Auto-Animate

Intro

Add a variety of animations to Shapes with only a few keyframes.

UI

Animation

Progress Mode - Select the mode:

• Single Progress Control - Use one Progress attribute to control animation for all the options.
• Precise Progress Controls - Use the individual Progress attributes to control the animation for each option independently.

Progress - Use keyframes to control the speed and style of the animation. At 100%, the Shape's animation is complete. By default, keyframes are added for 0% and 100% with Magic Easing applied to the first keyframe.

Position Mode - Select the type of positional animation:

• None - No position animation.
• Slide from Composition Edges - Shapes are positioned to start their animation outside the Composition edges.
• Drift - Animate Shapes from their original position based on a Drift Angle and Distance.
• Zoom - Animate Shapes towards/away from the Viewport.

Direction - Select the side to Slide from Composition Edges to from:

• Left - Animate in from outside the Composition's left edge.
• Right - Animate in from outside the Composition's right edge.
• Top - Animate in from outside the Composition's top edge.
• Bottom - Animate in from outside the Composition's bottom edge.

Drift Angle and Distance - Set an angle and distance for the Drift.

Zoom Distance - Set the distance for the Zoom. Use a negative value to start the Shape away from the Viewport.

Alternate Direction - When the Position Mode is set to Drift and Use Levels is checked, alternate Paths within a sub-mesh such as a Text Shape or a Duplicator will animate from opposite directions.

Rotation Mode - Select the type of rotational animation:

• Spin - Spin the child-meshes 180° around their centres.
• Swing from Left - Rotate the child-meshes 90° from their left edges.
• Swing from Right - Rotate the child-meshes 90° from their right edges.
• Swing from Top - Rotate the child-meshes 90° from their top edges.
• Swing from Bottom - Rotate the child-meshes 90° from their bottom edges.
• Swing from Centre (horizontal) - Rotate the child-meshes 90° around their horizontal centres.
• Swing from Centre (vertical) - Rotate the child-meshes 90° around their vertical centres.

Reverse Rotation Angle - Reverse the direction the child-meshes rotate in.

Zoom - Set the zoom for the imaginary camera creating the 2.5D effect.

Scale Mode - Select the type of scaling animation:

• None - Do not scale.
• Scale Up - Scale child-meshes from 0 to 1.
• Scale Down - Scale child-meshes from 1 to 0.

Scale From - Set where the scale originates from:

• Path Pivot Point - Scale from the child-meshes pivot points.
• Path Centre - Scale from the child-meshes centres.
• Layer Pivot - Scale the child-meshes from their Layer's pivot point.

Opacity Mode - Select the type of opacity animation:

• None - Do not fade.
• Fade Up - Animate the Opacity from 0 to 100.
• Fade Down - Animate the Opacity from 100 to 0.

Visibility Mode - Select the type of visibility animation:

• None - Do not animate visibility.
• Appear - child-meshes start invisible and then appear.
• Disappear - child-meshes start visible and then appear.

Use Levels - When checked, the child-meshes can be affected independently. Use the options in the Timing tab to adjust the animation.

Level Mode - Choose which level(s) of a Mesh to affect.

• Custom... - Manually set a Custom Level Range.
• Text (Lines) - Used with a Text Shape, this will affect each line.
• Text (Words) - Used with a Text Shape, this will affect each word.
• Text (Characters) - Used with a Text Shape, this will affect each character.

info

The Level Mode provides several settings designed to make working with Text easier. For example, the Text (Words) mode sets internal Custom Level Range values of 2, 2. While these settings will affect any words in a Text Shape, the same settings can also be valid for an SVG Shape.

Custom Level - Set the level within the Mesh's hierarchy to affect.

Timing

Time Offset - When checked, each child-mesh will be staggered in time based on the Time Offset. To customise this, uncheck and connect an e.g. Random Behaviour to the Time Offset.

Animation Time Offset - Offset the animation curve on a 'per child-mesh' basis. Use negative values to ensure the first child-mesh starts animating at the same frame as the 0% Progress keyframe.

Timing Mode - Select a mode to determine the animation order of the child-meshes:

• Normal - Animation order is first to last.
• Random - Animation order is random.
• Middle Out - Animation starts in the middle and progresses outward.

Random Seed - When checked and the Timing Mode is Random, shuffle the order each child-mesh is animated in.

Reverse - When checked, reverse the order each child-mesh is animated in.

Group by Parent - When checked, animation is grouped by parent meshes. For example, when used with Text and Levels is set to Character, this has the effect of grouping the animation per word (the word is the parent of the characters). This results in the character animation being grouped by each word.

Parent Timing Mode - Select a mode to determine the animation order of the parent meshes:

• Normal - Animation order is first to last.
• Random - Animation order is random.
• Middle Out - Animation starts in the middle and progresses outward.

Random Seed - When checked and the Parent Timing Mode is Random, shuffle the order each parent mesh is animated in.

Reverse Parent Order - When checked, reverse the order each parent mesh is animated in.

Example

1. Create a Text Shape.
2. Click the Auto-Animate button in the Shelf.
3. Press play.

Note that the Use Levels attribute is automatically checked when using the Shelf to add an Auto-Animate to a sub-mesh (such as a Text Shape).