Add a prop
Open Props / objects to add another element to your film. Choose a library prop or bring in an image of your own, then position it on its own layer.
Drawing, props & motion
Zu3D 5 · drawing & motion
Draw it. Move it.
Mix it up.
A paper rocket is quite good. A paper rocket with a flickering drawn flame is better. Add drawings and picture layers to your captured animation, then decide which bits should move.
Draw frame by frame
Draw on your film.
Draw on a separate layer above your captured animation. Choose a brush, colour and size, then add a flash, a spark, a trail or an expressive mark at just the right moment.
Copy a drawing forward to build on it, or start a blank frame for a lively changing effect. Onion skinning helps you see the previous drawing as you make the next.
Your handmade character stays in its own layer, so the drawing can develop around it.
Add a prop without building it.
Bring your own image
Import an image from your device and use it as a picture layer. Your artwork can become part of the film.
Make it fit
Position, resize and rotate a prop independently of your captured animation. Place it where the story needs it.
Motion keyframes
From here to there.
Zu3D fills in the movement.
A keyframe remembers a setting at a point in your film. Give a prop a starting position and a later position, and Zu3D creates the changes between them.
Move, resize and rotate an image through the scene. Space the keyframes further apart for a slower journey, or closer together for a sudden dash.
The same idea can animate masks and shadows, or keep a talking face aligned with a moving character.
Borrow a movement.
Rotoscoping uses filmed movement as a guide. Import a short video, draw over the poses on a layer above it, then hide the video to see your drawing move on its own.
Or let the video guide a real model. Match your character to each reference pose and capture it with your camera. The source suggests the movement; your handmade character gives it a new personality.
It does not all have to be clay.
Make a paper adventure
Film cut-outs from above, replace the green background and draw an animated trail behind the hero.
Mix two worlds
Give a real clay character an illustrated companion, or let a drawn object travel through a handmade set.
Follow a performance
Use a short movement reference to inspire a dancing model, an expressive drawing or an unusual walk.
A few things to know
Is this only for stop motion?
Frame-by-frame camera animation is at the heart of Zu3D, but drawing layers, imported images, video references and keyframed movement let you combine different techniques.
Are keyframes the same as captured frames?
No. Captured frames are the photographs you take. Motion keyframes store settings at chosen times, allowing Zu3D to create changes in position, size, rotation or other supported properties between them.
Put the tools to work
Make your next idea.
Use Zu3D 5 with a compatible camera, or explore the Classic Kit for a USB camera, modelling materials and handbook.
Get Zu3D 5Shop the Classic KitSome creative tools require Zu3D 5 Premium. Following the printed Classic handbook? Get Zu3D M and its matching help.
Explore what you can create
A closer look at the tools.
Stop-motion animation & editing
Onion skinning, frame-by-frame capture and editing that puts the rhythm of your film in your hands.
Explore →
Sound, voices & talking characters
Build a soundtrack, transform a recording and create animated faces that lip-sync to speech.
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Green screen & movie effects
Combine handmade characters with new worlds, foregrounds, shadows and flying effects.
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Titles, stories & sharing
Shape a story, add titles and credits, export your movie and keep the project ready for your next idea.
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