QuickMagic 3D Previs Tutorial: Build a Scene, Add Actions, and Plan Your Shot

What is 3D previs—and how do you start?

A previs scene does not need polished materials or perfect motion to be useful. It needs to show who moves, what happens, when the audience should notice it and whether the camera can see it.

Scope of this tutorial: the steps use visible controls and scene states in the user-supplied QuickMagic 3D Previs recording. Composition exercises and review checklists are additional editorial guidance. No live account test, export-format verification or narration transcript is claimed. Your current interface and access may differ.

Watch the 3D Previs walkthrough

The chapter buttons jump to observed interface states. They are visual navigation points, not a transcript. For this tutorial, focus on the character tools, action library, timeline and camera preview rather than unrelated product screens later in the recording.

A simple 3D previs workflow

1. 01Start with a simple scene
2. 02Add and position a character
3. 03Choose an action
4. 04Arrange the timeline
5. 05Add a second character
6. 06Review the camera framing
7. 07Save and validate the output

Before opening a large library of motions, write one sentence describing the scene: “One performer finishes a movement while a second performer reacts.” That is enough to test timing, separation and framing without building a full production sequence.

Step 1. Read the workspace and define the shot

The video begins inside the 3D Previs Platform. It does not show a reliable navigation path from account sign-in, so start from the Previs workspace available in your version rather than following an invented menu sequence.

The example displays 16:9 and 30 FPS. Treat these as observed settings, not mandatory values. Choose your intended presentation format early so that you do not approve a composition that later gets cropped.

Step 2. Add your first character

Open Character in the left toolbar. The recording shows a Single Character option and then a red character labeled Char 1. Start with a single performer so you can learn the relationship between selection, properties and the timeline.

Select the performer and inspect the property panel. Later frames show a transform gizmo and location/rotation fields. Use these controls deliberately to establish where the performer starts and which direction they face.

Keep the character away from the edge of the camera preview for the first test. There is little value in fine-tuning an action that the shot cannot see. A plain colored stand-in is sufficient while you are deciding staging.

Step 3. Choose an action and preview it

Open Action. The recording shows an action library with categories including Dance and Idle Poses. Browse for a motion that approximates the scene beat; your first choice only needs to communicate the action clearly.

Apply an action to the selected performer using the interaction available in your build, then confirm that a motion clip appears on the correct track. The recording progresses from a static character to labeled purple clips and animated playback. Check the result before adding another clip.

Watch the whole movement. Does it travel farther than expected? Does the performer turn away from the audience? Does the end pose support the next beat? These questions matter more in previs than whether the motion is already final-quality.

The cyan ground path visible in this sequence can help you inspect travel, but it is not a guarantee that spacing or collisions are correct. Judge the moving character in the actual scene.

Step 4. Arrange the action clips on the timeline

The timeline is where individual motions become a sequence. Around 01:45, the recording shows a dance-related clip followed by Standing Idle. Review the boundary between them, not only the middle of each action.

Use the timeline controls to inspect the start, end and placement of your clips. When dragging a clip or its edge, watch what actually changes: moving an action, trimming it and changing its playback rate are different operations. Do not assume an edge drag has a particular effect without replaying the result.

At 30 FPS, a 30-frame interval lasts one second. You can use that relationship to plan a pause or reaction, while checking the displayed range in your own scene. Frame numbers are not interchangeable with seconds.

• Preview the transition at normal speed.
• Scrub around the join to find a sudden pose or position change.
• Check whether a gap is intentional.
• Confirm that the scene's end range includes the final action.

An action library does not by itself establish seamless blending. If a join is rough, adjust the choice or timing of the actions, or flag it for later animation cleanup rather than treating it as finished.

Step 5. Add a second performer and coordinate the scene

Around 01:55, a yellow Char 2 appears beside the red performer. The recording then explores pose controls and adds actions to the second character. This demonstrates separate character work; it does not establish a maximum cast size.

Give the second character a reason to be in the scene. They might observe, react, move into position or provide a contrasting action. If both performers move with equal intensity at once, the audience may not know where to look.

Review three relationships together: distance, facing direction and timing. A reaction can read incorrectly if it begins before the event, faces away from the relevant performer or is hidden behind another body.

Move the second action earlier or later to test the beat. The later timeline work in the video shows separated clips on Char 2's track; inspect gaps and playback behavior in your own version rather than assuming the software fills them with a specific hold or blend.

Step 6. Check what the camera sees

The recording keeps a Camera Preview panel visible while the workspace view changes. Use that distinction when reviewing your scene: a composition that looks clear from the editor's orbit may not read from the selected camera.

Recommended framing pass: inspect the opening pose, the widest movement and the final pose from the intended shot camera. Keep important hands, feet and reactions visible where the scene requires them. Look for characters overlapping into a confusing silhouette.

The interface shows Camera View and camera-related tools, but the supplied sequence does not establish a complete animated-camera setup. Treat camera-move design as a separate task to verify in the current tool, not as a feature demonstrated by simply orbiting Director View.

Step 7. Save and check the available output

Save, History and Export are visible in the top bar. Save at meaningful milestones and verify that your project state has been retained. The recording does not show a completed export, its file type or its resolution.

Open the available export panel in your account and confirm what it produces. A review video, an animation file and a complete editable scene are different deliverables. Do not transfer an FBX or BVH claim from QuickMagic's mocap product to this Previs workspace without checking.

Before sharing, open the generated output and inspect the camera, duration, timing and final frame. Note any placeholders: rough joins, approximate contacts, missing props or unfinished camera movement. Those notes help reviewers judge the intended scene rather than mistake the blockout for final animation.

Practice: build a short two-character beat

This is an editorial exercise, not the creator's exact sequence. Use it to test whether you understand the workflow.

Create two versions with different reaction timing. Compare them from the same camera. Change one variable at a time so that you can tell why one version communicates better.

If you later need a more specific performance, QuickMagic's text-to-motion guide describes generating motion ideas, while its multi-person mocap guide covers captured performer tracks. These are related motion workflows; a direct import or transfer into the Previs workspace is not demonstrated in this recording.

Common 3D previs problems