3D stage animation

Animate the Character

To animate the character, click the + button in the lower-left corner show actions. This will open the Action panel.

First, you can use the preset actions. Drag an action directly onto the character to apply it.

After the action is added, you can select it and adjust the animation in the Properties panel. Here, you can change the action duration or switch to a different action.

Press the Spacebar to play the animation and preview how the character moves in the scene.

Besides dragging an action directly onto the character in the 3D scene, you can also drag the action onto the character’s timeline.

Create a Walking Path

Next, you can use Path to control where the character walks.

In the Actions panel, you can find Path near the top. Drag Path onto the character, or drag it onto the character’s timeline.

After the path is added, click on the ground to place path points one by one. These points define the walking route for the character.

Edit the Walking Path

After you select the walking path animation on the timeline, its Properties panel will appear in the upper-left corner.

In this panel, you can choose the character’s movement type, such as slow walk, walk, jog, or sprint. You can also adjust the character’s forward speed.

If you want to change the route itself, click Edit Path. This lets you redesign the path by adding new anchor points, moving existing anchor points, and adjusting the Bézier handles to control the smoothness and shape of the walking path.

Control the Character with Play Mode

You can also use Play Mode to control your character directly.

At the top of the Actions panel, find Play Mode. Drag it onto the character, or drag it onto the character’s timeline.

Once Play Mode is added, the Play Mode Properties panel will appear. In this panel, you can assign different actions to different keys. To do this, drag an action from the Actions panel onto the key slot you want to use.

After the controls are set up, click Play to enter game mode.

In Play Mode, you can control the character directly, such as walking, running, jumping, or triggering the custom actions you assigned earlier.

Record Your Movement in Play Mode

In Play Mode, press Enter to start recording.

Control the character and perform the movement or actions you want. When you are finished, press Enter again to stop recording.

After you exit Play Mode and return to the 3D Stage, the movement you just recorded will appear as one continuous animation on the timeline.

Create Custom Poses with Rig Transform

If you are a more experienced animator, you can also create your own character poses manually.

At the top of the Actions panel, you will find Rig Transform. Drag it onto the character, or drag it onto the character’s timeline.

After adding Rig Transform, you can select different rig points on the character and adjust the pose yourself. By setting keyframes, you can design your own custom movement instead of relying only on preset actions.

This is useful when you need a very specific gesture, body pose, or character performance that is not available in the preset action library.

Record the Final Video from the Camera

Of course, the goal of setting up the 3D Stage is to generate a video.

After you finish designing the character movement, go to the upper-right corner and click Camera. This will switch the view into the camera perspective.

From here, click Rehearse to preview your shot and check the animation, framing, and camera view.

Once you are happy with the result, click Record. The recorded video will then be imported back into your canvas, where you can continue editing or use it as part of your project.