User Friendly 3D Animation Program?
I'm looking for a 3D animation program that is user friendly. The problem is not that it is hard to move things around on the scene and such, the problem is using the timeline. You really shouldn't have to google how to use it, yet they tend to design them in such a way that you have to.
The program that I ended up using for quite a while was Daz Studio, and that's because it is simple. However, it doesn't let you drag a keyframe or copy and paste frames, though there is a way to "copy" and "paste". First you select a keyframe, click on a button that looks like an arrow with some lines and select memorize to copy. Then create a new keyframe, click on the same button and click restore to paste. In that same menu you also got copy and paste, but those doesn't work for the keyframes. With memorize and restore, you could technically move frames, but it would be so much better if you could just drag the frames.
I just had a look at Blender. It starts up showing the timeline panel, where you can see the different frames as well as play the animation. But there is no way to do anything with the frames, other than adding more. In order to change something, you have to change to the DropSheet panel. When you have that panel selected, you can't play the animation, which means that you will have to keep switching back and fourth when you want to play and edit the animation.
It have an ordinary copy and paste system, however, dragging frames doesn't work like you would expect it. Do you use the left mouse button, nope. Instead you use the right mouse button, which is also how you select a frame. To put the frame where you want it, you think you would release the mouse button, again, nope. What about pressing the right mouse button again, well, that just brings the keyframe back to the original position. Which is a pretty nifty feature... Oh, wait, there is a thing called Ctrl+Z... So what's the point, besides making you frustrated. Anyways, instead you press the left mouse button to let it go.
You can select multiple frames by holding down shift and right clicking the frames, which thankfully makes sense. Something that it is missing though, is the ability to drag over frames to highlight them. Now when you have multiple keyframes selected, you'd think that you would be able to drag them, the same way you dragged one frame, but it is not the case. Instead it just moves one frame, so what is the point of selecting multiple frames... It turns out that you have to press the G key... Excuse me, do you really have to make it more complicated than it is...
Could it be improved, of course it could. Combine Timeline and DropSheet, so that it is possible to edit and play the animation in the same menu. Use the left mouse button for both dragging and letting go. Make it possible to drag multiple frames the same way you drag one frame and add the ability to drag to highlight frames.
Another thing I'd like to mention is the fact that a keyframe looks differently in each panel, which shows lack of consistency. That is actually the problem with the thing, the way you interact with the timeline lacks consistency, making things overly complicated for what it is.
It may just be a small thing for most people, but it just makes it so frustrating to learn these tools when I have to keep google things that should be completely obvious. I also would like to learn the program that is user friendly, so that I can make sure that things gets done, and the program doesn't slow me down.
So, is there any user friendly 3D animation program? I also want to be able to import the animations to Unity, but that shouldn't be a problem.
The program that I ended up using for quite a while was Daz Studio, and that's because it is simple. However, it doesn't let you drag a keyframe or copy and paste frames, though there is a way to "copy" and "paste". First you select a keyframe, click on a button that looks like an arrow with some lines and select memorize to copy. Then create a new keyframe, click on the same button and click restore to paste. In that same menu you also got copy and paste, but those doesn't work for the keyframes. With memorize and restore, you could technically move frames, but it would be so much better if you could just drag the frames.
I just had a look at Blender. It starts up showing the timeline panel, where you can see the different frames as well as play the animation. But there is no way to do anything with the frames, other than adding more. In order to change something, you have to change to the DropSheet panel. When you have that panel selected, you can't play the animation, which means that you will have to keep switching back and fourth when you want to play and edit the animation.
It have an ordinary copy and paste system, however, dragging frames doesn't work like you would expect it. Do you use the left mouse button, nope. Instead you use the right mouse button, which is also how you select a frame. To put the frame where you want it, you think you would release the mouse button, again, nope. What about pressing the right mouse button again, well, that just brings the keyframe back to the original position. Which is a pretty nifty feature... Oh, wait, there is a thing called Ctrl+Z... So what's the point, besides making you frustrated. Anyways, instead you press the left mouse button to let it go.
You can select multiple frames by holding down shift and right clicking the frames, which thankfully makes sense. Something that it is missing though, is the ability to drag over frames to highlight them. Now when you have multiple keyframes selected, you'd think that you would be able to drag them, the same way you dragged one frame, but it is not the case. Instead it just moves one frame, so what is the point of selecting multiple frames... It turns out that you have to press the G key... Excuse me, do you really have to make it more complicated than it is...
Could it be improved, of course it could. Combine Timeline and DropSheet, so that it is possible to edit and play the animation in the same menu. Use the left mouse button for both dragging and letting go. Make it possible to drag multiple frames the same way you drag one frame and add the ability to drag to highlight frames.
Another thing I'd like to mention is the fact that a keyframe looks differently in each panel, which shows lack of consistency. That is actually the problem with the thing, the way you interact with the timeline lacks consistency, making things overly complicated for what it is.
It may just be a small thing for most people, but it just makes it so frustrating to learn these tools when I have to keep google things that should be completely obvious. I also would like to learn the program that is user friendly, so that I can make sure that things gets done, and the program doesn't slow me down.
So, is there any user friendly 3D animation program? I also want to be able to import the animations to Unity, but that shouldn't be a problem.