Keyframe Animation

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Create animations by keyframing puppet positions, poses, and colors.

Watch the full tutorial:

What is Keyframing?

Keyframing is the process of defining specific values at specific points in time. Blender automatically interpolates between keyframes to create smooth animation.

In ProteinBlender, you can keyframe:

• Puppet positions (location, rotation, scale)
• Poses (apply different conformations)
• Colors (change appearance over time)

Animation Panel

The Animation panel provides tools for creating keyframes.

Panel Sections

• Puppet Selection: Choose which puppet to animate
• Keyframe Options: Select what to keyframe (Location, Rotation, Scale, Pose, Color)
• Create Keyframe button: Adds keyframe at current frame

Creating Your First Animation

Simple Position Animation

1. Select a puppet from the dropdown in Animation panel

2. Set first keyframe at frame 1:
   • Move to frame 1 in timeline (bottom of screen)
   • Position the puppet where you want it to start
   • Check Location in Keyframe Options
   • Click Create Keyframe
3. Set second keyframe at frame 60:
   • Move to frame 60 in timeline
   • Move the puppet to a different position
   • Check Location
   • Click Create Keyframe
4. Play animation:
   • Press Spacebar or click Play in timeline
   • Watch the puppet move smoothly from start to end position

Keyframe Options

Location, Rotation, Scale

• Location (L): Keyframe position in 3D space
• Rotation (R): Keyframe rotation angles
• Scale (S): Keyframe size changes

You can keyframe any combination:

• L + R: Movement and rotation
• L + R + S: Full transformation
• Just R: Rotation in place

Pose

The Pose option works with your saved poses:

1. Create poses in Pose Library (see Manage Poses)
2. At keyframe 1: Apply Pose A, check Pose, create keyframe
3. At keyframe 60: Apply Pose B, check Pose, create keyframe
4. Blender interpolates between the two conformations!

Important: Pose must be applied BEFORE creating the keyframe.

Color

Animate color changes:

1. At keyframe 1: Set color in Visual Setup, check Color, create keyframe
2. At keyframe 60: Set different color, check Color, create keyframe
3. Domain smoothly transitions between colors

Advanced Animation Workflows

Conformational Change Animation

1. Create poses for different states (e.g., Open, Closed)
2. Timeline:
   • Frame 1: Apply “Open” pose, keyframe Pose
   • Frame 30: Apply “Closed” pose, keyframe Pose
   • Frame 60: Apply “Open” pose, keyframe Pose
3. Result: Protein opens and closes smoothly

Multi-Property Animation

Combine multiple properties for richer animations:

Frame 1:

• Position puppet at (0, 0, 0)
• Apply “Unbound” pose
• Set color to blue
• Keyframe: Location + Pose + Color

Frame 60:

• Position puppet at (10, 0, 0)
• Apply “Bound” pose
• Set color to red
• Keyframe: Location + Pose + Color

Result: Protein moves, changes conformation, and changes color simultaneously.

Multi-Puppet Coordination

Animate multiple puppets in the same scene:

1. Puppet A (Enzyme):
   • Keyframe at frames 1, 30, 60
2. Puppet B (Substrate):
   • Keyframe at frames 1, 30, 60
   • Coordinate timing to show binding
3. Result: Choreographed interaction between proteins

Timeline Tips

Navigating the Timeline

• Scrub: Drag the blue playhead to preview
• Jump to frame: Click in timeline or type frame number
• Play: Spacebar
• Step forward/back: Left/Right arrow keys

Frame Rate

• Default: 24 frames per second (fps)
• 60 frames = 2.5 seconds of animation at 24fps
• Adjust in Output Properties panel

Editing Keyframes

Graph Editor

For precise control over interpolation:

1. Switch an editor to Graph Editor
2. Select your puppet object
3. See keyframes as curves
4. Edit curves to control animation timing

Dope Sheet

For overview of all keyframes:

1. Switch an editor to Dope Sheet
2. See all keyframes across timeline
3. Move, copy, or delete keyframes

Rendering Animation

Once you’re happy with the animation:

1. Set output format in Output Properties
2. Set frame range (start and end frames)
3. Choose output path
4. Render > Render Animation (Ctrl+F12)

Common Animation Scenarios

Protein Folding

1. Create poses: Unfolded, Intermediate, Folded
2. Keyframe pose transitions
3. Add rotation for visual interest

Enzyme-Substrate Binding

1. Puppet 1 (Enzyme): Static or small movement
2. Puppet 2 (Substrate): Approaches enzyme
3. Both change to “Bound” pose when close
4. Color changes to show activation

Conformational Dynamics

1. Create multiple poses representing motion
2. Keyframe through poses in sequence
3. Loop by returning to first pose at end

Tips and Best Practices

Planning

• Sketch out key moments before keyframing
• Create all necessary poses first
• Test timing with rough keyframes

Timing

• Fast movements: Fewer frames between keyframes
• Slow movements: More frames between keyframes
• Hold pose: Create two keyframes at same position

Smooth vs. Mechanical

• Use Graph Editor to adjust curves for natural motion
• Ease-in and ease-out for realistic acceleration
• Linear interpolation for mechanical movements

Performance

• Complex animations may slow viewport playback
• Reduce viewport complexity while animating
• Final render will be smoother

Troubleshooting

Keyframe Not Created

• Check that a puppet is selected
• Make sure at least one option is checked (Location, Rotation, etc.)
• Look for error messages in console

Animation Jumps Instead of Interpolating

• Make sure you have keyframes at both start and end
• Check that you’re keyframing the same properties
• Verify puppet wasn’t deleted/recreated between keyframes

Pose Changes Don’t Animate Smoothly

• Poses must have same puppets
• Objects in poses must exist at both keyframes
• Check that pose was applied before keyframing

Color Doesn’t Animate

• Color keyframes affect geometry node inputs
• Make sure Color option is checked when keyframing
• Verify domain has material

Next Steps

You now have the tools to create complete protein animations!

For more advanced topics:

• Update Visuals - Advanced coloring techniques
• Manage Poses - Creating complex pose libraries

Resources

• Blender Animation Manual: https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/animation/
• Graph Editor: https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/editors/graph_editor/
• Rendering: https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/render/

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