Make It Bounce in Blender

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a bouncing ball scene in Blender using keyframes, arcs, squash and stretch, and simple rolling motion. The ball will bounce across a platform roll into dominoes, and trigger a satisfying ending.

Along the way, you’ll learn basic Blender tools, animation keyframes, materials, lighting, camera setup, and rendering. This project is beginner-friendly but still looks fun and polished.

For this project, I used Blender 5.1 on a Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

That is all you need to build the scene and render the animation. A faster computer will make Blender run smoother, but a slower computer can still complete the project. The render may just take more time.

Open Blender 5.1.

When Blender asks what type of project to start, choose:

General

Use General because this project uses 3D objects, animation, lighting, camera, and materials.

Do not choose:

1. 2D Animation
2. Sculpting
3. VFX
4. Video Editing

After choosing General, you should see:

1. a cube
2. a camera
3. a light

These are the keybinds used in this tutorial

1. X — delete selected object
2. Shift + A — add object
3. G — move object
4. R — rotate object
5. S — scale object
6. G + X/Y/Z — move on one axis
7. R + X/Y/Z — rotate on one axis
8. S + X/Y/Z — scale on one axis
9. Shift + D — duplicate object
10. I — insert keyframe
11. Spacebar — play animation
12. Ctrl + Z — undo
13. Ctrl + S — save
14. Numpad 0 — camera view

1. Click the cube.
2. Press X.
3. Click Delete.

Now the scene should only have the camera and light.

1. Press Shift + A.
2. Choose Mesh > Plane.
3. Press S.
4. Type 10.
5. Press Enter.

This makes a large floor.

Rename it: Floor

To rename it, select the plane and rename it in the top-right Outliner.

1. Press Shift + A.
2. Choose Mesh > UV Sphere.
3. Press S.
4. Type 0.5.
5. Press Enter.

Move the ball to the starting position:

1. X: -4
2. Y: 0
3. Z: 2

You can move it using the G key, or you can type exact values in the side panel.

To open the side panel, press: N

Then go to the Item tab and type the Location values.

Rename the ball:

Main Ball

At the bottom of Blender, find the timeline.

Set:

1. Start Frame: 1
2. End Frame: 204

This gives enough time for the ball bounce and chain reaction.

This is the most important part of the tutorial.

A bounce should look like a curved arc. The ball should move forward while going up and down.

We will create this by adding location keyframes.

Select the ball.

Frame 1:

Go to frame 1.

Set the ball location to:

1. X: -4
2. Y: 0
3. Z: 2

Save the keyframe

Press: I

Choose: Location

This saves the ball position at frame 1.

Frame 20: First Ground Hit

Go to frame 20.

Set the ball location to:

1. X: -3
2. Y: 0
3. Z: 0.5

Save the keyframe, using the steps before.

This is the first bounce impact.

Frame 40: Top of First Arc

Go to frame 40.

Set the ball location to:

1. X: -2
2. Y: 0
3. Z: 2.6

Save the keyframe

This is the top of the arc.

Frame 60: Second Ground Hit

Go to frame 60.

Set the ball location to:

1. X: -1
2. Y: 0
3. Z: 0.5

Save the keyframe

Frame 80: Top of Second Arc

Go to frame 80.

Set the ball location to:

1. X: 0
2. Y: 0
3. Z: 2.2

Save the keyframe

This arc is slightly lower than the first one. That makes the bounce look more natural.

Frame 100: Third Ground Hit

Go to frame 100.

Set the ball location to:

1. X: 1
2. Y: 0
3. Z: 0.5

Save the keyframe

Frame 120: Smaller Final Arc

Go to frame 120.

Set the ball location to:

1. X: 2
2. Y: 0
3. Z: 1.4

Save the keyframe

Frame 133: Bounce Off Dominoes

Go to frame 133.

Set the ball location to:

1. X: 2.55
2. Y: 0
3. Z: 0.7

Save the keyframe

Frame 148: Backwards

Go to frame 148.

Set the ball location to:

1. X: 2.1
2. Y: 0
3. Z: 0.5

Save the keyframe

Frame 177: Backwards

Go to frame 177.

Set the ball location to:

1. X: 0.5
2. Y: 0
3. Z: 0.5

Save the keyframe

Frame 196: Slow Down

Go to frame 196.

Set the ball location to:

1. X: -1
2. Y: 0
3. Z: 0.5

Squash and stretch makes the ball look more alive and cartoonish.

The ball should:

1. squash when it hits the ground
2. stretch when it launches upward
3. return to normal at the top of the arc

Select the ball.

Frame 1: Normal Shape

Go to frame 1.

Set scale to:

1. X: 0.5
2. Y: 0.5
3. Z: 0.5

Save the keyframe

Frame 20: Squash

Go to frame 20.

Set scale to:

1. X: 0.55
2. Y: 0.55
3. Z: 0.45

Save the keyframe

This makes the ball flatten when it hits the ground.

Frame 25: Stretch

Go to frame 25.

Set scale to:

1. X: 0.45
2. Y: 0.45
3. Z: 0.6

Save the keyframe

Repeat for the other frames:

At frame 1, the ball is normal. Set the scale to 0.50, 0.50, 0.50.

At frame 20, the ball squashes when it hits the ground. Set the scale to 0.55, 0.55, 0.45.

At frame 25, the ball stretches as it bounces upward. Set the scale to 0.45, 0.45, 0.55.

At frame 40, the ball returns to normal. Set the scale to 0.50, 0.50, 0.50.

At frame 60, the ball squashes again. Set the scale to 0.55, 0.55, 0.45.

At frame 65, the ball stretches upward. Set the scale to 0.45, 0.45, 0.55.

At frame 80, the ball returns to normal. Set the scale to 0.50, 0.50, 0.50.

At frame 100, the ball squashes again. Set the scale to 0.55, 0.55, 0.45.

At frame 105, the ball stretches upward. Set the scale to 0.45, 0.45, 0.55.

At frame 120, the ball returns to normal. Set the scale to 0.50, 0.50, 0.50.

At frame 133, the ball stretches slightly. Set the scale to 0.47, 0.47, 0.53.

At frame 140, the ball stretches more. Set the scale to 0.45, 0.45, 0.55.

At frame 148, the ball returns to normal. Set the scale to 0.50, 0.50, 0.50.

The ball should only roll when it is actually rolling on the ground or ramp.

Do not rotate the ball while it is bouncing through the air. A ball can spin in real life, but for this beginner animation it looks cleaner if the ball only visibly rolls during the rolling section.

In this project, the ball bounces first, then rolls into the dominoes.

So the rolling rotation starts after the final bounce.

When the Ball Should Roll

The ball should only roll after it lands and moves toward the dominoes.

1. At frame 177, the ball finishes the final bounce. Set the Y Rotation to -180°.
2. At frame 196, the ball stops rolling. Set the Y Rotation to 360°.

Add the Rolling Keyframes

Select the Main Ball.

The ball moves left to right along the X axis, so rotate it on the Y axis.

Frame 135: Hit Dominoes

Go to frame 1.

Set rotation to:

1. X: 0°
2. Y: 0°
3. Z: 0°

Save the keyframe

This makes the ball roll forward on the ramp or ground.

Frame 145: Roll

Go to frame 145.

Set rotation to:

1. X: 0°
2. Y: 180°
3. Z: 0°

Save the keyframe

Now the ball rolls only during the part where it is moving into the dominoes.

Add a cube.

Scale:

1. X: 0.5
2. Y: 1
3. Z: 0.433

Move it to:

1. X: 9.5
2. Y: 0
3. Z: 0.433

Add a cube.

Scale it like a domino:

1. X: 0.25
2. Y: 0.7
3. Z: 1

Move it to:

1. X: 3.15
2. Y: 0
3. Z: 0

To make dominoes fall correctly, set origin to the edge of domino

Select Domino 1.

Press Tab to enter edit mode.

Press 2 to select edge.

Select the bottom edge closest to the next domino.

Press Shift + S.

Choose Cursor to Selected.

Return to Object Mode by pressing Tab.

Click the Object menu, and hover over Set Origin, and then choose Origin to 3D cursor.

Duplicate it using:

Shift + D

Make 5 dominoes.

Each domino should be spaced by 1 meter apart.

Ex:

1. 3.15
2. 4.15
3. 5.15
4. 6.16
5. 7.15

We will animate the dominoes manually with rotation keyframes.

Select Domino 1.

Go to frame 133.

Make sure Domino 1 is standing straight.

Save the keyframe

Go to frame 143.

Rotate Domino 1 forward:

1. Press R.
2. Press Y.
3. Type 60.
4. Press Enter.
5. Save the keyframe

Repeat for each domino, but delay each one.

1. Domino 1 is standing at frame 133. At frame 167, rotate it so it falls.
2. Domino 2 is standing at frame 143. At frame 166, rotate it so it falls.
3. Domino 3 is standing at frame 147. At frame 168, rotate it so it falls.
4. Domino 4 is standing at frame 152. At frame 169, rotate it so it falls.
5. Domino 5 is standing at frame 155. At frame 171, rotate it so it falls.

Materials make the project look better.

Go to the Ball, click Object, and select Shade Smooth

Ball Material

Make the ball look like rubber.

1. Select the ball.
2. Go to Material Properties.
3. Click New.
4. Change the color to red or your preferred color.
5. Set roughness around 0.35 if available.

Grey Platform

Make the platform a light gray.

1. Select a platform.
2. Go to Material Properties.
3. Click New.
4. Change the color to gray.

Domino Stopper

Make the domino stopper blue

1. Select the domino stopper.
2. Add a new material.
3. Change the to blue.

Domino Material

Make the dominoes black.

1. Select a domino.
2. Add a new material.
3. Change the color to black.

Move the camera so it can see the full animation.

A good camera position is:

1. X: 1
2. Y: -6
3. Z: 4

A good camera rotation is:

1. X: 60°
2. Y: 0°
3. Z: 0°

A good focal length rotation is:

1. 11mm

Press:

Numpad 0

This shows the camera view.

Make sure the camera can see:

1. the ball
2. the platforms
3. the ramp
4. the dominoes
5. the final text

Press:

Spacebar

Watch the full animation.

Check that:

1. the ball moves in a forward arc
2. the ball hits the platforms
3. the ball squashes when it lands
4. the ball stretches when it bounces upward
5. the ball hits the dominoes
6. the dominoes fall one by one
7. the ending text appears

If the ball does not move, check that you added Location keyframes.

If the ball does not squash, check that you added Scale keyframes.

Go to Output in the Properties Manager

Set:

1. Resolution: 1920 x 1080
2. Frame Start: 1
3. Frame End: 204

For video:

1. File Format: FFmpeg Video
2. Container: MPEG-4
3. Video Codec: H.264

Then go to:

Render > Render Animation