How do you time your 3D animations?

1 Use a frame rate that suits your style

The frame rate is the number of frames or images that are displayed per second in your animation. The higher the frame rate, the smoother and more realistic the motion will look, but also the more work and resources you will need. The lower the frame rate, the more stylized and choppy the motion will look, but also the less work and resources you will need. Depending on your style and purpose, you can choose a frame rate that matches your vision and budget. For example, if you are making a cinematic or realistic animation, you might want to use 24 or 30 frames per second, while if you are making a cartoon or comic animation, you might want to use 12 or 15 frames per second.

2 Use timing charts to plan your keyframes

A timing chart is a tool that helps you visualize and control the spacing and timing of your keyframes. A keyframe is a frame that defines the start or end of a movement or pose in your animation. A timing chart shows you how many frames are between each keyframe, and how fast or slow the movement is in that interval. By using timing charts, you can create consistent and accurate timing for your animation, and also experiment with different variations of speed and acceleration. You can use timing charts either on paper or on a digital software, such as Blender, Maya, or After Effects.

3 Use the 12 principles of animation to enhance your timing

The 12 principles of animation are a set of guidelines that were developed by the legendary animators of Disney in the 1930s, and are still widely used today. They describe how to create believable and appealing motion in animation, and they cover aspects such as squash and stretch, anticipation, exaggeration, overlap, and ease in and out. By applying these principles to your timing, you can make your animation more dynamic, expressive, and engaging. For example, you can use squash and stretch to show the elasticity and weight of your objects, anticipation to prepare the audience for an action, exaggeration to emphasize a gesture or emotion, overlap to show the secondary motion of parts of a character or object, and ease in and out to show the acceleration and deceleration of a movement.

4 Use reference videos to study real-life timing

One of the best ways to improve your timing skills is to observe and analyze how things move in real life. You can use reference videos to study the timing of different actions, such as walking, running, jumping, throwing, etc., and compare them to your animation. You can also use reference videos to inspire your own timing choices, such as adding pauses, delays, or variations to make your animation more interesting or humorous. You can find reference videos online, or you can record your own using a camera or a smartphone.

5 Use feedback and iteration to refine your timing

Finally, you should always test and review your timing, and get feedback from others. You can use a playback or a preview function to see how your animation looks and feels, and check if the timing matches your intention and expectation. You can also ask for feedback from your peers, mentors, or clients, and see if they understand and enjoy your animation. Based on the feedback, you can make adjustments and improvements to your timing, and repeat the process until you are satisfied with the result.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?