ANIMATION
Resources for learning about animation methods & tools.
🏃 ANIMATION
Resources for learning about animation methods & tools.
Resources directed primarily for learning character creation in 3D.
Pick resources that fit your learning style, instead of brute forcing learning in a way you don't enjoy - that's why I tried including multiple options in each topic for you to pick from!
Software Agnostic
👨🎓 STANDALONE COURSES
PAID ($25/MONTH)
The 12 Principles of Animation
New Masters Academy
The 12 Principles of Animation
UPDATE! October 1st, 2023: This version of the website will no longer receive updates. Please transition to the new website for the best experience. Access V3 Now >>
📺 YOUTUBE
The 12 Principles of Animation Explained — The Most Important Rules for Animating
StudioBinder
The Animation Cheat Sheet - Workflow Demo
Chester Sampson
The Ultimate Animation Workflow for Beginners
Chester Sampson
Animation Blocking + Finding Key Poses w/ Reference
Sir Wade Neistadt
Animating HEAVY Weight (Objects, Punches, Throwing)
Sir Wade Neistadt
Why Your Stepped Animation Sucks in Spline
Sir Wade Neistadt
Master Overshoot & Settle in 60 seconds
BrianKouhi
💻 BLOG POSTS
Tips for Mastering the 12 Principles of Animation
Clip Studio
12 Principles of Animation - Clip Studio Paint
Discover the 12 principles of animation to create natural, dynamic, and captivating animations. Perfect for beginners with Clip Studio Paint!
12 Principles for Game Animation
Medium, Chris Totten
12 Principles for Game Animation
Introduction
Disney’s 12 Principles Of Animation: Bringing Characters To Life
NYFA
Disney's 12 Principles Of Animation: Bringing Characters To Life
Disney's 12 Principles Of Animation are a benchmark for the modern animation world and a guiding light for emerging animators.
📚 BOOKS
Animator's Survival Kit
Richard Williams
The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
Frank Thomas, Cllie Johnston, Ollie Johnson
Timing for Animation, 40th Anniversary Edition, 3rd Edition
Harold Whitaker, Tom Sito, John Halas
Physics for Animators
Michele Bousquet
Rig it Right! Maya Animation Rigging Concepts
Tina O'Hailey
Acting and Performance for Animation
Derek Hayes
Blender
Fresh Start!
At this stage, in Blender, you should learn these concepts:
- Adding & Editing Keyframes, creating the simplest form of animation
- Graph Editor & Spline editing (Interpolation)
- Blockout key poses
- A notion of Timing & Spacing
- Gimbal lock
- Animate a rigged character (this assumes you already have a rigged character)
👨🎓 STANDALONE COURSES
⭐ FREE
Blender Fundamentals 4.5 LTS
Blender Studio
Blender Studio's own training course
Blender Fundamentals 4.5 LTS: 3D Animation - Blender Studio
Start learning Blender at your own pace with this complete fundamental course.
PAID ($89)
Alive! Animation course in Blender
P2Design Academy
Alive! animation course in Blender
The most extensive animation course in Blender
PAID ($25/month)
Agora Community
Agora Community
Agora.community | Home
Get weekly critique from Alex Ferreira Simoes, Head of Education at Agora Community.
📺 YOUTUBE COURSES
Intro to Animation
Alex on Story
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0qE_ONqcqSUvYEYEDLQ27wJ-IIzmmMXq
📺YOUTUBE
Animation Quick Start Guide for Absolute Beginners (Blender Tutorial)
Ryan King Art
Animation for Beginners! (Blender Tutorial)
Ryan King Art
How to Use the Graph Editor for Beginners (Blender Tutorial)
Ryan King Art
How to Animate ANYTHING in Blender!
SharpWind
Shape Keys for Beginners (Blender Tutorial)
Ryan King Art
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghl_glWr8xk
Intermediate
📺YOUTUBE
⭐The principles of animation in Blender
Pierrick Picaut
An masterclass that's shockingly just available for free on Youtube
Your Animation Workflow is About to Get SO Much Faster
Pierrick Picaut
Create a Walk Cycle animation in Blender
Pierrick Picaut
Pose & Flow : The 2 Essentials of Great Action Animation
Pierrick Picaut
The 5 steps to great 3D animation in Blender
Pierrick Picaut
Full Body Action: Blender Animation Tutorial
Alex on Story
Mastering the Blender Walk Cycle: Tips and Tricks for Animators!
Alex on Story
Mastering the Blender Run Cycle: Tips and Tricks for Animators!
How to use Blender's Graph Editor like a Professional Animator
Pierrick Picaut
How to make your poses more EXPRESSIVE!
Pierrick Picaut
Blender Facial Animation Secrets: Eyes and Lip Sync Tips
Alex on Story
How to Use Moving Holds and Ease In/Out for Better Animation!
Alex on Story
How to Animate a Fight Scene Step by Step
Alex on Story
The Lazy Animator’s Mouth Rig (Works perfectly)
Nukorio
Finally ShapeKeys with Geometry Nodes!
Point Cloud
💻 BLOG POSTS
Creating expressions in 4 easy steps
Pablander Academy
Creating expressions in 4 easy steps | Pablander Academy
I thought I share a simple but effective 4-steps workflow to help you create expressions on your characters… this technique works for anything but to keep it simple I’m going to sculpt a ‘laughing’ expression on a generic male head:
Easy blendshapes!
Pablander Academy
Easy blendshapes! | Pablander Academy
I thought I share an easy way of animating and testing blend shapes with Blender. This is something that I’ve been doing recently for a project and it works great to test things like micro-expressions. This is how it works:
Layered Sculpting for Einar
Julien Kaspar
Layered Sculpting for Einar - Blender Studio
Julien shares the current workflow of layered sculpting for realistic expressions and poses in the Heist film production.
Maya
Fresh Start!
👨🎓 STANDALONE COURSES
📺 YOUTUBE COURSES
Free 3D Animation Course Maya Tutorial for Beginners
Animators Journey
📺 YOUTUBE
💻 BLOG POSTS
📚 BOOKS
📄 DOCUMENTATION / USER MANUAL
🌀 MISC
Intermediate
(SOON)
Source Filmmaker 1/2
(SOON)
This thread will be constantly updating.
(Last updated: 07/09/2026)
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