How to direct an AI video with an editable 3D scene

Make a short shot of one person moving through a room. Then move the camera and make it again, keeping the performance. This is a useful exercise for Autodesk Flow Studio’s 3D Editor + Canvas: you build the scene as editable objects and movement, then send a rendered clip to a video model to develop its appearance.[1]

Autodesk introduced the combined workspace on 4 August 2026. This walkthrough follows its documentation checked on 18 October; we have not run the exercise in an account. The goal is a finished clip and a project you can reopen to revise the camera. A generated video’s adherence to the reference still needs checking.[1]

Before you start

Use a desktop browser with a keyboard and mouse, and sign in to Flow Studio. The 3D Editor and Canvas are included in every standard tier, including Free. Autodesk lists 300 monthly credits and watermarked 720p exports for Free; model access and other limits vary by plan. Check the selected model’s availability and credit charge before generating. Budget for rerenders and another generation if you want to complete the camera comparison.[2]

1. Give the shot a simple stage

On the dashboard, choose Create New Project, then 3D Editor. Click the project name at the upper left and rename it “Room movement study”. Keeping a recognisable project name will help you find the editable work after downloading the video.[3]

Open Characters, choose the Wonder Human stand-in, select Add to Stage and place it. Then choose a short movement from the Animations Explore library and apply it to that character. Pick a recognisable movement. Scrub the Timeline to check the performance before adding visual detail.[4]

For the room, open Worlds and use an existing environment with clear floor space. To create one, choose My Assets, then Create World, select a model, enter a description and press the generation arrow. For this exercise, try: “An empty rehearsal room with a wooden floor, plain walls, high windows and an open centre.” Completed worlds appear under My Assets after processing in the Queue.[5]

Keep the action away from walls and furniture. The point of this first scene is to make the body’s route and the camera’s view obvious; a crowded set gives you more things to diagnose if the finished video looks wrong.

2. Decide exactly what the camera should see

Open Cameras and add a Freeform Camera.[4]

Enter Camera View with the Timeline button or V. Set an aspect ratio and use the field-of-view control to frame the performer with some space around them. In Camera View’s Navigation Mode, W, A, S and D move the camera; holding the right mouse button changes its aim. Press N if you need to return to that mode.[6]

Move the playhead to the start, position the camera and press F to record a keyframe. Move the playhead to the end of the movement you want, adjust the camera slightly and add another. Play the interval. The camera travels between those positions; a small move is easier to judge than a sweeping orbit.[7]

Check that the camera animation covers the whole intended action. Its duration determines the clip sent to Canvas: movement outside that interval is left out. A performance that ends abruptly in the render may simply extend beyond the camera’s final keyframe.[4]

3. Render the reference

Choose Send to Canvas, or press P, to open render settings. Select your camera, an available resolution and a frame rate. For this exercise, use 720p and 24 frames per second where offered. Send to Canvas produces a video of the scene from that camera and places it in the Canvas workspace.[7]

Watch the rendered clip before spending credits on its final appearance.

At this point, assess staging: can you see the beginning and end of the movement, do the feet meet the floor, and does the camera keep the performer framed? Correct those decisions in 3D and render again if necessary.

4. Give the video model a clear job

In Canvas, right-click to add a Video Node, or press V while working in that workspace. Select a model that accepts a video reference. Autodesk’s 6 October walkthrough uses Seedance 2.5 Reference; use it if available on your plan, or another listed model with the required input. Drag the rendered clip’s output connection to the node’s video input.[8][4]

Set the output aspect ratio and duration to match the reference where the model’s options allow.[8]

Give the model a specific appearance to develop. For this exercise, try: “Keep the person’s movement and the camera framing from the connected video. Give the room warm late-afternoon light and the performer a simple blue outfit. Keep the floor and doorway positions consistent.”

Generate using the node’s arrow button. When the video is ready, use the download control at the top of the node to save it.[8]

Compare its first, middle and final moments with the reference: a more attractive image is only useful here if the action and composition still serve the shot.

5. Make the camera comparison

Return to the 3D scene and change the camera’s starting position or its path. Leave the character animation alone. Render this version, connect the new reference and generate again using the same appearance prompt. The second clip tests a different directorial choice while the underlying performance remains available in the project.[1][7]

A camera edit changes the 3D scene; you still need the new render and generation to make a revised finished video. Compare the two outputs for the story each framing tells. A closer view may emphasise a gesture; a wider one may reveal the performer’s route through the room.

If a camera adjustment appears to have left its animated path, F records that position as a keyframe; Return to Trajectory, or Shift+Z, restores the existing path. If a Video Node cannot accept the rendered clip, check that the chosen model supports video references before rebuilding the scene.[9][8]

Finally, reopen the project through My Projects → 3D Editor + Canvas and confirm that the scene and camera are still there. The download is the viewable result. The editable scene is where the next version of the shot begins.[3]

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