How to Animate a Bouncing Ball in Blender Using Maintain Volume Constraint (No Rig Needed)

Byakumardeb05@gmail.com

Keywords: Blender bouncing ball animation, maintain volume constraint Blender, squash and stretch without rig, bouncing ball Blender tutorial

Bonus: Watch the full animation in action in my YouTube tutorial here!

Watch the Tutorial

Why Animate Without a Rig?

If you’re a Blender beginner or focusing on animation principles like timing, squash and stretch, you don’t need a full rig to animate a ball. Blender’s Maintain Volume constraint helps you squash and stretch realistically while preserving volume.

Why Animate Without a Rig?

If you’re a Blender beginner or focusing on animation principles like timing, squash and stretch, you don’t need a full rig to animate a ball. Blender’s Maintain Volume constraint helps you squash and stretch realistically while preserving volume.

What You’ll Need:

  • Blender (3.0 or above)
  • Basic understanding of keyframes and the timeline
  • No rig—just one sphere and constraint setup!

Step-by-Step: Bouncing Ball Animation Without Rig

Add the Ball & Constraint

  • Add a UV Sphere (Shift + A > Mesh > UV Sphere)
  • Add a Maintain Volume constraint:
    • Go to the Modifier panel
    • Add Transform Constraint > Maintain Volume
    • This helps preserve volume when scaling squash/stretch

Frame 1: Add Base Keyframe

  • Move the ball to its starting point on the ground
  • Add Location, Rotation, and Scale keyframes (I > LocRotScale)

Frame 25: Copy First Pose

  • Go to frame 25
  • Copy the pose from frame 1
  • Paste it at frame 25
  • This creates the full bounce loop cycle

Frame 13: Add the Jump Pose

  • Go to frame 13
  • Move the ball upward on the Z-axis
  • Add a single keyframe for Z location
  • Also insert keyframes for all Scale axes (I > Scale)
    (We’ll use this for squash/stretch)

Frame 3: Add Anticipation (Squash Before Jump)

  • Go to frame 3
  • Copy the original frame 1 pose and paste it
  • Squash the ball slightly on the Z-axis (S + Z)
    and scale out on X and Y
  • Add keyframes for Z location and Scale axes

Frame 7: Add Stretch

  • Go to frame 7
  • Stretch the ball upward along the Z-axis using S + Z
  • Add a keyframe for Z location and all Scale axes

Frame 15: Hang Time

  • To create a sense of hang-time, copy frame 13
    and paste it to frame 15
  • Move it slightly in space so the ball doesn’t appear frozen

Frame 20: Reuse Stretch

  • Go to frame 20
  • Copy the stretch pose from frame 7 and paste it here
    (the ball is coming down)

Frame 23: Impact Squash

  • At frame 23, paste the landing keyframe from frame 25
  • Squash it using the scale tool for impact
  • Insert keyframes for Scale axes and Z location

Polish the Animation

  • Use the Graph Editor to smooth the Z-location curve
    (Use “Ease In/Out” handles for natural bounce)
  • Adjust Scale interpolation for better squash/stretch blending
  • Enable motion blur or add shadows for realism

Rendering Your Animation

  • Set frame range: 1–25
  • Use Eevee for quick render
  • Export as MP4 or image sequence
  • Done! You’ve just animated a beautiful bouncing ball without a rig!

Summary Timeline:

FrameAction
1Ground pose – LocRotScale key
3Anticipation squash
7Stretch upwards
13Jump height
15Hang time
20Fall stretch
23Ground impact squash
25Return to base pose

Pro Tips:

  • Use Maintain Volume for cartoony squash/stretch
  • Insert single keyframes only when modifying specific axes (like Z location only)
  • Don’t forget anticipation and hang time – they make all the difference

FAQs

Q: Do I need to use a rig for bouncing ball animation?
No, a rig is not necessary. With clever use of keyframes and the Maintain Volume constraint, you can achieve smooth results.

Q: Why use anticipation?
Anticipation helps the viewer understand what’s about to happen—it gives life and energy to your animation.

Q: Can I loop this animation?
Yes! By copying frame 1 to frame 25, you ensure a perfect loop.

What’s Next?

Try animating different types of balls (heavy, light, rubbery) using the same principles
Learn to rig a ball for more control
Explore Blender’s animation graph editor in depth

Final Words

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