Instructions
Tools
Add a boat. (Legacy button)
Click to place a boat in its initial position. To control the initial orientation, hold the mouse button down after placing the boat, and move it to change the orientation.
Draw a character.
Use this tool to draw simple one-line characters.
Create a flexible skeleton.
A skeleton allows you to animate more complex characters. A skeleton is composed of a set of connected nodes, it is animated by moving each node as if it was an independent character (see below for information on grouping nodes and overlaying motion). Each click positions a node of the skeleton. It is automatically attached to the previously placed node. Clicking on an existing node attaches it to the previous one.
Add flesh to a character.
You may flesh out the character by attaching a one-line drawing to each segment. Click on a segment to select it, then draw. You may replace the line by selecting the segment and drawing again.
Select a set of nodes to animate.
It is often useful to move several nodes as a group. Circle the nodes you would like to animate. Selected nodes turn red. In record mode, click on any node to record motion for the entire selection.
Synchronize times.
This is useful for adjusting the timing of events. Use as follows:
- Press the synchronize times button. Path traces will show up.
- Click on a point on the path of the first boat or character you would like to synchronize.
- Click on a point on the path of the boat or character you would like to synchronize with.
- Speeds are adjusted so that the selected points coincide in time.
Stop, Play, Record, Rewind, Fast-Forward and Time Slider.
These work pretty much like they would on a tape player, but recording does not begin until you click on a boat, and stops automatically when you release.
Zoom and Pan controls.
Delete a boat by right-clicking on it, and selecting Delete from the pop-up menu.
Erase the Future path of a boat by selecting Erase Future from the pop-up menu.
Preview Ghosts attempts to help synchronize the motion of the boats by showing where each boat will be in the next few moments.
Show Trace will show paths tracing each boat's motion through time.
Trace Length slider adjust the time window over which path traces are visible.
In Overwrite mode new motion recorded for skeleton-nodes replaces their previously recorded motion.
In Add to mode new motion is added to the previously recorded motion. This allows you to overlay several tracks of motion. For example, you may first record the flapping of a bird's wings, then select the entire bird structure, and add the flight motion to it. This mode has no effect on boats and characters.
The Description field allows you to enter notes about your animation that will be saved along with it.
Creating an Animation
To create an animation, click on the boat button, and place one or more
boats in their initial locations. To record the motion of a single boat, press the record button, and then click on the boat you want to animate. Drag the boat along the path you would like it to take. Both speed and position are recorded. You can modify a path by rewinding the animation, and re-recording the boat's motion. To record the motion of another boat, rewind and repeat the above process.
See Quick Start for step-by-step instructions.
Saving and Loading files
If the Save and Load buttons are active, you may save your animation, or view animations others have saved. Only the 30 most recent animations are saved, so you will only be able to load your file until it scrolls off the bottom of the list.