Blender Tutorial

Animation: Scrolling Title Credits

This tutorial shows how to scroll text.

Setup Camera

1. Press CTRL-x, then Enter for a new scene.
2. Press Del, then Enter to delete the 3D box.
3. Click RMB on the camera.
4. Press Del, then Enter to delete the default camera.
5. Press NUM1 for front view.
6. Press SPACE for a menu.
7. Add » Camera
8. Press NUM7 for top view.
9. Press g, y, -5, then Enter to move the camera back a bit.
10. Press NUM0 for the camera view.
11. Press F9 for the Editing buttons.
12. Click Orthographic.

    Allows the text to render without perspective (that is, flat).

13. Click Passepartout.
14. Change Alpha from 0.200 to 0.100.

Black Background

1. Press SPACE for a menu.
2. Add » Mesh » Plane
3. Press s, x, 3, Enter to scale the plane along the X-axis.
4. Press s, z, 2.25, Enter to scale the plane along the Z-axis.

   

   Plain Plane

5. Press Tab to leave Edit mode.
6. Press g, y, .1 to move the plane back a smidgeon.
7. Press F5.
8. Select the existing material (or click ADD NEW).
9. Click Env (under the Material tab) to make the plane invisible.
10. Press F5 three more times (or click the world icon).
11. Change the default colour from dark blue to black.

    

    Worldly Colours

The Text

1. Press SPACE for a menu.
2. Add » Text
3. Press BACKSPACE to erase the text.
4. Type the word Scroll.
5. Press Tab for Object mode.
6. Press z for wire frames.
7. Press F5 for the Material buttons.
8. Click Add New to get a new material for the text.
9. Click Shadeless.
10. Change the colour to white.

    

    Material Buttons Settings

11. Press F12, you know the drill.

    

    Rendered Text

Scrolling

Parent the text to the plane, then by moving the plane across the camera's viewport, it gives the appearance of text scrolling.

1. Click RMB on the word Scroll.
2. Click SHIFT-RMB on the plane.
3. Click CTRL-p to make the plane the parent of the text.
4. Click RMB on the plane.
5. Ensure Frame 1 is selected.
6. Press i for a menu of items to insert into the Ipo.
7. Select Loc.
8. Change the current Frame from 1 to 50.
9. Press g, z, 5, then Enter to move the plane outside the camera's eye.
10. Press i then Enter to store the new Location.
11. Move the mouse over the Ipo window.
12. Press a to select all the points.

    

    Selected Ipo Points

13. Curve » Interpolation Mode » Linear
14. Render » Render Animation

When you play back the animation, the text should appear to scroll off the top of the screen.

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