Having trouble making a twisting animation more realistic I am new to animating in blender, and I have been using the curve modifier to create a specific looking circle, but I want to animate it to make it look like it twists from a circle to a figure eight. The problem is, I tried using shape keys with one as the original circle and one as the final figure eight, but then, of course, it just moves in a linear fashion from circle to figure eight, but this isn't realistic. When you take a rubber band and twist it to make a figure eight you don't move it linearly to the eight, you twist the band around. Does anyone have any idea on how to do this? I've tried using intermediate shape keys, but it doesn't flow smoothly it abruptly stops at the intermediate step and continues. I would appreciate any help.
This might be a good place to model the band as a curve (with a rectangular curve Bevel object,) and use the shipped Animall add-on, which enables you to key-frame control-points, and their tilt values.
This animation is of a default Curve &gt; Circle, subdivided once. The three vertices at each end are rotated in opposite directions, while the entire circle rotates through 90 to present the figure-of-eight to the camera. Animall permits the keying of tilts, rotations, locations of the control-points to keep everything more or less in shape.


(v2.91 .blend file)