r/SFM • • May 10 '26

Help Source Filmmaker and Animation Tutorials

17 Upvotes

I'm tired of having to reply to various post about asking for SFM Tutorials, so I'm just going to make a post containing all the playlists that helped me learn SFM.

  1. The official SFM playlist by Valve.
  2. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2B46DEB4157E67C4

This is where it all begins, The best way to learn almost all the basics of SFM is the official playlist on the Source Filmmaker channel. Aside from 2 videos, this is the best video for beginners.

The two videos that are not done well by the official channel are the Time Selection tutorial, and Graph Editor tutorial. They don't teach the most important parts.

  1. SFM Tutorial Week #2 - Using the Motion Editor by Argodaemon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfBfsqwylo0&list=PLmx5NIR6PO5t2vfHIX6GNkpXiFODM_6KJ&index=21

Now, THIS is the ultimate tutorial for the Motion Editor in the Motion Editor. It may be long, but it's well worth it. Argomadaemon's tutorial not only goes over everything from the Time Selection tutorial, but also goes over EVERY procedural preset, as well as overwrite, offset, and transform modes.

  1. How to Animate with the Graph Editor by Sir Wade Neistadt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ31vjgJM2c&t=44s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMSpauVphNs&t=308s

If you're looking to use the Graph Editor, Sir Wade Neistadt is THE go-to. Sir Wade covers EVERYTHING, from how to use the different fcurves in the Graph Editor for moving on a specific axis, to using the thing that makes the Graph Editor more powerful than the Motion Editor: The Tangents. Linear Tangents, Flat Tangents, Spline Tangents, Step Tangents, Weighted Tangents, and Unweighted Tangents.

The tutorial on the Source Filmmaker channel teaches you nothing about the Graph Editor's power.

  1. 12 Principles of Animation

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-bOh8btec4CXd2ya1NmSKpi92U_l6ZJd

Of course, if you're going into SFM for 3D animation, you have to learn about the 12 Principles of Animation. Squash and Stretch, Anticipation, Staging, Straight Ahead and Pose to Pose, Follow Through and Overlapping Action, Slow In and Slow Out, Arcs, Secondary Action, Timing, Exaggeration, Solid Drawing, and Appeal.

  1. Sir Wade Tips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ31vjgJM2c&list=PLS4vjlZXZ7f5m5ED4ylJdUPTR5YKEg1bY

Sir Wade Neistadt is basically a completely free college level animation course on Youtube. I've organized his videos into a nice playlist. In it, you'll learn things such as professional workflows, what NOT to do, animation blocking, and how to find reference, shooting your own reference, real world camera tips and tricks that you can apply to your 3D animation, keep alive workflow with how to do a breathing animation, animating weight, lighting tips, some Blender stuff, and even interviews with professional Disney animators.

  1. SFM Tutorials by Argomadaeon

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmx5NIR6PO5t2vfHIX6GNkpXiFODM_6KJ

Argomadaemon's playlist teaches you a lot about what SFM has, including Depth of Field and Motion Blur, Animation Cycles, Creating an artificial sun light, and more.

  1. SFM Tip of the Day by Jimmer Lins

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL835902EACBFEE65F

This one is for more misc, but still useful SFM Tips, such as how to control qc eyes to make them follow the camera, the lightkit, gibbing a character, slugs, and more.

8.Walk Cycle Tutorial Part 1 by Will Hurrel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE-jakm9mcQ

  1. Animating Walk Cycles and Run Cycles by Alan Becker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y6aVz0Acx0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jggdbxTJPG4

  1. Endless Reference

https://www.youtube.com/@endlessreference

This youtube channel is full of videos for movement reference for animation, whether it's walking, running, skipping, sitting, martial arts, etc.

This is a complete list of all the stuff that goes over absolutely everything you need in terms of SFM, and animation knowledge in general.


r/SFM • • Jan 11 '21

Announcement Scenebuilding Tutorial (LINK IN THE COMMENTS)

Post image
1.2k Upvotes

r/SFM • • 14h ago

Animation Tumors (SFM mixed with Blender)

279 Upvotes

r/SFM • • 6h ago

Artwork Toriel needs a target practice.

Thumbnail
gallery
74 Upvotes

The original idea was the meme "Delete this my child" but i think this Toriel looks more like "I need a living a target practice"


r/SFM • • 4h ago

Help Tips for sfm starters

3 Upvotes

I just started trying to learn sfm like an hour ago and it’s so frustrating. I’m not trying to make anything beautiful, but something decent (a regular little side step walk cycle through a door).

I’m using the graph editor but I don’t know how it works

Using rigs (specifically the IK constraint script from the workshop)

Is there any tips or things that I should be using to help me get through this. I don’t really have any friends how have a hobby in 3d animation so I’m kinda learning this all by myself.


r/SFM • • 11h ago

Artwork Day 4 of Voltober - PSYCHIC

Thumbnail
gallery
7 Upvotes

r/SFM • • 1d ago

Animation by far the worst thing I've made in sfm

387 Upvotes

r/SFM • • 13h ago

Artwork Anti-Citizen Freeman

Thumbnail
gallery
8 Upvotes

i didn't like this one but i'm gonna post it anyways.

Twitter -@NEBRANEO


r/SFM • • 1d ago

Animation I made a Taunt Kill for the Sniper

99 Upvotes

r/SFM • • 21h ago

Artwork Team Fortress Heroes

Post image
29 Upvotes

r/SFM • • 17h ago

Artwork Detained

Post image
13 Upvotes

r/SFM • • 8h ago

Artwork Winter love on Teufort

Post image
2 Upvotes

r/SFM • • 23h ago

Artwork Posters of all my Blu Team mercs!!

Thumbnail
gallery
27 Upvotes

you can tell i was too tired at the end to put the same amount of effort into them but uhhhh yay !!!


r/SFM • • 6h ago

Animation Explosions Error SFM (HELP ME :C)

1 Upvotes
Hi everyone, I'm having a problem with explosions in SFM. Honestly, they look really bad and it's making it hard to work properly; I was wondering if anyone could help me fix this. 
My particles look pixelated, and those weird squares show up in the smaller explosions.

r/SFM • • 1d ago

Artwork WHITHER?!?!

Post image
453 Upvotes

r/SFM • • 14h ago

Artwork Poker Night 3 ?

Post image
3 Upvotes

r/SFM • • 10h ago

Artwork Help me for search

Thumbnail
youtu.be
1 Upvotes

I don t know what is this. One guy send it s photos for me.

It s impossible,old 2fort,it s not realy.Say its for me


r/SFM • • 17h ago

Animation Assassin's Creed Hidden Blade on a Blood Elf Death Knight Animation Test (World of Warcraft)

3 Upvotes

r/SFM • • 11h ago

Help Lighting problem in cs2 filmmaker

Thumbnail
gallery
0 Upvotes

Dont know where else to post but when i set map in filmmaker it looks like this. After recording a demo the light likes to go through some stuff like in the second half of the photos. Any help would be appreciated.


r/SFM • • 1d ago

Artwork death to clankers

Post image
18 Upvotes

(this render is actually how i think botkillers would be made in tf2, its just robot heads on a strap, duh)


r/SFM • • 1d ago

Help How to remove a medic's coat?

Post image
29 Upvotes

(I honestly don’t know, help😔)


r/SFM • • 19h ago

Help Uhh, how do i fix this?

1 Upvotes

r/SFM • • 20h ago

Movie Three true stories about me being a creep, animated in GMOD

Thumbnail
youtu.be
1 Upvotes

I know this is an SFM sub, but i feel like someone here could enjoy it.

This is a GMOD animated storytime with a framing device - a man is working alone in his Voices of the Void base at night. The only thing he is hearing is an all too familiar mixture of humming computers and howling wind outside. His mundane shift gets interrupted by loud knocks that have no business being there. As everyone in times of crisis, the man helped himself to an entertainment and comfort watch- cassette of his own stories, to calm his nerves. His morale is boosted, but terror of this night is here to stay. Can he hold onto his sanity, or this is the day when they finally get to him?

Back to the stories - all of them are true and i depicted them exactly as they happened.
Our stories take place in mundane settings, with cheerful music and innocent vibes, just like in The Truman Show or on The Sims lot. But then I do something questionable, reality gets tilted and our little innocent worlds get irreversibly corrupted.

Sometimes you are the creep in someone elses story.


r/SFM • • 1d ago

Help Help wanted please

3 Upvotes

Hey everyone I want help with sfm because I'm a beginner like very new. The tutorials are not helpful because they don't have certain things that I'm looking for and I have a learning disability and they also go too fast. I've tried pausing and going back etc and I still don't know what to do. For example there's no tutorials on how to fold dragon wings and the information online is outdated. I've tried everything I can think of and I don't know what to do so please help me and if anyone wants to help me here's my discord name (Atom6900) and the reason I'm not giving you my discord link is because I don't know how to find it. As for payment we can talk about it over discord so please help me. 😭🙏


r/SFM • • 1d ago

Artwork Faxa and bonfie in a zombie apocalypse

Post image
11 Upvotes