# How to Animate alpha in blender and export GLTF to three.js

**URL:** <https://discourse.threejs.org/t/how-to-animate-alpha-in-blender-and-export-gltf-to-three-js/5428>\
**Category:** Questions\
**Tags:** gltf-format, materials, animation\
**Created:** [December 19, 2018, 5:01pm UTC](https://discourse.threejs.org/t/how-to-animate-alpha-in-blender-and-export-gltf-to-three-js/5428 "2018-12-19T17:01:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![relaxslow](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discourse.threejs.org/relaxslow/32/3079_2.png) [@relaxslow](https://discourse.threejs.org/u/relaxslow)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2018, 5:01pm UTC](https://discourse.threejs.org/t/how-to-animate-alpha-in-blender-and-export-gltf-to-three-js/5428/1 "2018-12-19T17:01:14Z")

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I currently studying at import gltf from blender. I build a flat satellite model and try to animate its flash light using alpha, I also try to use gltf material. When I inspect it in three.js , there is not such an track in the animation. Is that mean I can’t use material animation ?  
 ![Untitled%2062](https://cdck-file-uploads-canada1.s3.dualstack.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/flex035/uploads/threejs/original/2X/8/852b7c1bac1d65756261cf50bcdc3805d6a9cded.jpeg)  
[Untitled 3.avi](https://cdck-file-uploads-canada1.s3.dualstack.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/flex035/uploads/threejs/original/2X/4/42432a6a3bb89fbd4bd9094d6015b90149c3151a.avi) (323.8 KB)

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**Author:** ![donmccurdy](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discourse.threejs.org/donmccurdy/32/33209_2.png) [@donmccurdy](https://discourse.threejs.org/u/donmccurdy)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://discourse.threejs.org/t/how-to-animate-alpha-in-blender-and-export-gltf-to-three-js/5428/2 "2018-12-19T17:56:29Z")

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You can’t currently export animation of materials to glTF, sorry. I think this is on the roadmap for the future.

It is possible to do the animation in three.js with some coding, though. See [https://threejs.org/examples/?q=key#misc\_animation\_keys](https://threejs.org/examples/?q=key#misc_animation_keys).

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**Author:** ![relaxslow](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discourse.threejs.org/relaxslow/32/3079_2.png) [@relaxslow](https://discourse.threejs.org/u/relaxslow)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://discourse.threejs.org/t/how-to-animate-alpha-in-blender-and-export-gltf-to-three-js/5428/3 "2018-12-19T19:30:46Z")

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That’s mean at current time , I can only import static model and animated in three.js. Thank you make sure of it.

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**Author:** ![donmccurdy](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discourse.threejs.org/donmccurdy/32/33209_2.png) [@donmccurdy](https://discourse.threejs.org/u/donmccurdy)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://discourse.threejs.org/t/how-to-animate-alpha-in-blender-and-export-gltf-to-three-js/5428/4 "2018-12-19T19:52:10Z")

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Well, you can export animated glTF models from Blender and load them in three.js. But only certain types of animation are supported that way:

- skinning
- morph targets
- keyframed location/rotation/scale and morph weights

To animate something like color or opacity you’ll need to write the code in three.js.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![relaxslow](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discourse.threejs.org/relaxslow/32/3079_2.png) [@relaxslow](https://discourse.threejs.org/u/relaxslow)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://discourse.threejs.org/t/how-to-animate-alpha-in-blender-and-export-gltf-to-three-js/5428/5 "2018-12-19T20:29:36Z")

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thank you , I got it