Understanding the basics of splining your animation is key to crafting a smooth performance. AnimSchool instructor Ricky Renna explains how to spline a shot for beginner animators by demonstrating his method, in which the first step is cleaning up curves in the Graph Editor.

Before splining, Ricky recommends to ensure that your animation is stepped with keys on at least every three or four frames. Depending on the action, you may be able to get away with keying every five frames; however, the more keys you have, the more accurate your blocked animation will be to the final result. 

When you are ready to spline, select all of your keys and controllers and switch them to auto tangents. Ricky explains that he prefers to start cleaning up with the “biggest” controllers, such as the body and gimbal controls. He also mentions that he will split up the animation into sections and fully spline them one section at a time, rather than splining one controller through the entire animation, then moving on to the next. One section may range from 30-40 frames; however, depending on the animation, it may make more sense to split it up according to when one action ends and another begins, resulting in varying lengths.

Before cleaning up the curves – note the overall shape of the curve

In the Graph Editor, the key is to look for smooth curves. Ricky explains that he simply addresses one channel curve at a time before moving onto the next: Translate X, Translate Y, Translate Z…

After cleaning up the curve – note the reduced keys and smooth shape

As you delete and rearrange keys, consider how the changed keys affect the shape of the curve: is it making it more jagged? If so, try adding some keys back in to make a smoother and cleaner action. Keep in mind that one of the most important aspects is whether or not your animation reads well: does adding in an extra key actually affect the feeling and believability of the overall animation? Don’t overcomplicate things! Simplify the curve, and ensure that the intended action still reads in the easiest way possible.

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