u/RealBlack_RX01

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice on something I’ve been struggling with while learning 3D character animation in Blender.

For context, I’ve been learning animation on and off since around 2024, mostly in my free time while also being a full-time university student. Now that summer is here, I want to properly get back into it and improve.

The issue I’m running into is with tutorials.

Because of university, I’m very used to learning by taking notes, memorising information, and then regurgitating it for exams. But animation feels completely different because it’s not just theory. It’s a practical skill where you actually have to build muscle memory, understand movement, make decisions while animating and such yk?

When I watch tutorials, I can usually understand what the person is doing in the moment. But once I try to do it myself, I often forget the practical steps. For example, I’ll forget what controls they moved on the rig, what order they blocked things in, how they approached the poses, or how they knew what part of the character to adjust.

So I end up feeling like I “understood” the tutorial while watching it, but I struggle to actually recreate the process without following along step by step.

My goals are mainly character animation: acting, facial animation, running, fight scenes, parkour/action shots, silly animated videos, and maybe short dances. I’m not trying to become a professional overnight, but I do want to improve this summer and actually make small finished animations instead of only doing exercises forever.

I guess my question is:

How do you personally learn from animation tutorials in a way that actually sticks?

Hi everyone, I know my last post was rather recent, but I’m looking for some advice on something I’ve been struggling with while learning 3D character animation in Blender.

For context, I’ve been learning animation on and off since around 2024, mostly in my free time while also being a full-time university student. Now that summer is here, I want to properly get back into it and improve.

The issue I’m running into is with tutorials.

Because of university, I’m very used to learning by taking notes, memorising information, and then regurgitating it for exams. But animation feels completely different because it’s not just theory. It’s a practical skill where you actually have to build muscle memory, understand movement, make decisions while animating and such yk?

When I watch tutorials, I can usually understand what the person is doing in the moment. But once I try to do it myself, I often forget the practical steps. For example, I’ll forget what controls they moved on the rig, what order they blocked things in, how they approached the poses, or how they knew what part of the character to adjust.

So I end up feeling like I “understood” the tutorial while watching it, but I struggle to actually recreate the process without following along step by step.

My goals are mainly character animation: acting, facial animation, running, fight scenes, parkour/action shots, silly animated videos, and maybe short dances. I’m not trying to become a professional overnight, but I do want to improve this summer and actually make small finished animations instead of only doing exercises forever.

I guess my question is:

How do you personally learn from animation tutorials in a way that actually sticks?

Hello everyone back in 2024 I wanted to learn something new so I started learning blender in order to make 3D animation. When I joined this subreddit I would often see people ask if they should do animation as a career with the answer being that it doesn't pay a lot or you need a lot of passion.

I feel like a bit of a fraud saying this but I don't think I have it in me to really go through all that (industry, competition, how animators get treated) my goal at the moment is to be good enough to either work as a content creator, where can an indie game team or inde show on the internet.

So what I thought was if I could find the job that has a good work life balance (in Ireland we have specific job that I think is a bit easy to get into kind of?) and was thinking I could work the job then when I come home from ideas of work I could get onto animation.

I want to ask if this is a good idea? Or am I being naive when I told this to a career's counselor and my university they said it was being smart but I feel like doing so may stunt my own growth. This might sound a bit weird but I'm not a big fan of like animation where everything is super detailed like pictures stuff but rather I have always been attracted to the types of animation I see on the internet like fandom content (fnaf, Roblox, ect) I don't know how much this would help me but I also have a degree in digital marketing

Did anyone else go through something simpler if so how was it?

Hi everyone,

I have been learning animation on and off since 2024 due to uni and exams, now i have done another semester I wanna get back in but i need a bit of help. On top of feeling a bit lost when it comes to where to learn (i have done alot of beginner stuff but a another user helped me understand that i will need to go back to them) I have been having a hard time actually animating the stuff I want to animate, i mostly spend time doing exercises and never really made anything so for these past few years i have been feeling i have been trapped in a cycle of never really making anything yk?

Would love some advice

Hello everyone just wanted to give some context real quick I have been learning blender and 3D character animation on and off while balancing being a full-time business uni student now exams are done and summer is here I want to use my to really improve!

I had purchased a course and while it was good at first the more I went into it the more I started to not really connect with the teaching methods and felt a bit lost so I'm deciding to go down the path of using YouTube videos on what not however being self-taught is a bit hard as I am someone who likes to follow plans you know?

My goal at the moment is to do 3D character animations with the following in mind:

- Walking, Running w/ personality

- Character acting

- Fight scenes and action

The rigs I plan to use are just stuff I can find online be a ROBLOX characters five nights at Freddy's models sonic the hedgehog models fortnite stuff anything really

Also I have already done things like understand the blender software and I have already gone over the 12 principles of animation and have done exercises for them I have to brush up on them to be honest but they're still solid in the memory I just need to have a plan in terms of how to reach these goals I want to hit as I kind of want this to branch into three things doesn't have to be all three if I hit one I see the success:

1. Content creation
2. Indie animation 3 Game animation

​

Hello everyone I want to learn animation and have been watching some tutorials and getting used to blender I found a YouTuber called Alex on story but I noticed when he was making videos for walk cycles and animating in blender he would often use spline blocking and I feel a bit stuck as I don't see anyone else doing that so I'm not sure what to do or what to start off with my main goal for the summer is to understand P2P, walk cycles and maybe a short dance animation but idk what will help me or set me back

Hello everyone I want to learn animation and have been watching some tutorials and getting used to blender I found a YouTuber called Alex on story but I noticed when he was making videos for walk cycles and animating in blender he would often use spline blocking and I feel a bit stuck as I don't see anyone else doing that so I'm not sure what to do or what to start off with my main goal for the summer is to understand P2P, walk cycles and maybe a short dance animation but idk what will help me or set me back

I had a bad experience in my module with a teacher, I am scared of repeating the module again and my performance in exams will decide if I get my degree or repeat the module.

Guys I'm so fucking stressed. I have gone onto every vent and mental health sub and I can't find help. I want to quit so bad, I am 21 and my blood pressure has been going up. I am so scared I keep shaking I'm so scared.

Hello everyone this is a bit of a big post so before I dig into it I wanted to sort of make things clear. 1st I would greatly appreciate if you read the whole thing I understand that this is a massive wall of text but this has been really affecting my mental health and I would really love to hear your opinions on this I of course hopefully one day will go and seek professional help.

2nd, I am from Ireland which means the rules and such are different from the country that you're most likely reading this from I hope it's not too much of an issue and if there's anything that needs explaining I'll try to explain it in my post or I can respond in the comments.

I just realized that this is probably the first time I’m going into the whole story from the very beginning, so I’ll start.

In Ireland, we have a thing called the Leaving Cert. I believe, for Americans, it would be similar to the SATs. When I was in my final year of school, I felt this daunting sense of dread because I was being told that this exam was going to dictate what colleges I could go to, and therefore my career path in life.

You see, this was new to me at the time. Normally in life, when I had exams in secondary school, I could fail them but still move on to the next year. For example, in second year of secondary school, if I did badly in my exams, I could still move on to third year.

At first, it was calm. Since I was young, I wasn’t really thinking about my future to that degree yet. However, as time went on and I got closer and closer to the Leaving Cert, I started to panic more and more about everything.

To keep a long story short, I pushed myself to an extent I had never done before and ended up getting relatively good results.

Around this time, we were being told to think about what we wanted to be, what universities we wanted to go to, what courses we wanted to study, and what kind of jobs we wanted to have in the future. The problem was that nothing really interested me.

I had interests, of course. I liked games, anime, and movies, and I had always been drawn to the idea of storytelling. However, I didn’t really want to work in those industries because they are known, to a certain degree, for things like crunch time, overwork, and poor treatment of workers.

I remember looking through different paths, careers, and possibilities, and nothing really stood out to me. I spent hours scrolling through different jobs, reading what they involved, and none of them interested me. This sort of reinforced something I had told my parents before: I didn’t really believe I was a “business person,” and I didn’t feel like the corporate 9-to-5 life was for me.

Eventually, after pushing myself harder than I ever had before, I got enough points for one university course to accept me. I went into college, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any of my friends with me. Because of that, I ended up feeling completely alone. A lot of my classmates seemed to already know each other from elsewhere, so groups started forming quickly while I was left on my own.

Now, I do have to take some accountability. I understand that I didn’t really do my best to join clubs or put myself out there socially. But if I’m being honest, I think my anxiety, combined with feeling alone, made me feel scared and unsure of how to do that.

I completed first year and second year (of uni), and as I’m writing this, I’m about to sit an exam next week for my final year. However, here is the problem: each year I have been in this course, I have become progressively more miserable.

My anxiety has reached levels I never thought it could. I’ve had heart palpitations, increased blood pressure, low moods, and I’ve been crying a lot. To be honest, I’ve just been miserable.

I have an exam next week, and honestly, I have no clue whether I’m going to pass or not. If I pass and get my Level 7 degree, then that’s fine. But if I don’t pass, and I have to repeat the module, I’m seriously considering dropping out and trying to get into the Civil Service in Ireland.

The Civil Service appeals to me because it has benefits like work-life balance, stability, and structure. Even though the pay may not be amazing, I feel like it suits me personally. I like the idea of being able to do my job, go home, and either relax or work on my real passions, such as content creation or learning something like 3D animation.

The main point I’m trying to make is that, all my life, I feel like I’ve listened to what other people have told me is the “right” choice. As a result, I’ve become more and more miserable. For once, I would like to follow my own voice. But I don’t know if what I’m thinking of doing is the right choice.

Next Monday, I’m going to sit the exam no matter what. But depending on the results, I may decide to end my time in college there.

In Ireland, I believe I would still leave with something because I completed first year and second year. Even if I don’t leave with the Level 7 degree, I should still have a Level 5 and Level 6 qualification. However, I don’t know how much that actually matters to employers, especially when many people graduate with a Level 8 after completing the full four years.

I feel very mixed about what to do, and I wanted to get other people’s opinions. I do have a plan for what I would do if I left. I have a potential career path in mind, but I’m still nervous.

On one hand, knowing that there is only one exam standing between me and a Level 7 degree really hurts. I’ve asked on other subreddits, such as Irish ones, and people have told me that it’s “just one exam” and that even if I fail, I should just repeat it and get it over with.But for me, it feels like a lot more than that.

It is not just a mild inconvenience.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I had some difficult experiences with a teacher. While the teacher may have been kind in some ways, the way the class was run made me question a lot of things and had a serious effect on me. It contributed to multiple panic attacks and breakdowns. I genuinely don’t believe I can handle this environment much longer, and I feel like I’m at my wit’s end.

I just want a life of peace. That’s really it.

I’m not someone who is extremely ambitious or looking to make loads of money. I just want a peaceful life. I think that is what I value most, especially after spending so many of my younger years in stressful situations, whether that was school, COVID, or other things.

I wanted to ask for people’s opinions because, if I’m being honest, I’ve been trying to tell myself that I can do one more year, but I honestly don’t think I can.

I have also had thoughts about not wanting to exist or not wanting to be alive. That is part of why I’m taking this so seriously. I don’t want to make a decision purely out of panic, but I also don’t want to keep forcing myself through something that is clearly damaging me.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Do you think it’s worth repeating one module for the Level 7 degree, or is it reasonable to stop here and try to move into something more stable like the Civil Service?

If you have any questions feel free to ask and I'll answer them to the best of my ability that way you can inform the advice you give

Hello everyone this is a bit of a big post so before I dig into it I wanted to sort of make things clear. 1st I would greatly appreciate if you read the whole thing I understand that this is a massive wall of text but this has been really affecting my mental health and I would really love to hear your opinions on this I of course hopefully one day will go and seek professional help.

2nd, I am from Ireland which means the rules and such are different from the country that you're most likely reading this from I hope it's not too much of an issue and if there's anything that needs explaining I'll try to explain it in my post or I can respond in the comments.

I just realized that this is probably the first time I’m going into the whole story from the very beginning, so I’ll start.

In Ireland, we have a thing called the Leaving Cert. I believe, for Americans, it would be similar to the SATs. When I was in my final year of school, I felt this daunting sense of dread because I was being told that this exam was going to dictate what colleges I could go to, and therefore my career path in life.

You see, this was new to me at the time. Normally in life, when I had exams in secondary school, I could fail them but still move on to the next year. For example, in second year of secondary school, if I did badly in my exams, I could still move on to third year.

At first, it was calm. Since I was young, I wasn’t really thinking about my future to that degree yet. However, as time went on and I got closer and closer to the Leaving Cert, I started to panic more and more about everything.

To keep a long story short, I pushed myself to an extent I had never done before and ended up getting relatively good results.

Around this time, we were being told to think about what we wanted to be, what universities we wanted to go to, what courses we wanted to study, and what kind of jobs we wanted to have in the future. The problem was that nothing really interested me.

I had interests, of course. I liked games, anime, and movies, and I had always been drawn to the idea of storytelling. However, I didn’t really want to work in those industries because they are known, to a certain degree, for things like crunch time, overwork, and poor treatment of workers.

I remember looking through different paths, careers, and possibilities, and nothing really stood out to me. I spent hours scrolling through different jobs, reading what they involved, and none of them interested me. This sort of reinforced something I had told my parents before: I didn’t really believe I was a “business person,” and I didn’t feel like the corporate 9-to-5 life was for me.

Eventually, after pushing myself harder than I ever had before, I got enough points for one university course to accept me. I went into college, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any of my friends with me. Because of that, I ended up feeling completely alone. A lot of my classmates seemed to already know each other from elsewhere, so groups started forming quickly while I was left on my own.

Now, I do have to take some accountability. I understand that I didn’t really do my best to join clubs or put myself out there socially. But if I’m being honest, I think my anxiety, combined with feeling alone, made me feel scared and unsure of how to do that.

I completed first year and second year (of uni), and as I’m writing this, I’m about to sit an exam next week for my final year. However, here is the problem: each year I have been in this course, I have become progressively more miserable.

My anxiety has reached levels I never thought it could. I’ve had heart palpitations, increased blood pressure, low moods, and I’ve been crying a lot. To be honest, I’ve just been miserable.

I have an exam next week, and honestly, I have no clue whether I’m going to pass or not. If I pass and get my Level 7 degree, then that’s fine. But if I don’t pass, and I have to repeat the module, I’m seriously considering dropping out and trying to get into the Civil Service in Ireland.

The Civil Service appeals to me because it has benefits like work-life balance, stability, and structure. Even though the pay may not be amazing, I feel like it suits me personally. I like the idea of being able to do my job, go home, and either relax or work on my real passions, such as content creation or learning something like 3D animation.

The main point I’m trying to make is that, all my life, I feel like I’ve listened to what other people have told me is the “right” choice. As a result, I’ve become more and more miserable. For once, I would like to follow my own voice. But I don’t know if what I’m thinking of doing is the right choice.

Next Monday, I’m going to sit the exam no matter what. But depending on the results, I may decide to end my time in college there.

In Ireland, I believe I would still leave with something because I completed first year and second year. Even if I don’t leave with the Level 7 degree, I should still have a Level 5 and Level 6 qualification. However, I don’t know how much that actually matters to employers, especially when many people graduate with a Level 8 after completing the full four years.

I feel very mixed about what to do, and I wanted to get other people’s opinions. I do have a plan for what I would do if I left. I have a potential career path in mind, but I’m still nervous.

On one hand, knowing that there is only one exam standing between me and a Level 7 degree really hurts. I’ve asked on other subreddits, such as Irish ones, and people have told me that it’s “just one exam” and that even if I fail, I should just repeat it and get it over with.But for me, it feels like a lot more than that.

It is not just a mild inconvenience.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I had some difficult experiences with a teacher. While the teacher may have been kind in some ways, the way the class was run made me question a lot of things and had a serious effect on me. It contributed to multiple panic attacks and breakdowns. I genuinely don’t believe I can handle this environment much longer, and I feel like I’m at my wit’s end.

I just want a life of peace. That’s really it.

I’m not someone who is extremely ambitious or looking to make loads of money. I just want a peaceful life. I think that is what I value most, especially after spending so many of my younger years in stressful situations, whether that was school, COVID, or other things.

I wanted to ask for people’s opinions because, if I’m being honest, I’ve been trying to tell myself that I can do one more year, but I honestly don’t think I can.

I have also had thoughts about not wanting to exist or not wanting to be alive. That is part of why I’m taking this so seriously. I don’t want to make a decision purely out of panic, but I also don’t want to keep forcing myself through something that is clearly damaging me.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Do you think it’s worth repeating one module for the Level 7 degree, or is it reasonable to stop here and try to move into something more stable like the Civil Service?

If you have any questions feel free to ask and I'll answer them to the best of my ability that way you can inform the advice you give

Hello everyone,

To give a bit of context due to personal events in life I have sort of been a bit "delayed" when it comes to understanding certain concepts and having certain experiences, why I'm still working to get myself out of that dark place I'm also trying to learn and catch up with my peers one of these things is a CV I mostly wanted to know as somebody who has never worked a job before how do I make a good entry level CV and what should I put on it to make sure it looks good?

Is it like a passport or driving licence where I need to go to a certain place to get one done?

Hey guys so throughout the year I've been learning animation however with exams coming up for my uni course I had to take a bit of a break.

Last where I left off I was learning the pose to pose workflow and it was a bit difficult so I was thinking of running a test where I do a really simple full-body action and work on it in various ways until I find an animation style that I like? If so what action is really simple and quick to do that involves the full body?