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【Spline 3D Work】Looping Rollercoaster Animation

  • Feb 21
  • 2 min read
Cartoon penguin in blue car and two white characters in red car on roller coaster track, surrounded by green trees against a beige backdrop.

Participated in the Spline Weekly Prompt “Looping Rollercoaster Animation”


This Week’s Spline 3D Challenge

For this week’s project, I created an animated rollercoaster based on the “Weekly Prompt” shared in the Spline community.


Spline Live Preview Link: Here (responsive supported)


The challenge details were as follows: Here


Goal

Design a rollercoaster in the Spline 3D editor and create the tracks using a 3D path.

Then create an animation of the coaster running along the track.


Requirements

・The tracks (3D path) and the rollercoaster cart must have clearly distinct visual designs.

・The animation must loop cleanly or be interactive.


Bonus Points

・Add one environmental interaction (such as camera shake, light changes, or triggers).


Designing the Rollercoaster Tracks with a Path


First, I created the rollercoaster tracks using a path.

I designed a smooth curve that connects cleanly in a full loop.


The elevation changes for the climbs and drops were adjusted along the Z axis, and I added a dynamic section in the latter half with a full rotation.


Two colorful roller coaster cars on a looping track in a desert setting with green trees, under a clear blue sky.

I placed simple environmental objects, such as trees, around the scene and used clones to make them appear randomly across the ground.


3D Modeling the Rollercoaster Cart

The rollercoaster cart was modeled using a basic cylinder shape as the base, which I refined with Boolean operations.


I kept the structure as simple as possible and aimed for a rounded, cute form.


Cartoon penguin and white figures ride a red and blue roller coaster on a track. Green trees in background; playful atmosphere.

I placed the ghost character I created previously on the coaster, along with a penguin from the Spline template.


Looping Rollercoaster Animation

I set the pivot point of the coaster to the bottom of the cart and used the modifier “Align to Path” to link the coaster with the track.


This allowed the coaster to move smoothly along the rail and complete a clean looping animation around the entire course.


UI screenshot showing "Edit Modifier" menu with object set to "rail" and orientation "Tangential." Offset is 0.30. Background is grid-patterned.

I also set the distance between the two coaster carts using the offset.


The animation itself is simple, but I customized the transition using a custom curve so that it starts slowly and gains speed in the latter half, creating a sense of acceleration and variation in pace.


UI screenshot of a software interface showing transition settings with options for position, scale, and rotation. Notable colors include green and purple.



Dynamic Camera Transition

This time, I placed only one camera in the scene.


When the coaster passes certain points, I set up state animations to switch the camera position.


By using just a single camera, it remains easy to control, while still achieving dynamic camera work that follows the coaster according to its position.



Production Time

The total production time was about three hours.


Everything was created entirely within Spline, and no external assets were imported.


Conclusion

In this Spline 3D Weekly Prompt, it was a great exercise to practice understanding paths, the importance of pivot points, and camera work using camera transitions all at once.


I will continue taking on Weekly Prompts and expanding my range of expression in Spline 3D.

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