and a basic understanding of Blender 3D
No prior animation experience is needed and theres no complicated 3d modelling, everything you need to know will be covered in the course

Description

Learn how to use Blender to create 3D animations from 2D illustrations!
Also known as 2.5D animation, we'll show you how to animate a 2D image and bring it to life using Blender

We're Brainbug, a professional concept art and illustration company that works in the video games industry, with several decades worth of combined experience

We've worked on many projects in this time, including some you might have heard of - such as Dead Island 2, Sea of Thieves, and Sackboy!

In this course we'll go through the process we use with Blender to add an extra dimension to our illustration and key art
So if you've ever been curious about the process behind crafting the animated key art splash screens of your favourite media, from movies to video games, this course offers an amazing opportunity to delve deep into the creative techniques and technical skills required.

By enrolling, we'll help you gain the skills and expertise needed to create your own professional quality animated masterpieces. You wont need anything but your imagination, your favourite image editor and the completely free, open source Blender 3D

And through this whole process, we'll take you through step by step, explaining everything you need to know in a relaxed, but informative way.

So if youre curious about what you could achieve, then this is the best place to start!

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Learn straightforward but powerful methods for importing 2D illustrations into Blender and preparing them for 3D animation

Bring 2D illustrations to life with simple animation techniques, with no previous animation experience needed

Dive into the world of textures, materials, and lighting to enhance the visual appeal of your 3D animations.

Explore methods for adding effects, cinematic cameras and dynamic elements to your creations.

Gain insights into optimization techniques to ensure smooth playback and efficient rendering.

Discover the rendering options in Blender you'll need to produce high-quality final renders of your 3D scenes.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

Ideally you'd have experience in 2D image editor software like photoshop or equivalent

Some basic knowledge of using Blender 3D

Who this course is for:

This course is ideal for artists, illustrators, concept artists looking to learn simple techniques to bring their artistic creations to life as 3D animations
Whether youre a working professional, a student, or a committed hobbyist, there'll be plenty for you to get out of this course if you sign up!

Animating Your Imagination: Blender 3D animated Illustration

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Getting Started7 lectures • 19min

Preparing Your Image - All the steps you need to get it ready for animation7 lectures • 1hr 2min

Stepping into Blender 3D - A deep dive into some useful things to know7 lectures • 28min

Making A Scene - This is where things REALLY start coming together4 lectures • 21min

Camera Action! Where you get to be the Film Director8 lectures • 39min

Atmospheric Lighting - the power of light and just the right amount of haze6 lectures • 19min

Maps All Over Displace - everything you wanted to know about displacement maps7 lectures • 46min

Extra Special Effects11 lectures • 1hr 6min

The Beginning of the End!8 lectures • 44min

The Grand Finale!4 lectures • 4min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: