This document provides instructions for creating an animated 3D model of Earth using Blender. It describes downloading texture maps from NASA including surface colors, ocean depths, and topography to apply to a UV sphere. It outlines adding multiple textures to the material slots to produce realistic surface shading, oceans, and clouds. Finally, it details setting keyframes to produce a 360 frame animation of the rotating Earth model.

1. Animation with Blender

2.  Everything for this project is taken from NASA’s Blue
Marble Project
 http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_cat.php?categoryID=1
484
 The BMNG Raw Bathymetry provides the depths of
the Oceans to the map
 http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=73963
 The BMNG Raw Topography provides the
topography of the Earth’s Surface (ie Mountains,
Plains, etc)
 http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=73934

3.  Below are the links to the March 2013 maps of the Earth’s
surface:
 March, Blue Marble Next Generation
 http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=73992
 March, Blue Marble Next Generation w/ Topography
 http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=74293
 March, Blue Marble Next Generation w/ Topography and
Bathymetry
 http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=73630
 And don’t forget the clouds
 http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=74293
 Also see http://planetpixelemporium.com/planets.html

4. 1. Select the object
1. A UV shpere
2. In the Toolshelf
1. Click smooth
3. Add a new Material
1. No changes need to be
made to this material as
it is just a holder for this
activity.
4. Switch to Textures and
add a new Texture
1. This creates a texture in
slot one

5.  Name the Texture
 Earth_colours
 Change the Texture Type
to
 Image or Movie
 In the Image sub-section
 Open image
 Find the image you want
to use

6.  Under Image Mapping
change;
 Extension to Extend
 This describes how the
2D map is extended to
cover the 3D object.
 NB: I used Clip initially,
but that left a line, so I
swapped to extend
 Under Mapping change;
 Projection to Sphere
 This maps the 2D image
to the 3d object.

7. This is an example
of the Earth with
just the surface
colouring.
TestRender1

8.  In the Second texture
slot;
 Create a new texture
 Name it Topology
 Set the type to Image or
Movie

9.  Under Image Mapping
change;
 Extension to Extend
 Under Mapping change;
 Projection to Sphere

10.  Under the Influence
sub-section;
 Untick color
 Tick Normal

11. This is an example
of the Earth with
the surface
colouring and a
topology normal
map for the surface.
TestRender2

12.  The procedure to add the
Bath map is the same as
the Topology map, but
 Use Texture slot 3
 Change the value in the
Normal map to -1

13. This is an example
of the Earth with
the surface
colouring, a
topology normal
map for the surface,
and a bath map for
the oceans.
TestRender3

14.  Adding the cloud texture
is the same as the
Topology map, but
 Use Texture slot 4
 Tick Emit and change
the value to 0.5
 Set Color to .4

15.  Change the Horizon
Color to black
 Tick the Environment
Lighting
 Tick the Stars
 Adjust the Star setting
as you choose

16.  Extend the length of the animation to 360 frames
 Add keyframes for rotation at
 Frame 1
 Frame 360
 Set Z-Rotation to 360

17. This is a single
image, with clouds,
normal maps and
surface colours.
TestRender4

18.  Switch the 3D View to
Graph Editor.

19.  Hovering over the Graph
Editor window
 Press A to select all
 Press V to open the
vector context menu
 And select Vector.
 This will smooth the
Revolving of the Earth
Animation

20. Don’t forget to save
the output!
You should have a
360 frame
animation of the
Earth revolving.
Final Render