Learn to Animate

About the Timeline

The Timeline's horizontal orientation is based off of modern digital animation and video editing. The compact size can allow more of your resources to be seen and can be more familiar.

The Timeline exposes specific frames from your levels (individual resource files) in horizontal layers. Each layer holds at least one level, though sometimes there may be more. In the Timeline, levels span horizontally across one or more cells. The more cells a level spans across, the longer the level exists in the animation.

Drawings in a level are sometimes displayed out of order in the Timeline. A single drawing may be utilized multiple times in the layer. Sometimes certain drawings in a level may not be exposed at all in the layer or scene.

The Timeline has an additional "Zoom in" or "Zoom out" capability to either contract or expand the cells of the Timeline horizontally. At its most compact, the Timeline is able to display signifigantly more cells without the need to scroll horizontally.

Visually, the cells in a single Timeline column (from each visible layer) are combined to form a single frame. When this happens, layers on the top are visually in front of layers on the bottom. Frames/cells/columns on the left of the Timeline take place at the beginning of the animation while frames/cells/columns at the end of the Timeline take place at the end of the animation.

About the Xsheet

The Xsheet and it's vertical orientation is based on traditional animation's exposure sheets. With the Xsheet view it is often easier to visually identify resources & to reorder them.

The Xsheet exposes specific frames from your levels (those individual resource files) in vertical columns. Levels span vertically across one or more cells, instead of horizontally. The more cells a level spans across, the longer the level exists in the animation.

Drawings in a level are sometimes displayed out of order in the Xsheet. A single drawing may be utilized multiple times in the column. Sometimes certain drawings in a level may not be exposed at all in the column or scene.

Visually, the cells in a single Xsheet row (from each visible column) are combined to form a single frame. When this happens, columns on the left are visually behind columns on the right. Frames/cells/rows at the top of the Xsheet take place at the beginning of the animation while frames/cells/rows at the bottom of the Xsheet take place at the end of the animation.

Visibility +—

In the layer header (left of the layer) or column header (top of the column), you can control visibility and editability of the layers/columns:

• layers/columns can be locked/unlocked to prevent or allow further editing; they are unlocked by default
• preview and render(export) visibility is on by default
• camerastand visibility (what you see in the viewer) is on by default
• additional visibility settings (these will not be visible in render/preview)
  

  

  • color filters can be added to visually separate your levels
  • opacity adjustment

Selecting +—

1. Selecting a single layer/column
   • Click on the layer/column icon or name in the header area
2. Selecting multiple layers/columns:
   • Left-click and drag across consecutive thumbnail icons or layer/colum names
   • Cmd-click on the icons/names to select non-consecutive layers/columns
3. Selecting a single cell:
   • Left-click on the cell
4. Selecting multiple cells:
   • Left-click and drag across the cells
5. Selecting all cells in a layer/column:
   • Left-click on the left edge dragbar of a cell

Repositioning +—

Layer/column headers and individual cells have drag bars to allow for easy drag and drop positioning of the entire column/layer or of a selection of cells.

1. Move the entire layer by clicking and dragging the top edge of the layer name
2. Move the entire column by clicking and dragging the top bar with the column name
3. Moving selected cells
   • In the Timeline:
     • Click and drag the top edge drag bar to reposition the cells and drop them into a new location
   • In the Xsheet:
     • Click and drag the left edge drag bar to reposition the cells and drop them into a new location

Command Bar

The Command Bar - also called the Xsheet Toolbar, allows you fast access to commonly used commands when the Xsheet/Timeline is active.

Default Settings +—

In most default configurations of the command bar, there are buttons to:

• add new levels
  • Vector Levels
  • Smart Raster Levels
  • Raster Levels
• set the number of steps
• repeat selected frames in a column
• create sub-xsheets
• enter a sub-xsheet
• exit a sub-xsheet

Customize +—

The command bar can be customized to add your most used commands for easy access:

1. Add a command:
   1. Right-click on an empty segment of the command bar
   2. Select "Customize Command Bar"
   3. In the left column, search for the command you want to add
   4. Drag and drop the command to the desired position in the right column
   5. Add separators in the same way as necessary
2. Remove a command:
   1. In the left column, right-click on the command
   2. Select "Remove..."
3. Select "OK" when all customization is finished