Chapter 8: Shape Keys: Tools

By Andy Dolphin
You already know that in Blender you can animate the way that objects move aroun
d the 3D world. Blender also gives you the ability to have your mesh objects cha
nge their shape over time. These changes, called deformations, are saved in "sha
pe keys". Examples of where you might use shape keys include morphing from one c
haracter or shape to another, or adding subtle variations to a shape to add inte
rest to an animation, like having a creature's chest rise and fall to show breat
hing. One very popular use of shape keys (sometimes called "morph targets") is f
or character facial expressions and lip-syncing. Shape keys are not restricted t
o animation however. If you have a model you wish to use in a series of still im
ages, shape keys can be a convenient way of saving shape variations that will be
used more than once.
Figure 8.2.1: Various facial expressions created only with shape keys.
Shape keys store vertex positions relative to their original positions in the me
sh. After the shape key is stored, the deformation can be controlled by influenc
e sliders. Moving the sliders causes the vertices to change from their positions
in the original mesh shape and move toward the positions saved in the selected
shape key.
Multiple shape keys can also be combined to vary the final shape of the mesh. Th
e original shape of the mesh is saved as a basis shape key. It is always availab
le and can be returned to at any stage, no matter how many shape keys have been
made from it. As shape keys are non-destructive, you can try out various ideas o
n changing or improving a model, and if you find you don't like them, you can de
lete or ignore them, returning to the basis shape. Keep in mind that shape keys
do not allow you to change the structure of the mesh, only the positions of the
vertices which make up the mesh. You cannot add or delete vertices when using s
hape keys.
Making Shape Keys
SIDEBAR: Before you begin.
Before working on your shape keys, be sure that you are happy that your basic mo
del is finished.
One important point to remember when working with shape keys is that since they
store relative vertex positions, the mesh should be in a finished state before a
pplying them. While some editing is possible after shape keys have been saved, i
t can lead to unpredictable results and may make some of the shape keys useless,
in which case you'll need to recreate those shape keys from scratch.
It is common practice to build organic models, like humans and animals, using a
mirror modifier so only one half has to be modeled while Blender automatically c
reates the other half. If you've used a mirror modifier while modeling, make sur
e to "Apply" it (join the two halves) before proceeding with shape keys, as appl
ying mirror modifiers later will result in the loss of all shape keys.
End Sidebar
Shape key controls are found in the Shapes tab of the Editing Buttons (F9). Shap
e keys are added to a mesh in Object mode. Then, the shapes are made and edited
in Edit mode.
Figure 8.2.2: The Shapes tab before any shape keys are saved.

If no shape keys have previously been stored for a selected mesh object, the Sha
pes panel will show a single button with the label "Add Shape Key." When this bu
tton is pressed, the panel changes to show a button labeled "Relative," which is
active by default, and a drop-down menu with the word "Basis" showing in the te
xt field. This shows you that Blender has stored the current state of the mesh a
s the Basis shape key. The Basis shape key is essentially the original un-deform
ed mesh, and all future shape keys for this mesh will be stored relative to this
shape key.
Figure 8.2.3: The Shapes tab with basis shape key saved.
Pressing the "Add Shape Key" Button again results in a new shape key labeled "Ke
y 1" being added to the drop-down menu. The key name can, and usually should, be
changed to something that will indicate what this shape key represents. For exa
mple, when making mouth shapes for lip-sync, the shape keys should be given name
s that indicate the sound or letter each key represents. If you fail to do this,
a lot of time will be wasted when you go to actually use the shapes in an anima
tion. You can edit the name of each shape key by selecting it from the shapes pa
nel menu, then typing a new name into the text field.
Figure 8.2.4: The Shapes tab after the first shape key is saved.
When the first new shape key is added, you will see a key value slider, a "Min"
and "Max" adjuster and a text box labeled "VGroup:" in the Shapes panel. These g
ive you additional control over the shape key, which will be explained in a bit.
A list of shape keys with sliders also appears in the
on window), if one is open. When animating with shape
to do so in the Action Editor as multiple shape keys
hout scrolling through a menu, and markers are placed
each shape key.

Action Editor window (Acti

keys, it is usually better
can be easily accessed wit
to indicate key frames for

Figure 8.2.5: The Action Editor window showing a list of shape keys.
Once a shape key has been created, a unique target shape can be made by tabbing
into Edit mode. Selected vertices, edges or faces can be moved, scaled or rotate
d to create a new shape. Remember that vertices, edges and faces should not be a
dded or deleted when making shape keys. After the mesh has been modified into th
e desired shape, it can be stored by exiting Edit mode. Each time the "Add Shape
Key" button is pressed, a new shape key is created, ready to store a new shape.
Shape keys can be selected from the drop down menu next to the shape key names o
r by scrolling through all keys using the "Previous Shape Key" and "Next Shape K
ey" buttons.
Using One Shape Key as the Basis For a New One
New shape keys are based on the currently selected shape key at the time the "Ad
d Shape Key" button is pressed. So, if the Basis key is selected, the new shape
key will be a copy of the Basis key, ready for editing. Sometimes it is useful t
o have two or more keys that are similar to each other. In this case, an existin
g shape key should be selected before pressing "Add Shape Key". Then, when enter
ing Edit mode, the mesh will already be deformed to the same state as the previo
us shape key. From here, minor or major adjustments can be made to the mesh to c
reate the new shape key. This can save quite a lot of time when creating similar
shape keys in complex models, as the majority of the adjustments would only nee
d to be done once. Subsequent shapes could be based on the first adjustment.

Editing Shape Keys

As shape keys store positions of vertices relative to the base mesh, it is quite
simple to change them, even after they have been used in an animation. In fact,
it can sometimes be useful to begin animating and using the shape keys to deter
mine if they need to be tweaked for best results. To edit a shape key, select it
from the shape key drop down menu, then tab into Edit mode. Adjust the mesh as
desired and save it by tabbing back into Object mode.
One problem that may arise after saving shape keys is coming to the realization
that your original shape isn't quite the way you'd like it to be. You may, for e
xample, decide that your character's ears are too small. Simply making them bigg
er won't deliver the desired result as the smaller ears have already been saved
in all existing shape keys and the changes you make will only affect the current
ly selected shape key.
A very useful feature of Blender shape keys is the ability to change the mesh in
one shape key and have that change affect all existing shape keys. Such changes
would usually best be done with the base mesh (the Basis key), as this is the u
n-deformed mesh and any changes will probably be more predictable. So, if you de
cide the basic shape needs some adjustment, select Basis from the shape key menu
and fix the mesh in Edit mode. Then, with all edited vertices still selected, p
ress W-key and choose "Propagate To All Shapes". Return to object mode and exami
ne the remaining shapes to make sure that everything happened as you expected. R
emember that you cannot add or delete vertices, edges or faces when you do this.
You can only move, rotate or scale existing ones.
Figure 8.2.11: A mesh in Edit mode, showing "Propagate to all shapes."
It is also possible to adjust selected vertices of one shape key by applying ver
tex offsets from another shape key. Select a shape key from the menu and enter E
dit mode. Select some or all vertices and press W-key. Choose "Blend From Shape"
. A menu pops up with a list of other shape keys to copy from. Select one, then
move the mouse slowly in order to see and control the adjustment. Pressing MMB w
ill apply the adjustment at 100%. This feature would prove useful if you wanted
your character to have larger ears in some of your existing shape keys, but not
all of them. It is certainly quicker and easier than editing the ears in each sh
ape key individually.
Figure 8.2.12: A mesh in Edit mode, showing "Blend to Shape" selected.
If you've already commenced animating, it is important to note that the effect o
f editing the shape keys or the base mesh will apply immediately to any animatio
n you have already keyed. Be sure to tweak carefully and check the animated resu
lts regularly. You may find you'll need to adjust some sliders or edit some key
frames to achieve a better result after you've made changes to your shape keys.
Deleting Shape Keys
You can select a shape key from the drop down menu and press the "X" button to d
elete it. When a shape key is deleted, its influence in an animation is complete
ly removed.
Using Shape Keys
When a shape key is created, the key value slider associated with it will show a
default value of 0.0. This means that new shape keys have no influence on a mes

h, leaving the mesh un-deformed. If the key value slider is moved forward and re
leased, the mesh will deform. The amount of deformation is relative to the slide
r value (0.0=0%; 1.0=100%). Note that the slider is not interactive, and the mes
h is not updated in the 3D view until the slider is released. Also note that the
vertices move in a linear fashion. That is, they move in a straight line from t
he basis position toward the position stored in the shape key. This linear displ
acement is important to recognize and understand, as it is one of the main diffe
rences between shape key animation and animation using armatures. If you need yo
ur mesh to move in a curved motion, such as an eyelid sliding over the surface o
f a rounded eyeball, shape keys may not be the best option.
The "Min" and "Max" settings next to the key value slider allow you to push vert
ices past the values saved in the shape key or to move them in the opposite dire
ction, relative to the basis mesh. Pushing a shape to extremes by setting the Ma
x value greater than 1.0 and pushing the influence slider up can sometimes be us
eful, but it can also deliver unexpected results.
The "Min" setting can be made negative, giving the reverse of the shape key. If
a group of vertices was moved to the left in the stored shape key, setting "Min"
to a negative value and pushing the influence slider below 0.0 would cause thos
e vertices to move to the right. While this can be an apparently easy way of tur
ning a smile into a frown, for example, it must be approached with caution and i
s usually best for subtle effects. Values can be negative or positive but the Ma
x value must always be greater than the Min value.
Figure 8.2.6: A single Shape key applied to a sphere with its slider set to 1.0
and -1.0
The Pin icon in the Shapes panel can be used to view the effects of a single sha
pe key on a mesh, or an entire set of shape keys at the same time on multiple in
stances of a mesh. Linked duplicates of the mesh, created by pressing Alt-D on s
elected objects in Object mode, can be placed side-by-side with each one display
ing a different shape key at full key value. A gallery of shape keys can be crea
ted using this method. This can be a useful way of comparing different experimen
tal shapes and to choose a preferred shape.
To use shape Pinning, simply find the shape you want to display from the shapes
drop down and click the pin icon. Until the pin icon is turned off, the object w
ill display with that shape, regardless of other keys that might have been set.
Figure 8.2.7: Linked duplicates of the same mesh, each showing a different pinne
d Shape key.
A More Advanced Trick
The influence of a shape key can also be limited to a selected vertex group usin
g the VGroup option, and the result can be further controlled through vertex wei
ght painting. Using this feature, it is possible to create one shape key which c
ontains complex deformations all over a mesh, and then use the shape key in conj
unction with different vertex groups to create a whole series of new shape keys,
each affecting only a small portion of the mesh. For example, it may be simpler
to create an angry face shape key all at once, but you may want access to diffe
rent components of that shape individually: knotted brow, squinting eyes and sna
rling lips. It often gives better results to model adjustments all at once, and
then to create separate shape keys using vertex groups than it is create several
separate shape keys from scratch.
Note: For more information about vertex groups, refer to Chapter 4.
To do this, create an overall shape key, then create and assign several vertex g

roups to the mesh, one for each section that would benefit from having a separat
e shape key. In the VGroup text box of the shape key, enter the name of one of t
he vertex groups. The shape key is now restricted to only affecting those vertic
es contained in the group. Press the Add Shape Key button. Normally, this would
create a whole new copy of the entire current shape key. In this case, though, i
t just creates a copy of the shape keys from the vertex group. You can now go ba
ck to the original shape key, change the name to that of another vertex groups,
and create additional keys.
Animating Shape Keys
Animation occurs when different shape key values are stored at various points al
ong the animation timeline. These values are stored in key frames. Blender displ
ays the current frame number in the header bar of the Buttons window and with a
green vertical line in the Action Editor. Frames can be changed using the arrow
keys. More information about the animation timeline and changing frames can be f
ound in Chapter 3.
When the key value slider is moved, a key frame is automatically inserted in the
animation timeline on the current frame, so the mesh shape at that frame is rec
orded. Changing frames and moving the slider to various values will result in an
animated shape when the frames are played back. If a shape key slider's value i
s set to 1.0, then the stored values for each vertex affected by that shape key
will be applied at 100% on the current frame. This influence will remain unless
the slider is moved to a different value on a later frame. Blender creates smoot
h transitions from one key frame to the next by interpolating values for all sha
pes between key frames. These values can be seen by setting the frame counter to
the desired frame number and reading the value shown in the key value slider in
the Shapes panel with the desired shape key selected.
It is often useful to have a mesh change shape over a period of time and remain
unchanged for a while, sometimes for just a few frames, before changing shape ag
ain. To force a shape to stay at one value for a number of frames before changin
g shape, it is necessary to set the value slider at the start and end of the fix
ed-shape period.
Shape Keys in the Action Editor
If your mesh has more than one shape key saved, it is more efficient to animate
with the sliders in the Action Editor than to keep switching from shape to shape
in the Shapes panel of the Edit buttons. The Action Editor window displays a li
st of all shape keys associated with the selected mesh. Each shape key has a key
value slider that follows the same rules as the influence slider in the Shapes
panel. Again, simply moving a slider forward or backward inserts a key frame for
that shape on the current frame. You can also see in the Action Window that Ble
nder places a key frame marker in the selected shape's channel. These markers no
t only serve as a reference for existing key frames but also give the animator a
ccess to even greater control over the animation as they can be moved, duplicate
d or deleted with the standard Blender controls (G-key, Shift-D, X-key).
Figure 8.2.8: The Action Editor window showing key frame markers.
You can also use the Action Window to edit the name of shape keys or change the
Min and Max values. Simply LMB on the shape key name in the list, and a dialog
panel will open up, giving access to the shape key values.
Figure 8.2.9: The Action Editor window showing the Shape key pop-up panel.
When animating, you may notice some unexpected results when several shape keys a
re applied at once. If two shape keys affect the same vertex, the final position

of that vertex will be determined by the influence of both shape keys added tog
ether. For example, if you apply two shape keys to one frame and both keys push
the same vertex one unit to the right, the end result will be to push the vertex
two units to the right. Conversely, if the second shape key moves the vertex on
e unit in the opposite direction, the combined result will be for the vertex not
to move at all. A practical example of the combined effect of shape keys is giv
en in the tutorial for this chapter.
When Blender saves key frames for shape keys, it can display the values as a set
of curves along the animation timeline. These are called Ipo curves and can be
viewed by opening an Ipo Curve Editor window and choosing "Shape" from the Ipo t
ype menu in the window's header. Each shape key has its own curve, identified by
the color key in the upper right of the window. Ipo curves can be edited in a v
ariety of ways for advanced animation control. This is often the final step in t
weaking an animation. You can refer to the Ipo window section in Chapter 3 for m
ore information on handling Ipo curves.
Figure 8.2.10: An Ipo window, showing curves for Shape Keys.
Crazy Space
When a model is deformed by an armature, it can be difficult to edit the mesh, a
s the vertices, edges and faces are no longer in their original locations and do
n't respond to editing as you might expect. Under some circumstances, they might
even move away from their intended direction. For this reason, working on a mes
h while it is being deformed by an armature is called working in "crazy space".
To avoid this problem, select the armature and put it in its un-deformed positio
n using the "Rest Position" button in the Armature tab of the (F9) Editing butto
ns. This returns the mesh to its default position, and things will behave as exp
ected when editing.
Advanced Uses for Shape Keys
Once you've mastered shape key basics and are comfortable with animating and edi
ting them, you may wish to use automated shape keys in combination with an armat
ure for subtle effects during animation. This automated process is referred to a
s "driven shape keys".
Shape keys can be "driven" such that when a bone is moved or rotated, the shape
key will respond automatically. This feature can be put to great use to prevent
meshes from pinching at joints like elbows and knees, or to simulate muscle cont
raction and expansion as limbs move. Some animators use a combination of bones a
nd driven shape keys for facial animation. Although driven keys are outside the
scope of this book, it is good to know that such things can be accomplished.
Conclusion
Shape keys give Blender artists a powerful way to animate and deform their mesh
models. They are the primary tool for facial expressions and lip syncing as well
as for creating morphing effects. Combined with armatures, they give artists ne
arly complete control over the shape of their meshes.
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