REV December 13, 2015

ii Anime Studio Pro 11

Users Manual

Contents Freehand44
Draw Shape 47
Delete Edge 50
Welcome1 Magnet51
Blob Brush 52
Chapter 1: Introduction 2
Eraser54
Demo Limitations 2
Point Reduction 56
New and Enhanced Features in Anime Studio 11 2
Scatter Brush 57
System Requirements 6
Perspective Points 58
Activating Anime Studio 7
Shear Points 59
Deactivating Anime Studio 13
Bend Points 60
Getting Started 16
Noise60
Creating a Content Folder 17
Chapter 4: Fill Tools 62
Automatic Update Checking 18
Select Shape 62
Chapter 2: License 19
Create Shape 65
End User License Agreement and Limited Warranty 19
Paint Bucket 68
Anime Studio Tools 31 Delete Shape 72
Line Width 73
Chapter 3: The Draw Tools 32
Hide Edge 74
Select Points 33 Stroke Exposure 75
Transform Points 36 Curve Profile 77
Add Point 40 Working with Fills 80
Curvature43 Color Points 83

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iii Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

Chapter 5: Bone Tools 85 Particle Layers 132

Select Bone 85 Note Layers 135

Add Bone 91 Audio Layers 136

Transform Bone 92 3D Layers 136

Manipulate Bones 95 Patch Layers 137

Sketch Bones 95 Text Layers 140

Reparent Bone 98 Chapter 7: Layer Tools 141

Bone Strength 99 Transform Layer 141
Offset Bone 100 Set Origin 146
Bind Layer 101 Follow Path 146
Bind Points 102 Rotate Layer XY 150
Bone Physics 102 Shear Layer 150
Smart Bones 105 Layer Selector 151
Chapter 6: Layer Types 118 Inserting Text and Word Balloons 152

Layer Types 118 Creating Word Balloons 158

Enhanced Layer Alignment Features 120 Eyedropper158

Vector Layers 121 Chapter 8: Special Tools 160

Image Layers 122 Poser160
Group Layers 123 Particle Layer 162
Group with Selection Layers 124 Crop163
Bone Layers 124 Image Masking 164
Switch Layers 127 Video Tracking 165
Frame by Frame Layers 131
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Chapter 9: Camera and Workspace Tools 176 General Tab 198

Camera Tools 176 Shadows Tab 208

Workspace Tools 178 Motion Blur Tab 213

Masking Tab 214
Anime Studio Windows 181 Vectors Tab 220

Chapter 10: Anime Studio’s Main Window 182 Depth Sort Tab 224
Image Tab 225
Overview182
Audio Tab 229
Working Area 182
Switch Tab 230
Toolbar183
Particles Tab 231
Status Bar 185
3D Options 231
Playback Buttons 185
Note Tab 234
Display Quality 185
Physics Tab 234
Docking and Undocking Windows 187
Chapter 13: Style Window 238
Chapter 11: Layers Window 189
Shapes (Advanced View) 240
Overview189
Fills243
The Layer List 189
Stroke254
Layer Toolbar 192
Applied Styles Drop-Down Menus (26) 265
Using Layer Comps 193
Swatches266
Using Layer Colors 194
Copy, Paste, and Reset Buttons 268
Using Layer Referencing 195
Advanced Window Checkbox (14) 268
Chapter 12: Layer Settings 196
Checker Selection (27) 268
Editing Multiple Layers 196
Chapter 14: The Library Window 270
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The Library Tab 270 Controlling Time 311

Controlling Library Appearance 272 Navigating the Timeline with the Mouse 313
Displaying the Library Window 275 Using Timeline Markers 313
Loading and Managing Items using the Library Icons Choosing an Interpolation Method 314
275 Choosing an Animation Interval 319
Searching the Library 279 Onion Skins 320
Favorites Tab 280 Playing a Partial Segment 322
Importing Library Content 281 Animation Channels 323
Chapter 15: The Character Wizard 282 Hiding and Showing Timeline Channels 326

Using the Character Wizard 282 Working with Keyframes 327

Body Tab 285 Sequencer333

Face Tab 288 Motion Graph 336

Movement Tab 291 Chapter 17: Other Windows 340

Clothing Tab 293 Audio Recording 340
Style Tab 295 Actions Window 341
Designing a Character and Walk Cycle 296
Making Your Character Walk 298
Anime Studio Menus 349
Rotating Your Character 360 Degrees 300 Chapter 18: File Menu 350
Designing Your Own Actions 304 New351
Creating Content for the Character Wizard 306 New from Template 353
Chapter 16: The Timeline Window 309 Open...353
Consolidating Timeline Channels 310 Open Recent 354
Condensing and Expanding the Timeline 311 Close354
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Close All 355 Export POV 393

Save355 Export Styles 394
Save As... 355 Upload to YouTube 394
Save All 355 Upload to Facebook® 394
Revert356 Batch Export... (Anime Studio Pro only) 394
Gather Media 356 Relaunch in (x)-bit Mode 402
Export as Version 9 File 357 Quit402
Export as Version 10 File 358 Chapter 19: Edit Menu 403
Project Settings... 358
Undo403
Import366
Redo403
Real-Time Media Connection 369
Cut, Copy, Paste 403
Poser Integration 370
Paste Relative 404
Import Notes and Tips 372
Clear404
Photoshop Tips 373
Copy Layer 404
Show in Explorer (Windows only) 379
Paste Layer 404
Show in Finder (Mac only) 379
Normalize Layer Scale 404
Refresh Media 379
Reset Layer Scale Normalization 406
Preview379
Select All 406
Preview No Antialiasing 380
Select None 406
Preview Animation 381
Select Inverse 406
Export Animation... 381
Select Connected 406
Export FBX 393
Preferences...406
Export OBJ 393
Using Custom Resource Images 417

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Chapter 20: Draw Menu 420 Flexi-Bind Points 431

Insert Text... 421 Release Layer 431

Snap to Grid 421 Flexi-Bind Layer 431

Reset Line Width 421 Release Layer And Points 431

Random Line Width 421 Use Selected Bones for Flexi-Binding 431

Peak421 Create Smooth Joint for Bone Pair 431

Smooth421 Use All Bones for Flexi-Binding 433

Raise Shape 422 Hide Selected Bones 434

Lower Shape 422 Hide/Show Shy Bones 434

Raise to Front 422 Hide Controlled Bones 434

Lower to Back 422 Show All Bones 434

Trace Image 422 Track Bone to Video 434

Hide Selected Points 428 Make Smart Bone Dial 434

Show All Points 428 Freeze Pose 437

Hide Shape 428 Freeze Selected Bones 437

Show All Shapes 429 Freeze Visible Bones 438

Freeze Points 429 Reset Bone 438

Freeze Selected Points 429 Reset All Bones 438

Freeze Visible Points 429 Chapter 22: Animation Menu 439

Reset Points 429 Allow Frame Skipping 440
Reset All Points 429 Enable Bone Dynamics 440
Chapter 21: Bone Menu 430 Reset All Layer Channels 440

Release Points 431 Consolidate Layer Channels 440

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Set Layer Start Time 441 Tiling454

Align Layer with Camera 441 Visibility454
Select All Keyframes 441 Warp454
Rescale Keyframes... 441 Other Popular Scripts 455
Copy Current Frame... 443 Scripting Documentation 455
Add Keyframe 443 Install Script 455
Clear Animation 444 Chapter 24: View Menu 456
Track Layer to Video 444
Reset457
Nudge Physics Object 444
Zoom In 457
Mute Audio 445
Zoom to Layer 457
Restart Audio Track 445
Zoom to Selection 457
Audio Level 445
Zoom Out 457
Restart Movie 445
Direction457
Chapter 23: Scripts Menu 446 Enable Grid 457
3D446 Grid Settings 457
Camera447 Enable Grid Snapping 458
Draw448 Show 3D Axes 458
Image449 Video Safe Zones 458
Layer Effects 449 Show Rule Of Thirds 458
Particle Effects 450 Show Output Only 458
Script Writing 451 Show Play & View Controls 459
Sound453 Show Timeline Options 459
Text453 Timeline Channels 459

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Enable Onion Skins 459 Blend Morphs 464

Select Tracing Image 459 Layer Settings 466
Show Tracing Image 459 Keyframe466
Show Curves 460 Chapter 26: Help Menu 467
Auto Hide Curves 460
Help467
Fade Unselected Layers 460
Tutorials467
Selected & Active Switch Layer 460
Online Tutorials 467
Design Mode 460
Community Forums 467
Return to Mainline 460
Technical Support 468
FBX Preview Mode 461
Online Video Gallery 468
Stereo462
Download Bonus Content Pack 468
Show Document Tabs 462
Buy Content 468
Chapter 25: Window Menu 463 Check For Updates 468
Tools463 Deactivate License 468
Layers463 License Manager 468
Timeline463 Register Your Product 468
Style463 Welcome Screen 468
Docking463 Edit Keyboard Shortcuts 469
Actions464 Set Custom Content Folder 472
Library464 Open Custom Content Folder 472
Audio Recording 464 About Anime Studio Pro 472
Character Wizard 464 About Scripts 472
Poser Parameters 464

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Appendix473 Import481
Export Formats 482
Appendix A: Product Comparison 474 Upload Features 482
Feature Comparisons 474 Optimization Features 482
Window Menu 475 Appendix B: Technical Support 484
Vector Drawing Features 475
User Manual 484
Vector Modifiers 476
Anime Studio on the Web 484
Fill Features 476
Anime Studio Discussion Forum 484
Fill Modifiers 476
Email Support 484
Bone Features 476
Appendix C: Acknowledgements 485
Layer Features 477
Anime Studio Development Team 485
Layer Modifiers 478
Technology and Content 485
Layer Types 478
Camera Features 478 Appendix D: Anime Studio Shortcuts 488
Workspace Features 478 How to Work Quickly in Anime Studio 488
Timeline Features 479 Menu Shortcuts 488
Action Features 479 Keyboard Shortcuts 489
Style Features 479 Mouse Shortcuts 493
Preferences480 Multi-touch Support 494
Project Settings 480 Appendix E: Media Support 496
Content480 Writing Your Own Presets 497
Scripts480
Appendix F: Command Line Renderer 500
View481
Introduction500
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Usage500
Platform Notes 510

Index511

Contents
1 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

Welcome
This manual includes embedded video files
that help demonstrate features that are more
easily explained in video format. If you receive a
warning about Acrobat not being able to connect
to a flashserver while trying to play the file, please
refer to “Using the Embedded Media Files” on page
1 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual for
instructions on how to disable the warning.


2 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

Chapter 1: Introduction Demo Limitations

If you haven’t purchased a copy of Anime Studio, then
Anime Studio is a complete animation system for creating the program will be running in demo mode. While in demo
2D anime and cartoons. This document is the user’s mode, Anime Studio still allows you access to all features
manual, containing useful information to get you started, of the program. Anything you can do in the full version
as well as a detailed reference to all of Anime Studio’s you can do in the demo. Also, any files you create with
features. the demo version of Anime Studio will still work fine if you
purchase the full version.
If you’re just getting started using Anime Studio, the best
place to begin is with the quick start tutorials, which appear The demo version has just three limitations: First, you can
in “Quick Start” on page 3 in your Anime Studio Tutorial only run the demo version of Anime Studio for 30 days.
Manual. Choose Help > Tutorials to open the manual in PDF Second, you cannot import any external file formats
format. This section will give you a quick overview of how including images and movies. Third, you cannot export
Anime Studio works, and what you can do with it. Even if your animations to other formats (QuickTime, AVI, Flash,
you’ve used Anime Studio in the past, you might want to etc.).
give the tutorials a quick read to see what’s changed in
To purchase Anime Studio, go to http://store.smithmicro.
this version.
com/.
If you’ve been using Anime Studio for a while now, and
you want more information on some specific feature or
interface element, choose the section that interests you New and Enhanced Features in
from the table of contents. Anime Studio 11
Finally, if you’re having a problem that just isn’t answered
in this document, please see “Appendix B: Technical • Frame by Frame Animation: With the new Frame-by-
Support” on page 484. We want to do everything we Frame layer, you can jump into a frame by frame
can to make using Anime Studio a fun and productive workspace. By using new frame controls and onion
experience. skinning, you can create authentic frame by frame

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3 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

animation. For a brief description of this feature, see • Animated Bone Parenting: Bone parenting can now be
“Frame by Frame Layers” on page 131. For a hands- animated. See “Tutorial 3.8: Animated Bone Parenting”
on tutorial, see “Tutorial 5.10: Using Frame by Frame on page 157 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual for
Layers for Animation” on page 225 in your Anime a hands-on tutorial.
Studio Tutorial Manual.
• Tool enhancements: Several enhancements to existing
• Layer Referencing: Layers can be referenced in the tools, such as:
current document as well as in external documents.
ƒƒ Transform Points: New Auto Stroke option. See
See “Using Layer Referencing” on page 195 for an
“Transform Points” on page 36 for more
overview, and see “Layer Referencing” on page 280
information.
in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual for some hands-
on tutorials. ƒƒ Add Point: New Auto Stroke option. See “Add
Point” on page 40 for more information.
• Animated Shape Order: A new option in the Vectors
tab of the Layer Settings dialog allows you to enable ƒƒ Curvature tool: Now allows positive and negative
animated shape ordering. See “Vectors Tab” on value curvatures. See “Curvature” on page 43
page 220 for more information. See “Tutorial 5.11: for more information.
Animated Shape Ordering” on page 233 in your ƒƒ Freehand tool: Improved shape simplification,
Anime Studio Tutorial Manual for a hands on tutorial on Trim Start, Trim End, Merge Strokes, and enhanced
how to use animated shape ordering. Smoothing options. See “Freehand” on page 44
for more information.
• Animated Bone Targets: Bone targets can now be
animated. No longer are you stuck using just one ƒƒ Blob brush: Straight lines are preserved as
target bone. This opens up new animation possibilities. accurately as possible and shapes are preserved
See “Tutorial 3.7: Animated Bone Targets” on page when additional strokes are added with the Blob
155 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual for a hands- brush. Auto Stroke, Point Reduction, Merge Stroke,
on tutorial. and enhanced Smoothing options. See “Blob
Brush” on page 52 for more information.

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ƒƒ Scatter Brush: Fill Color Jitter and Stroke Color Jitter can also be animated. See “Select Bone” on page
options. Scatters animated sample objects (point 85.
positions, curvatures, and line widths). Animation
is automatically cycled. See “Scatter Brush” on • Smart Bone dials: When Smart Bone dials are created,
page 57 for more information. Anime Studio now creates separate actions for positive
and negative rotation directions, thereby preserving
• Color Points Tool: The new Color Points tool allows the neutral position of the bone.
you to select one or more points and assign a color
to them. The fill color will blend between the colors • Group with Selection Layers (Anime Studio Pro only):
assigned to the points. See “Color Points” on page After selecting two or more groups, choose the
83 for more information. Group with Selection layer type to create a group
that contains the selected layer(s). See “Group with
• New Brush Options: New Drift Angle and Merged Alpha Selection Layers” on page 124 for further information.
options in the style window allow you to create brush
strokes that appear more like natural media. See • Normalize Layer Scale: Normalizes stroke widths on
“Stroke Brush Selector (5)” on page 255 for more layers that have been resized. For more information
information. see “Normalize Layer Scale” on page 404 and “Reset
Layer Scale Normalization” on page 406.
• Improved Photoshop (PSD) file support: Anime Studio
will automatically import new layers added to a PSD file • Hide/Show Timeline Channels: The ability to show and
that has been imported by layer. If layers are reordered hide timeline channels through a Timeline Channels
in the original PSD, Anime Studio will maintain its own dialog has been reintroduced. See “Hiding and
layer order, but will still properly reference the PSD Showing Timeline Channels” on page 326 for more
layers. See “Importing Photoshop Files” on page 373 information.
for more information.
• Style names are now referenced internally by a unique
• Bone flipping: The Select Bone tool now includes ID rather than by name. This allows you to have more
options to flip bones by End or by Side. Bone flipping than one style of the same name, and also prevents

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Users Manual

naming collisions when you import styles of the same • Gear script: The Scripts menu now contains a new
name from another document. Gear script in the Draw menu that automatically
generates gear shapes. See “Gear” on page 448 for
• Batch Export window now contains several new more information.
options that are described in detail in “Batch Export...
(Anime Studio Pro only)” on page 394. You can save • 3D Axes: The View menu now contains a command
and apply saved sets of render option configurations, that will toggle the display of the 3D Axes. See “Show
and save and reload export option profiles. This 3D Axes” on page 458 for more information.
configuration support also applies to Export Animation
commands. • Onion Skins: The View menu and an equivalent
timeline toolbar icon allow you to toggle display of
onion skins in the document window. See “Enable
Other New Features Onion Skins” on page 459 for more information.

• New Camera Defaults: Default properties of the • New Document File Format: Anime Studio 11 now uses
camera have been adjusted to simulate a 35mm a JSON-based file format with the .anime extension,
camera. which is the new default file format in Anime Studio 11.
This new file format is further explained in the File menu
• Reorganized Preferences dialog: The Preferences commands. See “Open...” on page 353 for more
dialog has been reorganized, and a new Tools information.
preference category has been added. See
“Preferences...” on page 406. • Support for Anime Studio 5 and Later: Anime Studio
11 supports files created with Anime Studio 5 and
• The File > Preview No Antialiasing command allows later. Support for Anime Studio version 4 files has been
you to generate quick previews of your work. See removed.
“Preview No Antialiasing” on page 380 for more
information. • MotionArtist File Support: MotionArtist files can be
opened in Anime Studio, but cannot be added to the
Batch Export list.
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• Gather with bill of materials: When documents are • Rename library items: You can now rename items you
gathered, a Bill of Materials.txt file is saved with the have added to the library. Factory default items may
project files. It lists all items required in the project. See not be renamed. See “Loading and Managing Items
“Gather Media” on page 356 for more information. using the Library Icons” on page 275.

• The new File > Save All command allows you to save • Save brush variants: You can now save new brush
all opened documents that have unsaved changes. variants in the Brush Settings dialog. See “Stroke Brush
Selector (5)” on page 255 for more information.
• Layer Comps can be renamed in the Layer Settings
dialog. See “Using Layer Comps” on page 193 for • Keyframes in timeline: The timeline now displays pill-
more information. shaped keyframes for switch keys, layer ordering keys,
and keys with hold durations.
• Library display enhancements: The Library now
features a widget that you can expand or contract • Color-coded bezier handles: Bezier handles in the
to configure several library display options. You can timeline graph mode are now colored Red, Green,and
either display your library items in a hierarchical tree or Blue to match colors for X, Y, and Z keyframes. See See
in a separate pane. Other options allow you to choose “Choosing an Interpolation Method” on page 314 for
how thumbnails are displayed, whether or not to view more information.
other information such as metadata or a breadcrumb
path to the selected item or folder. See “Chapter
14: The Library Window” on page 270 for detailed System Requirements
information.

• Library Styles category: The Library now features Windows:

a Styles category, which allows you to save style
documents into the library. For more information, see • Windows® 7, 8, 8.1, 10, or newer
“Adding Items to the Library” on page 277.
• 64-bit OS required for 64-bit installation

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7 Anime Studio Pro 11
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• 1.3 GHz Pentium 4 or newer, Athlon 64 or newer • 1024x768 display (1280x800 recommended)

• 2 GB RAM recommended • DVD-ROM drive (physical version only)

• 1.6 GB (Universal) or 800 MB (32-bit) free hard disk • Internet connection for product activation
space minimum recommended

• OpenGL enabled GPU recommended During installation, the Anime Studio installer
checks to see if a previous installation of the
• 1024x768 display (1280x800 recommended) same installer exists on your system. The installer will
prompt you to uninstall the previous version before
• DVD-ROM drive (physical version only)
continuing (recommended).
• Internet connection for product activation
recommended

• Windows® Internet Explorer® 9 or newer

Activating Anime Studio
After installingAnime Studio, you will need to activate
Macintosh: within a seven day grace period. If you do not activate
Anime Studio during the seven day grace period, it will not
start until activated. You will need to reactivate in order to
• Macintosh® OS X 10.8, 10.9 or 10.10
use the product.
• 64-bit OS required
If you try to run Anime Studio after the seven
• 1.3 GHz Intel Processor or newer day grace period has expired without
activation, the application will not run. You will need
• 2 GB RAM recommended to enter your serial number again when prompted
to activate the application.
• 800 MB free hard drive space minimum

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There are two modes of activation: ƒƒ Buy Now: Opens your web browser to the Smith
Micro online store, where you can purchase a
• If you have installed Anime Studio on a computer licensed copy of Anime Studio.
that has an internet connection, see “Automatic
Activation” on page 8. ƒƒ Insert Serial Number: Click this button to open
the Product Activation screen. Note that serial
• If you have installed Anime Studio on a computer numbers do not contain the letter O, but instead
without an internet connection, see “Manual use the number 0.
Activation” on page 9.
ƒƒ Continue Using Demo: If the trial period has not
been exceeded, click this button to continue using
Automatic Activation Anime Studio in demo mode. The button will be
disabled if the trial period has been exceeded.
If your computer has an Internet connection, Anime Studio
ƒƒ Quit: Click this button to exit the Anime Studio
can be activated as follows.
Demo screen and quit the application.
1. Start Anime Studio. If the program is running in demo
mode you will see the Anime Studio demo dialog, If you do not want to activate Anime Studio
which presents the following options. when the Product Activation screen appears,
click Activate Later.

2. In the Product Activation screen, enter your

Registration Name, Registration Email, and Anime
Studio Serial Number (along with your Previous Serial
Number (if upgrading). Note that serial numbers do not
contain the letter O, but instead use the number 0.
Anime Studio Demo screen.

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Manual Activation
1. Start Anime Studio. If the program is running in demo
mode you will see the Anime Studio demo dialog,
which presents the following options.

Anime Studio Demo screen.

ƒƒ Buy Now: Opens your web browser to the Smith

Micro online store, where you can purchase a
Product Activation screen.
licensed copy of Anime Studio.

3. Check or uncheck other options such as receiving ƒƒ Insert Serial Number: Click this button to open
product announcements or allowing analytics the Product Activation screen. Note that serial
information to be sent to Smith Micro. numbers do not contain the letter O, but instead
use the number 0.
4. Click Activate to activate your copy of Anime Studio.
ƒƒ Continue Using Demo: If the trial period has not
been exceeded, click this button to continue using
Anime Studio in demo mode. The button will be
disabled if the trial period has been exceeded.

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ƒƒ Quit: Click this button to exit the Anime Studio

Demo screen and quit the application.

If you do not want to activate Anime Studio

when the Product Activation screen appears,
click Activate Later.

2. In the Product Activation screen, enter your

Registration Name, Registration Email, and Anime
Studio Serial Number (along with your Previous Serial
Number (if upgrading). Note that serial numbers do not
contain the letter O, but instead use the number 0.

Product Activation screen.

3. Check or uncheck other options such as receiving

product announcements or allowing analytics
information to be sent to Smith Micro.

4. Click Activate to activate your copy of Anime Studio.

If an Internet connection is not detected, a dialog
will prompt you to Try Again (used if you fixed an issue
with an Internet connection that was temporarily
not working); to Activate Later (which will exit the

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11 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

activation process), or to Activate Manually if you

want to proceed with the activation process.

If an Internet connection is not detected, click Activate

Manually.

5. The Manual Product Activation dialog appears. Click

the Create Activation Request button to generate a
text file named Anime Studio Pro_ActivationRequest.txt. Manual Product Activation screen.
This file contains the necessary activation information.
6. Locate a folder and click Save to save the info.

It is recommended that you leave the

Manual Product Activation dialog open while
you generate the activation certificate on a
computer that has an Internet connection.

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12 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

Use the Copy Activation URL button to copy 12. Copy the activation certificate file onto the flash drive,
the activation URL to your clipboard. Then and then copy it back to the computer that doesn’t
create a new text file, and save it to your flash drive have an internet connection.
under a different filename (such as ActivationURL.
txt). You can use this text file to retrieve the URL on 13. In the Manual Activation screen, click the Activate
your other computer. button to select the activation certificate file.

7. Copy the activation request file that you saved in

Step 6 onto a flash drive, so you can transfer it to a
computer that does have an internet connection.
Transfer the files from the flash drive to the hard disk on
a computer with an internet connection.

8. Open your web browser and go to the www.

producturlsupport.com/activation web page.

9. From the Activation page, click the button to activate

Anime Studio.

10. From the Anime Studio Offline Activation page, click

the Choose File button to open the File Upload dialog.
Locate the Activation Request file on your computer’s
Completing manual activation.
flash drive and click Open to return to the Activation
web page.
14. After you return to the Manual Product Activation
11. Click the Submit button on the Activation web page. dialog, click Activate.
An activation_certificate.txt file will be downloaded to
your computer.

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Users Manual

Deactivating Anime Studio 2. A dialog informs you that you are about to deactivate
the license on your current computer.
Activated licenses of Anime Studio can also be
deactivated automatically (see “Automatic Deactivation” ƒƒ Choose Cancel to return to Anime Studio without
on page 13), or manually (see “Manual Deactivation” deactivating:
on page 14). Typical reasons for deactivation include ƒƒ Choose Deactivate to deactivate your license. A
the following: dialog informs you that deactivation has occurred,
and that Anime Studio will shut down.
• If you are planning on upgrading your operating
system, we recommend that you deactivate Anime
Studio before the upgrade.

• If you have exceeded the number of activations per

license (three) you will need to deactivate one of the
installations in order to install and activate it on another
computer.
After you deactivate your license, Anime Studio will
then display a dialog that tells you that your license is
deactivated and that your copy of Anime Studio will shut
down.
Completing automatic deactivation.

Automatic Deactivation
If Anime Studio is installed on a computer that has an
internet connection, proceed as follows:
1. Choose Help > Deactivate License.

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14 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Manual Deactivation 4. The Manual Product Deactivation dialog appears.

Click the Create Deactivation Request button to
If Anime Studio is installed on a computer that does not generate a text file named Anime Studio Pro_
have an internet connection, you will need to use the DeactivationRequest.txt. This file contains the necessary
manual deactivation, as follows: deactivation information.

1. Choose Help > Deactivate License. Anime Studio

reminds you that you will need to reactivate Anime
Studio if you want to use it on the same computer. If
you are sure you want to deactivate. Click Deactivate
to continue.

2. You are again asked to confirm your decision. Click OK

to continue.

3. Anime Studio displays a dialog if it detects that you

are not connected to the Internet. Click Deactivate
Manually to continue.

Create Deactivation Request button.

5. Locate a folder and click Save to save the

deactivation request file.

Click Deactivate Manually to continue.

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15 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Use the Copy Deactivation URL button to computer’s hard drive and click Open to return to the
copy the deactivation URL to your clipboard. Deactivation web page.
Then create a new text file, and save it to your flash
drive under a different filename (such as 10. A small icon appears next to the Choose File button
DeactivationURL.txt). You can use this text file to when the file is uploaded. Click the Submit button
retrieve the URL on your other computer. on the Deactivation web page. You will receive a
message when deactivation is successful.

It is recommended that you leave the 11. Return to the Manual Product Deactivation dialog on
Manual Product Deactivation dialog open the original computer and click Done. Deactivation is
while you complete the process on a computer that complete.
has an Internet connection.

6. Copy the Anime Studio Pro_DeactivationRequest.txt file Activation and Analytics Logging
onto a flash drive, so you can transfer it to a computer
that does have an internet connection. Transfer the Generally, it is not necessary or beneficial to create a
files from the flash drive to the hard disk of a computer verbose log file. This data is beneficial for developers that
that has an internet connection. are trying to diagnose problems. Verbose logging should
only be done when requested by technical support.
7. Open your web browser and go to the www. To send the file to technical support, first launch Anime
producturlsupport.com/deactivation web page. Studio to reproduce the issue. After you quit Anime Studio,
go to the folder that is applicable for your version of Anime
8. From the Deactivation page, click the icon to
Studio. Zip the .log file and send to technical support.
deactivate Anime Studio.
You can enable verbose activation or analytics error
9. From the Anime Studio Deactivation page, click logging by placing a dummy text file named enable
the Choose File button to open the File Upload activation log.txt in the same folder where your
dialog. Locate the Deactivation Request file on your

Chapter 1: Introduction
16 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

activation license data is saved. Remove or rename the When you start Anime Studio, a splash screen presents the
.txt file to disable verbose logging. following options:
Locations are as follows:
• Introductory Tutorial: Opens the Tutorial Manual, which
For Anime Studio Debut: you can also open using the Help > Tutorial Manual
command from the Anime Studio menu.
• Windows: C:\ProgramData\Smith Micro\Anime Studio
Debut\11 • Bonus Content Pack: Opens your Web browser to the
Content Paradise web site, specifically to the Anime
• Mac: /Users/Shared/Library/Application Support/Smith Studio bonus content page. A Content Paradise
Micro/Anime Studio Debut/11/License account and valid Anime Studio serial number are
For Anime Studio Pro: required to add the free content to your shopping cart.
You can also navigate to this page by choosing the
• Windows: C:\ProgramData\Smith Micro\Anime Studio Help > Download Bonus Content Pack command from
Pro\11 the Anime Studio menu.

• Macintosh: /Users/Shared/Library/Application Support/ • Register Your Product: Opens your Web browser to
Smith Micro/Anime Studio Pro/11/License the Smith Micro registration page, where you are
prompted to enter registration information for your
When Anime Studio launches, it will delete any files that
Smith Micro software products. You can also navigate
have a .log extension at these locations. If the folder
to this page by choosing the Help > Register Your
contains an Enable Activation Log.txt file, Anime Studio will
Product command from the Anime Studio menu.
enable verbose logging for the activation/analytics library.
• ContentParadise.com: Opens your Web browser to

Getting Started the Content Paradise home page, where you can
order content for Anime Studio and other Smith Micro
After you install Anime Studio, you might want to familiarize software products. You can also navigate to this page
yourself with the many features contained in the program.

Chapter 1: Introduction
17 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

by choosing the Help > Buy Content command from

the Anime Studio menu.
Creating a Content Folder
When you first start Anime Studio, you will be asked if you
• Don’t Show This Again: Choose this command to
want to create a folder to store your custom content.
prevent the splash screen from opening each time you
After the content folder is created, a hierarchy of folders
start Anime Studio.
appears beneath it. Any content stored in these locations
will appear in the “My ...” folders in the Librarty (such as
“My Characters” in the Characters library and so on. This
allows you to store user-created word balloons, brushes,
and other custom items that you can use in Anime Studio.
The Custom Content folder also serves other important
functions:

• The support files for the Tutorial manual are found in

the Custom Content Tutorials folders.

• Autosave information and files are stored in the

Autosave subfolder. If you do not create a custom
content folder, autosave information will not be stored.

• If you open a file in Anime Studio that contains a

reference to a project file that is not found in its
original location, Anime Studio will look in your Custom
Splash Screen
Content location to try to find a file of the same name
in its Shared Resources folder, or one of its subfolders.
These folders must exist at launch, or when the Custom
Content folder is included in your search paths. If there

Chapter 1: Introduction
18 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

are multiple files of the same name in your Shared If you choose to never show the dialog that
Resources folder or subfolder, Anime Studio will match prompts you to create a content folder, you
against the first one it finds. can choose the Help > Set Custom Content Folder
command at any time to specify a content folder
When Anime Studio prompts you to create a custom
location.
content folder, the choices are as follows:

When the User Content folder is created or

updated, Anime Studio appends the version
number of the application to the name of the
Readme folder.

Choosing a content folder.

Automatic Update Checking
If you want to configure Anime Studio to automatically
• Choose: Select this option to browse to the folder that check for updates, you can open the Preferences dialog,
you want to use for your Anime Studio content. After and check the Automatically check for updates option in
you select/create the folder, choose OK. the General tab. To manually check for updates, choose
the Help > Check for Updates command.
• Not Now: Choose this option if you want to set up the
folder at a later time. You will be prompted with this
dialog the next time you start Anime Studio.

• Never: Choose this option if you do not want to set up

a folder, and no longer want to receive this prompt
when you start Anime Studio.

Chapter 1: Introduction
19 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

Chapter 2: License 1. General

You agree to use the Software, Documentation and
Anime Studio Pro 11 Content only for lawful purposes. Any use of the Software,
Documentation or Content other than as granted in
this EULA must be by SMSI’s prior written consent. SMSI
End User License Agreement and maintains an ongoing EULA enforcement program.

Limited Warranty Violation of any provision of this EULA automatically

terminates this EULA. SMSI reserves all other rights that it
PLEASE READ THIS END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT (“EULA”) may have for violation of this EULA.
CAREFULLY BEFORE INSTALLING AND USING THE SOFTWARE.
BY CLICKING THE “AGREE” BUTTON WHEN INSTALLING THE
2. Definition
SOFTWARE, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY THE
TERMS OF THIS EULA. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS “Content” means animations, characters, clothing, faces,
OF THIS EULA, CLICK ON THE “DISAGREE” BUTTON. IF YOU hair, geometries, images, documentation, materials,
DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS EULA, YOU MAY NOT meshes, morphs, motion files, props, scripts, textures, bump
USE OR ACCESS THE SOFTWARE. USING OR ACCESSING maps, transparencies, and similar files and data created or
ANY PART OF THE SOFTWARE INDICATES THAT YOU AGREE modified with the intent of being used within the Software
TO THE TERMS OF THIS EULA. and/or third party applications.
This EULA is between you (both the individual installing the “Documentation” means all written material in any form
Software and any single legal entity on behalf of which for installation and use of the Software provided by or
such individual is acting) (“you” or “your”) and Smith made available by SMSI, or its authorized representatives
Micro Software, Inc. and/or its affiliates (collectively or or agents.
individually, “SMSI”).
“Legitimate Uses” means (a) creating tutorials, books, or
other educational materials using images of the Software
interface or Content for sale, distribution, public display, or

Chapter 2: License
20 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

public performance, provided such materials are intended Restricted Content may only be used exclusively on one (1)
to educate users as to use of the Software; (b) creating computer.
original Content for sale, distribution, public display, or
“Software” means the SMSI computer software and
public performance; (c) creating materials for use with
associated files (e.g. Content) delivered via the
either Restricted Content or Other Content; (d) creating
accompanying physical media or electronic media.
rendered animations or rendered still images based
“Software” means to also include any upgrades, updates,
on Restricted Content contained with the “Character
bug fixes or modified versions or backup copies of the
Wizard” feature of the Software; or (e) creating characters
Software supplied to you by SMSI or an SMSI authorized
or props based on Restricted Content in proprietary file
representative or agent (whether or not for a fee).
formats (meaning, MOHO, ANME and any subsequent/
“Software” does not include TPS (defined below).
compressed formats), where the original (or modified) art,
texture or other Restricted Content files are not distributed “Unrestricted Content” means Content included with
with such characters or props. or part of the Software that is specifically identified in
the Documentation or listed in this EULA as Unrestricted
“Other Content” means Content that is not Restricted
Content. This version of the Software contains no
Content or Unrestricted Content. Other Content may be
Unrestricted Content.
subject to license terms imposed by the Other Content’s
original creator.
“Restricted Content” means all Content included with
3. Software License
or part of the Software that is not Unrestricted content,
A) Subject to the terms and conditions of this EULA and
including without limitation mesh objects (geometry) in any
your payment of the applicable license fee, SMSI grants
format, files in proprietary file formats (meaning, MOHO,
you a limited, personal, nontransferable and non-exclusive
ANME, and any subsequent/compressed formats), images,
license (without right to sublicense): (i) to use a single
materials, texture, transparency maps, Documentation,
copy of the Software (except as expressly permitted in the
vector-based content, and SMSI’s proprietary data. Except
Documentation) solely for your own internal use on a single
as otherwise expressly permitted by this EULA, Restricted
computer (as set forth in Subsection E below of this Section
Content extracted or exported from the Software remains
3) either loaded in the temporary memory (i.e., RAM) of
Restricted Content. Except as authorized in this EULA,
Chapter 2: License
21 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

a computer, or installed on the permanent memory of made available to you by SMSI, whether distributed on
a computer (e.g., hard disk and compact disk) or, on a floppy disk, compact disk, or in an electronic format via
temporary basis, on a backup system if such equipment download, BBS, forum, FTP, e-mail, etc.
is inoperative, consistent with the limitations specified or
C) The Software (not including the media on which
referenced in this EULA and the Documentation; (ii) to use
the Software may be provided) is licensed to you,
the Documentation provided with the Software in support
not sold. You expressly acknowledge that SMSI, Lost
of your authorized use of the Software; and (iii) to copy the
Marble, Inc., and/or their respective licensor(s) have a
Software to make one (1) archival copy of the Software
valuable proprietary interest in both the Software and the
for your personal archival or backup purposes, and to
Documentation. All title, ownership, interest and rights in
make sufficient number of copies for Legitimate Uses or the
and to the patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret and
intended use described in the Documentation, provided
any other intellectual property rights in the Software (and
that all titles and trademark, copyright and restricted rights
any derivative works thereof) and the Documentation
notices are reproduced on all such copies. Any other uses
(and any derivative works thereof) not expressly granted
of the Software, including without limitation the Software
to you by this EULA remain with SMSI, Lost Marble, Inc.
interface, other than those granted in this EULA must be
and/or their respective licensor(s). You do not acquire
expressly pre-approved by SMSI in writing. The terms of
any other rights, express or implied, in the Software (and
this EULA will govern any upgrades and updates, unless
any derivative works thereof) and the Documentation
accompanied by a separate license, in which case, the
(and any derivative works thereof) other than those rights
terms of that separate license agreement will govern
expressly granted under this EULA. Without limiting the
accordingly.
generality of the foregoing, SMSI, Lost Marble, Inc. and/or
B) The Software is protected by copyright and other their respective licensor(s) retain all title, ownership, interest
intellectual property laws and international treaties. As an and rights in and to the patent, copyright, trademark,
express condition of this EULA, you must reproduce on the trade secret and any other intellectual property rights
backup copy the SMSI copyright notice in the following in the copy of the Software contained on your archival
format: “Copyright (C) 2004-2015 Smith Micro Software, media, and all of the terms of this EULA apply to such
Inc. All Rights Reserved.” This express condition extends archival copy as if it were the original SMSI-produced copy
to any further updates, software patches, or bug fixes

Chapter 2: License
22 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

of the Software that was furnished to you when you paid 4. Restrictions
the licensing fee.
A) You will not, and will not permit any third party to,
D) Portions of the Software include third party software
use, copy, modify, derive, or transfer the Software or
and other copyrighted material (collectively, “TPS”).
Documentation, or any copy, modification, derivation,
Acknowledgements, licensing terms, restrictions and
or merged portion thereof, in whole or in part via any
disclaimers of such TPS are contained in the “About Box” of
means or for any purpose whatsoever except as expressly
the Software and your use of such TPS is governed by such
permitted in this EULA or the Documentation. You will
respective terms. Any terms of this EULA that differs from
not, and will not permit any third party to, modify, adapt,
the terms of any TPS are offered by SMSI alone, and not by
translate, rent, lease, loan, resell for profit, or create
any other licensor.
derivative works based upon the Software or any part
E) Except as otherwise expressly permitted in the thereof. The Software contains trade secrets in its human
Documentation, you will only use the Software on a single readable form and, to protect them, you will not, and will
computer at any given time, meaning that you must treat not permit any third party to, reverse engineer, decompile,
the Software “like a book.” “Like a book” means that the disassemble, or otherwise reduce the Software to any
Software may be used by any number of people and may human readable form without the express prior written
be installed and activated on up to three (3) computers consent of SMSI or except to the extent expressly permitted
so long as no possibility exists of the Software being used at by applicable law. You will not relicense, sublicense,
more than one (1) computer at any given time. More than rent, lease, or lend the Software for third-party training,
one person at a time cannot read the same copy of a commercial time-sharing or service bureau use. You will
book, and this restriction applies to the Software. not, and will not permit any third party to, debug, bypass,
F) The licenses granted in this EULA do not allow you to circumvent or defeat any security features of, or interfere
use the Software on a computer that you do not own or with the normal functionality and operation of the Software
control, and you may not distribute or make the Software for any reason whatsoever without the express prior written
available over a network where it could be used by consent of SMSI or except to the extent expressly permitted
multiple computers or devices at the same time. by applicable law. If the Software is an upgrade to a
previous version of the Software, you must possess and

Chapter 2: License
23 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

maintain a valid license to such previous version in order to which is intended to compete with the Restricted
use the upgrade. Content.
B) You, your employees, and/or authorized agents must 2) To prepare derivative works based upon the
protect the Software’s confidentiality and act to enforce Restricted Content solely for Legitimate Uses and lawful
your obligations under this EULA. You cannot distribute or uses.
otherwise make the Software or Documentation available
to any third party via any means whatsoever, public 3) To reproduce, prepare derivative works based
or private, for any purpose, commercial or not, unless upon, distribute, publicly display, and publicly perform
explicitly allowed by this EULA. content you create using Restricted Content, provided
that such use of Restricted Content shall be solely for
C) You assume full responsibility for your selection of the
Legitimate Uses and lawful uses.
Software to achieve your intended results and for the
installation, use, and results you obtain from the Software. B) Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing shall limit SMSI’s
SMSI has no obligation to provide support, maintenance, right to independently create, develop, own, market,
upgrades, modifications or new releases under this EULA. distribute, license, sublicense, import, export, sell, or
otherwise exploit any content or materials similar to any
derivative works based upon the Content.
5. Content License
C) Other Content included with the Software and
A) Subject to the terms and conditions of this EULA and Documentation is subject to third-party rights and
your payment of the license fee, SMSI grants you a limited, is copyrighted and owned by the Other Content’s
personal, nontransferable and non-exclusive license original creator(s). You may use the Other Content in
(without the right to sublicense): accordance with all applicable license terms imposed
by the Other Content’s original creator(s). SMSI makes no
1) To reproduce, prepare derivative works based representations as to the quality, suitability, functionality,
upon, distribute, publicly display and publicly perform or legality of the Other Content and you hereby waive
the Unrestricted Content for any lawful purpose any claim you might have against SMSI with respect to the
other than to create a product which is intended to Other Content.
compete with the Software or to create new content
Chapter 2: License
24 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

D) You will not, and will not permit any third party to, use, SMSI is pleased to offer site licenses (“Site License”) for
copy, modify, derive, sell, distribute, transfer or sublicense multiple simultaneous users. Please contact SMSI at the
the Restricted Content, the Unrestricted Content, or the address below for details. If you purchased a Site License,
Other Content or any copy, modification, derivation, or you may distribute the Restricted Content between all
portion thereof, in whole or in part via any means or for any computers containing valid copies of the Software, other
purpose whatsoever, except as expressly permitted in this SMSI products, and/or other software able to process
EULA or the Documentation. Restricted Content.
E) You expressly acknowledge that SMSI, Lost Marble,
Inc. and/or their respective licensor(s) have a valuable 6. Collection and Use of Your
proprietary interest in the Restricted Content and the
Information
Unrestricted Content. All title, ownership, interest and
rights in and to the patent, copyright, trademark, trade A) Activation of the Software is REQUIRED in order to use
secret and any other intellectual property rights in the the Software. You must have a valid serial number in order
Restricted Content (and any derivative works thereof) to complete the activation process of the Software. Upon
and the Unrestricted Content (and any derivative works your first installation of the Software, you will be prompted
thereof) not expressly granted to you by this EULA remain to activate the Software, and the Software will attempt to
with SMSI, Lost Marble, Inc. and their respective licensor(s). automatically connect to the Internet. Please be sure you
You do not acquire any other rights, express or implied, in have an Internet connection when initially installing the
the Restricted Content (and any derivative works thereof) Software in order to activate the Software. The Software
and the Unrestricted Content (and any derivative works includes instructions regarding activation if you are not
thereof) other than those rights expressly granted under this connected to (or unable to connect to) the Internet
EULA. when attempting to complete the activation process of
F) Except as otherwise expressly permitted in the the Software. To complete the activation process, you
Documentation or unless otherwise provided for herein, will need to provide your name, valid e-mail address and
you will only use the Content on up to one (1) computer at applicable valid serial number for activating the Software.
any given time (the same as the Software license allows),
meaning that you must treat the Content “like a book.”
Chapter 2: License
25 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

B) As part of the activation process you will have the acceptance of the terms of the SMSI Privacy Policy,
option to “opt-in” to receive product announcements so please review the policy carefully and check our
and offers from SMSI. In addition, as part of the activation website at the following URL to review updates: http://
process, you will have the option to “opt-in” to participate www.smithmicro.com/. Further, if you are located in the
in SMSI’s efforts to improve the usability, experience, European Economic Area (EEA), your use of the Software
functionality and performance of its products and services. constitutes consent by you to SMSI’s and/or its affiliates’to
Your participation to allow SMSI to collect such usage the transfer of such information to a location outside the
statistics is voluntary. And, you may “opt out” at any time. EEA.
If you choose to participate, SMSI may collect and use
certain information related to the Software and your use
of the Software that include information about: (i) your
7. Term; Termination
computer, such as Operation System, screen resolution,
A) This EULA remains in full force and effect until
RAM capacity, CPU frequency, number of monitors; (ii)
terminated. You may terminate this EULA at any time
data about the Software, such as abnormal terminations,
by returning or destroying both the Software and
number of runs, program version; and (iii) information
Documentation, together with all copies, modifications,
about separate feature usage, such as menu options or
and merged portions of the Software and the
buttons selected. The information described in (i) – (iii)
Documentation in any form. SMSI is in no way obliged to
above will be combined and utilized in an anonymous
issue refunds. SMSI may terminate this EULA at any time
manner to help SMSI’s efforts as noted above. If you
upon your breach of any of the provisions hereof.
are not comfortable sharing the foregoing described
information, please choose not to participate. B) Upon termination, you will immediately cease all use of
the Software, and you must return or destroy the Software,
C) SMSI is very concerned with the privacy and security
Documentation, and all copies, modifications, and
of the information end users provide as part of the
merged portions of the Software and the Documentation
registration, activation and opt-in processes described
in any form and certify in writing your compliance of this
above. Any information collected described above
paragraph to SMSI. Termination of this EULA for any reason
is done and utilized in accordance with SMSI’s Privacy
in no way limits SMSI’s right to continue enforcing all rights
Policy. Your election to use the Software indicates your
provided by law and does not entitle you to a refund of
Chapter 2: License
26 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

your license fees, except as provided herein. All provisions workmanship under normal use for a period of ninety (90)
of this EULA that protect SMSI’s proprietary rights continue in days from the date of original purchase. Your exclusive
full force and effect after termination. remedy and SMSI’s entire liability under this limited warranty
will be for SMSI, at its option, to replace the Software media
or refund the purchase price of such Software media.
8. Export Law Assurances This limited warranty is offered solely by SMSI and does
not apply to any third party product, software, content
Export and re-export of this Software and Documentation
or service offerings. THE ABOVE WARRANTIES ON MEDIA
is governed by the laws, restrictions and regulations of
ARE EXCLUSIVE AND IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES,
the United States and applicable export and import laws,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SMSI EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL
restrictions and regulations of certain other countries
OTHER WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY
(collectively, “Export Laws”). You will comply with all such
IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY
Export Laws. Export or re-export of this Software and/or
QUALITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-
Documentation (including any direct product thereof)
INFRINGEMENT.
to any entity on the Denied Parties List and other lists
promulgated by various agencies of the United States B) TO THE EXTENT NOT PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW,
Federal Government is strictly prohibited. In addition, if the THE SOFTWARE, RESTRICTED CONTENT, UNRESTRICTED
Software is identified as an export controlled item under the CONTENT, AND DOCUMENTATION ARE LICENSED TO YOU
Export Laws, you represent and warrant that you are not “AS IS” WITH ALL FAULTS, WITHOUT WARRANTY, CONDITION
a citizen of, or located within, an embargoed or otherwise OR REPRESENTATION, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, OF ANY KIND,
restricted nation (e.g., Iran, Syria, Sudan, Cuba and North INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, MERCHANTABILITY,
Korea) and that you are not otherwise prohibited under the PERFORMANCE, SECURITY, SATISFACTORY QUALITY, NON-
Export Laws from receiving the Software. INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS, OR FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

9. Limited Warranty and Disclaimer C) YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE SOFTWARE MAY NOT
(I) SATISFY ALL YOUR REQUIREMENTS, (II) BE FREE FROM
A) SMSI warrants that any media on which the Software DEFECTS, OR (III) OPERATE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION OR
may be provided will be free from defects in materials and ERRORS. IN ADDITION, DUE TO CONTINUAL DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 2: License
27 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

OF NEW TECHNIQUES FOR INTRUDING UPON AND PROFIT, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF DATA AND/
ATTACKING NETWORKS, SMSI DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE OR BUSINESS INFORMATION, AND THE LIKE), WHETHER
SOFTWARE WILL BE FREE OF VULNERABILITY TO INTRUSION FORESEEABLE OR UNFORESEEABLE, ARISING OUT OF THE USE
OR ATTACK. OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE OR DOCUMENTATION,
REGARDLESS OF THE BASIS OF THE CLAIM, EVEN IF SMSI HAS
D) THE FOREGOING LIMITED WARRANTY IS NEITHER A
BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR
SERVICE NOR A SUPPORT CONTRACT. NO ORAL OR
FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY. IN NO EVENT WILL
WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY SMSI, ITS
SMSI’S AGGREGATE LIABILITY (OR THAT OF ITS DEVELOPERS,
EMPLOYEES, DISTRIBUTORS, DEALERS, REPRESENTATIVES
SUPPLIERS, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, OR
OR AGENTS SHALL INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THE ABOVE
SUBSIDIARIES OR AFFILIATES), UNDER OR IN CONNECTION
WARRANTIES OR CREATE ANY NEW WARRANTIES. YOU
WITH THIS EULA, EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU FOR
MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL WARRANTY RIGHTS UNDER LAW
THE SOFTWARE, IF ANY. THIS LIMITATION WILL APPLY EVEN IN
WHICH MAY NOT BE WAIVED OR DISCLAIMED. SMSI DOES
THE EVENT OF A FUNDAMENTAL OR MATERIAL BREACH OR
NOT SEEK TO LIMIT YOUR WARRANTY RIGHTS TO ANY EXTENT
A BREACH OF THE FUNDAMENTAL OR MATERIAL TERMS OF
NOT PERMITTED BY LAW. This Section 9 and Section 10,
THIS EULA.
below, shall survive any termination of this EULA, howsoever
caused, but this will not imply or create any continued right B) The above limitations will apply even if any warranty
to use the Software after termination of this EULA. or remedy provided under this EULA fails of its essential
purpose. The above limitations will not apply in case of
personal injury (including death) only where and to the
10. Disclaimer of Liabilities extent that applicable law requires such liability. Because
some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation
A) EXCEPT FOR THE EXCLUSIVE REMEDY OFFERED BY SMSI
of implied warranties or liabilities for consequential or
ABOVE AND REMEDIES THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR
incidental damages, the above limitations may not apply
LIMITED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL SMSI
to you.
OR ITS DEVELOPERS, SUPPLIERS, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS,
EMPLOYEES, OR SUBSIDIARIES OR AFFILIATES BE LIABLE TO
YOU FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR INDIRECT
DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS
Chapter 2: License
28 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

11. Indemnification 13. Applicable Law

You will indemnify and hold harmless, and at SMSI’s request This EULA shall be governed by the laws of the State of
defend, SMSI and its affiliates, successors and assigns California, without giving effect to any choice of law
from and against any and all claims, losses, liabilities, principles. This EULA will not be governed by the United
damages, settlements, expenses and costs (including, Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sales
without limitation, attorneys’ fees and court costs) which of Goods, the application of which is expressly excluded.
arise out of or relate to any third party claim or threat Exclusive jurisdiction over and venue of any suit arising out
thereof that your use of the Software, Documentation or of or relating to this EULA will be in the state and federal
Content is unlawful or not otherwise permitted by this EULA. courts of Orange County, California. If for any reason
SMSI reserves the right, at its own expense, to assume the a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision,
exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise or portion thereof, to be invalid or unenforceable, the
subject to indemnification hereunder. remainder of this EULA shall continue in full force and
effect. The waiver by either party of any default or breach
of this EULA will not constitute a waiver of any other or
12. U.S. Government Restricted Rights subsequent default or breach. You may not assign,
The Software and Documentation are provided with sell, transfer, delegate or otherwise dispose of, whether
RESTRICTED RIGHTS. The use, duplication, or disclosure by voluntarily or involuntarily, by operation of law or otherwise,
the United States Government is subject to restrictions as this EULA or any rights or obligations under this EULA without
set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical SMSI’s prior written consent. Any purported assignment,
Data and Computer Software Clause at DFARS 252.227- transfer or delegation by you will be null and void. This
7013 or subparagraph (c)(1) and (2) of the Commercial EULA constitutes the entire agreement between the parties
Computer Software Restricted Rights at 48 CFR 52.227-19, and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous agreements
as applicable. The Manufacturer is Smith Micro Software, or representations, written or oral, concerning the subject
Inc., 51 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 USA. matter of this EULA.

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29 Anime Studio Pro 11
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14. Other Services and Materials shall not have any liability to you for content that may be
found to be offensive, indecent, or objectionable; hateful
This Software may enable access to SMSI and/or third threatening or pornographic; incites violence; or contains
party services and websites (individually and collectively nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence.
referred to as “Services”). This EULA does not apply to any
Services. You acknowledge and agree that nothing in
this EULA guarantees availability or continued availability
15. Contact Information
or uptime of any Services. SMSI has no control over any If you have questions concerning this EULA or need
third party Services. Any terms, conditions, privacy policies, to contact Customer Service, please contact SMSI at
warranties, or representations associated with any third this address: Smith Micro Software, Inc., Productivity
party Services are solely between you and such third party. & Graphics, 51 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 USA;
SMSI makes no representations or warranties as to the Customer Service (returns, warranty): service@smithmicro.
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Chapter 2: License
30 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

trademarks (e.g., a pending trademark application), the

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Further, any reference to any third party commercial
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recommendation or favoring by SMSI or any of its suppliers/
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Version: 20150518-AnimeStudio/AnimeStudio

Chapter 2: License
31 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

Anime Studio
Tools

Chapter 2: License
32 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

Chapter 3: The Draw Click the tool icon in the properties bar to
display a submenu. Choose Reset Tool to

Tools reset the current tool to its default settings. Choose

Reset All Tools to reset all tools to their default
settings.
Draw tools are used to draw and modify vector artwork.
The following tools are available when you’re working with
a vector layer. Most of these tools are used by selecting
them from the toolbar then clicking and dragging in the
working area of the main window - a few are used simply
by clicking on them, and this is noted below. If you hold the
Reset tool options.
mouse over a tool, a tooltip will appear with the name of
the tool if you need a quick reminder. Also, most tools have
When drawing with the draw tools, you can manually
a shortcut key that can be used to activate them. If a tool
choose to use legacy curves (such as those used in Anime
has such a shortcut, this will show up in the tooltip as well.
Studio 6 and earlier) in the Layer Settings dialog. Select the
If a tool has the following symbol next to it: , then it can layer you want to change in the Layers window, and open
be used for animation - using the tool at different frames the Layer Settings dialog to the Vectors tab. Check the
in the timeline will cause the object you adjust to change Legacy Curves option to use the old method of rendering
over time. curves.

Anime Studio has a smart tool palette, which

shows and hides tools based on their need.
The position of the tool shown in the screenshots may
differ, depending on the selected layer in the Layers
palette, and the current time in the timeline.

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Normal curves (left) vs Legacy curves (right).

Select Points
Shortcut: G

You can choose legacy curves for compatibility with older

scenes created in Anime Studio 6 and earlier.

Select Points

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Select Points Tool Options • Simplify: Click the Simplify Curve button to reduce the
number of unnecessary points in a curved shape.

• Lasso Mode: When checked, allows you to draw a

lasso around the points you want to select. When
unchecked, selects a rectangular area.
Select Points options
• Flip Horizontally: Click this button to flip horizontally.
• Select Group: Used to select a group that was
• Flip Vertically: Click this button to flip vertically.
previously created with the Select Points tool.

• Text Field: Assigns a name to the currently selected Using the Select Points Tool
group of points.
Many of the following tools work only on the currently
• Create: Creates a group from the selected points. selected points. This is the tool you use to select/de-select
points. This tool can be used in a few different ways.
• Delete: Deletes the currently selected group from the
selection list. The most basic way to select points is to drag a rectangle
around them. Also, using this tool you can click on a single
point to select it. The third method of selection is to click
on a curve to select the entire curve. Finally, clicking on
a filled-in area will select an entire object. Each of these
Select Points options selection methods is illustrated below:

• Weld Crossings: Click the Weld Crossings button to

weld points or curves together at points where they
cross.

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Different methods of point selection (SWF file)

Modifier keys:
Selection methods

• By holding the Shift key, you can add to a selection.

Below is a short movie clip showing the different ways to Otherwise, you will always start a new selection when
select points using the Select Points tool. using this tool.

• Holding the Alt key will remove from the selection.

• If you hold down the Ctrl key (Windows) or Cmd key

(Mac), this tool will work in lasso style. (You can also
activate lasso style selection by turning on Lasso mode
in the tool options area.)
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Users Manual

The selection commands in the Edit menu are also very

useful for managing selections. These are described in
“Chapter 19: Edit Menu” on page 403.
The currently selected points may be deleted by pressing
the Delete or Backspace keys.

Transform Points
Shortcut: T
Transform Points
The Transform Points tool is used to move, scale, or
rotate a group of selected points. It operates only on
the currently selected points, unless fewer than two points
are selected - then it operates on the nearest point to General Options
where you clicked.
The following options appear in the left portion of the
It’s important to note that this tool, like most of the Anime options toolbar when the Transform Points tool is selected:
Studio drawing tools, modifies points, not curves. If you
select all the points in an object and use this tool, the entire
object will move, scale, or rotate. However, if you only
select some of the points, then you’ll end up distorting the
object (which can be very useful). Transform Tool general options

• Select Group: Used to select a group that was

previously created with the Select Points tool.

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• Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its Translating Points

default value. If pressed at any other frame, resets the
layer to the value or values set at frame 0. The following toolbar options are associated with
translating points:
The following options appear in the right portion of the
options toolbar when the Transform Points tool is selected:

Transform Points options for translating

Transform Tool general options

• Position X: Allows you to numerically enter a value for
the X coordinate.
• Auto Weld: When checked, automatically welds a
new point to an existing point. The existing point is • Position Y: Allows you to numerically enter a value for
highlighted when the mouse hovers over a point that the Y coordinate.
can be welded.
In the pictures below, the selected points are highlighted in
• Auto Fill: When checked, automatically fills a closed red. Notice the effect of using the Transform Points tool on
shape when you create it. these points.

• Auto Stroke: When checked, automatically creates a • To constrain vertically or horizontally: Hold the Shift key
stroke around the shape that you create. Uncheck this while dragging the selected points left, right, up, or
option to create a shape that has no outline. down.

• Flip Horizontally: Click this button to flip horizontally. • To nudge: You can nudge the selected point(s)
by small increments by holding down the Ctrl key
• Flip Vertically: Click this button to flip vertically. (Windows) or Cmd key (Mac) and pressing the arrow
keys. Hold down Shift in addition to Ctrl/Cmd to nudge
the point(s) by a greater increment.
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Top circle fully selected. Bottom circle partially selected After translation

• To weld points: The steps differ depending on whether

the Auto Weld option in the toolbar is enabled or
disabled:

ƒƒ When Auto Weld is off: To weld two points together,

use the Transform Points tool to drag one point on
top of another (you must drag just one point to
weld, not a group of points). While dragging the
Chapter 3: The Draw Tools
39 Anime Studio Pro 11
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first point on top of the second, press the spacebar Scaling Points
to weld them together into one point.
The Transform Points tool also allows you to scale the
ƒƒ When Auto Weld is on: Anime Studio can
currently selected group of points. Two or more points must
automatically weld points for you. Only the
be selected. Scaling is proportional by default. To perform
endpoint of a curve can be automatically welded.
non-proportional scaling, press the Shift key while you scale
To automatically weld the endpoint of a curve,
the object. Scaling is relative to the opposite side, verses
just drag it on top of another point and let go of
relative to the center.
the mouse. Below is a movie demonstrating auto-
welding. After dragging each endpoint into place, The following toolbar options are associated with scaling
it becomes welded to the existing point, and the points:
two can be moved around

Transform Points options for scaling

• Scale X: Allows you to enter a numeric value for

scaling along the X axis.

• Scale Y: Allows you to enter a numeric value for scaling

along the Y axis.
When this tool is active, a red box will appear around the
currently selected group of points. The handles around
Using Transform Points and auto-weld (SWF file) the edges of this box allow you to resize the points. Drag
a corner handle in and out to scale the points while
maintaining their proportions. Drag one of the side handles

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40 Anime Studio Pro 11
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to change the horizontal scale, or the top or bottom using the Transform Points tool will constrain the rotation to
handle to change the vertical scale. 45 degree increments.
If you hold the Alt key while dragging a side handle,
Anime Studio will resize the selected points in such a way
to maintain the overall volume of the object - this can be
Add Point
useful for squash and stretch. Shortcut: A
The Add Point tool is what you use to draw most curves in
Rotating Points Anime Studio. Just click and drag in the working area of
the main window to create a new curve segment. There
The Transform Points tool can also rotate the currently are four variations to using the Add Point tool - they differ in
selected group of points. Two or more points must be where the original click takes place.
selected to use this tool. The following toolbar options are
associated with rotating the selected points:

Transform Points options for rotating.

• Angle: Allows you to enter a numerical value for

rotation. Add Point

Click near the outer boundary of the selected group

The first way to use this tool is to click in empty space and
of points. Next, drag the mouse in a circle around the
drag - this will start a new curve.
selection to rotate the points. Holding the Shift key while

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41 Anime Studio Pro 11
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The second technique is to click on the end of an existing The Add Point tool can also be used to weld two points.
curve to add another segment to that curve. Click and drag in one of the ways described above to add
a new point.
Third, click on a curve segment to add a point there, then
drag it to the final desired position. Drag the new point on top of an existing point. If Auto
Weld is enabled the new point will weld to the existing
Finally, click on a curve midpoint to add a new branching
point. If Auto Weld is off, press the spacebar before
curve that is welded to the existing point. Each of these
releasing the mouse. An example is shown below. (This
uses of the Add Point tool is shown below.
works just like the Transform Points tool, above. Read about
that tool for more details on welding.)

Uses of the Add Point tool

Closing a curve

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42 Anime Studio Pro 11
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To prevent the Add Point tool from adding on to an existing Add Point Tool Options
curve regardless of where you click, hold the Alt key to
force the tool to start a new line segment.
The movie below demonstrates the Add Point tool. Notice
how clicking on different parts of an existing curve causes
the new point to be added in different ways. Add Point Options

• Select Group: Used to select a group that was

previously created with the Select Points tool.

• Auto Weld: When checked, automatically welds a

new point to an existing point. The existing point is
highlighted when the mouse hovers over a point that
can be welded.

• Auto Fill: When checked, automatically fills a closed

shape when you create it.

• Auto Stroke: When checked, automatically creates a

Using the Add Point tool (SWF file)
stroke around the shape that you create. Uncheck this
option to create a shape that has no outline.

• Sharp corners: When checked, creates sharp corners

when changing the angle of a line. When unchecked,
creates smooth transitions when changing the angle

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43 Anime Studio Pro 11
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If you hold down the Command key (Mac) or

Ctrl key (Windows) while you add a new
point, it will reverse the Sharp Corners option that
you have selected in the Options toolbar. This allows
you to change between peaked and smoothed
points without interrupting your workflow.

Curvature
Shortcut: C Curvature

This tool works on the currently selected points, or on

the nearest point if less than two points are selected.
It adjusts the level of smoothness of the curves passing Curvature Tool Options
through the selected points. Drag to the left to make the
curves less smooth, and drag to the right to make the
curves rounder.
Curvature Options

• Select Group: Used to select a group that was

previously created with the Select Points tool.

• Curvature: Enter a positive or negative value for the

amount of curvature that you want to apply to the
selected curves.

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44 Anime Studio Pro 11
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• Peak: Creates a peaked (or hard) transition between You can also use the Transform Points tool to
the curves at the point that you click. modify the result, delete unnecessary points,
and weld points together.
• Smooth: Smooths the transition between the curves at
the point that you click. If you have a drawing tablet, the Freehand tool can
also use the pen pressure from your tablet to control the
• +/-: Click this button to toggle the value in the
thickness of the lines you draw.
Curvature field between negative and positive values.
Press the Alt key while dragging the Freehand

Freehand tool to resize the brush.

Shortcut: F The Freehand tool has been enhanced, such that you
don’t have to draw shapes precisely while using the tool.
The Freehand tool lets you draw complex shapes by just
If you cross a line, the new line automatically welds to the
dragging the mouse around. Anime Studio will attempt
line that is crossed if the Auto Weld option is selected. This
to simplify the curves that you draw with the Freehand
allows you to quickly sketch out shapes without worrying
tool. by removing unnecessary points. Straight lines will be
about stopping your stroke at precise locations. When
preserved as accurately as possible.
you’re using the Freehand tool, you are primarily interested
While drawing with the Freehand tool, you can use the in seeing an accurate display of what you are drawing.
Trim Start and Trim End options to automatically delete For this reason, control points are automatically hidden
unwanted dangling edges from the beginning or end of a when Freehand tool is selected so that you can focus on
line that crosses another line. your drawing. You’ll also see a more accurate preview of
the strokes that you draw, especially when drawing wider
After using the Freehand tool, you can also strokes. When you release the mouse, you’ll notice the
go back and use the Delete Edge tool to strokes change slightly due to automatic smoothing.
delete unwanted lines. For more information about
the Delete Edge tool, see “Delete Edge” on page To display the control points, select one of the
50. other tools, such as the Transform Points tool.
Chapter 3: The Draw Tools
45 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

You don’t have to be concerned with

ending a line exactly on a point, or using the
Transform Points tool to weld points together.
Instead, sketch as you normally would sketch with a
pencil. Any lines that cross will automatically weld
together, easily allowing you to create closed
shapes. You can then use the Delete Edge tool to
delete the unwanted straggling ends that cross the
lines you want to weld. This allows you to create
closed shapes quite easily that you can fill later.
Freehand
Click the Freehand Options button in the Options toolbar
to display the Freehand Tool options dialog. The options
Freehand Tool Options are as follows:

• Freehand Options: Click this button to display the

following options

ƒƒ Variable line width: When set to None, does not

Freehand Options (part 1) vary line width between the start and end of the
line. You can also vary line width based on pen
pressure when using a pen tablet, or randomly.
The Freehand tool has been improved to The line width will vary between the minimum and
give much smoother looking curves. As you maximum width settings that you specify.
draw with the Freehand tool it looks like you are
creating a lot of points, but as you let go it only ƒƒ Width Variation: Controls the amount of difference
keeps the points that are necessary to represent the between the narrowest part of the stroke and the
curve smoothly. widest part of the stroke.

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46 Anime Studio Pro 11
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ƒƒ Taper Start: When checked, tapers the start of the

line. Enter the starting width of the line in the field
provided.

ƒƒ Taper End: When checked, tapers the end of the

line. Enter the ending width of the line in the field
provided.

Tapering is applied live, not just on mouse-up.

ƒƒ Smoothing: Use the Smoothing slider to increase

or decrease the amount of smoothing that is
applied to the curve. The default setting of 2
corresponds to the amount of smoothing used in
Anime Studio 10. Decrease the setting to apply less
smoothing, making the shape closer to the way it
was originally drawn. Increase the setting to apply
more smoothing. You will see some effects of the
smoothing algorithm in real time while you draw.

ƒƒ Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back

to its default value. If pressed at any other frame,
Freehand options
resets the layer to the value or values set at frame
0.
• Auto Weld: When checked, automatically welds a
new point to an existing point. The existing point is
highlighted when the mouse hovers over a point that
can be welded. When you draw two lines that cross,

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47 Anime Studio Pro 11
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the point at which they cross will automatically be • Auto-stroke: When checked, automatically creates a
welded together when this option is on. stroke around the shape that you create. Uncheck this
option to create a shape that has no outline.
• Trim Start: When checked, dangling edges that are
drawn before the stroke crosses another stroke will • Merge Strokes: Check this option to merge strokes
automatically be removed when you complete the made with the same brush, color, and stroke width
stroke. into a single shape. All strokes that are made while the
option is checked will be placed in a single object.
• Trim End: When checked, dangling edges that appear Uncheck the option when your sketching is complete.
at the end of a stroke that crosses another stroke will
automatically be removed when you complete the
stroke. Draw Shape
Shortcut: E
The Draw Shape Tool provides a way to quickly draw
commonly used shapes: squares, ovals/circles, triangles,
Freehand Options (part 2) stars, arrows, and spirals. Each of the shape options are
shown later in this section.
• Auto close: When unchecked, closes a shape when
the cursor is released over the beginning of the shape.
When checked, connects the shape from the current
position to the start point when you release the mouse
button.

• Auto Fill: When checked, automatically fills a closed

shape when you create it.

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48 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Rectangle

Rectangle

The Rectangle tool is a shortcut for creating a rectangular

shape. Just click and drag to draw a rectangle. Hold the
Draw Shape Shift key to constrain the shape to a square. Hold the Alt
key to make the click point the center of the rectangle,
instead of one of its corners. There’s nothing special about
rectangles created with this tool - they’re just four points
Draw Shape Tool Options and four curve segments and can be manipulated just
like anything else. You could create the same shape with
the Add Point tool, but for a simple rectangle, this tool is
quicker.

Draw Shape Options

Oval
• Auto Fill: When checked, automatically fills a closed
shape when you create it.

• Auto-stroke: When checked, automatically creates a

stroke around the shape that you create. Uncheck this Oval
option to create a shape that has no outline.

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49 Anime Studio Pro 11
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The Oval tool is a shortcut for creating an oval shape. Stars

Just click and drag to draw an oval. Hold the Shift key to
constrain the shape to a circle. Hold the Alt key to make
the click point the center of the circle. There’s nothing
special about ovals created with this tool - they’re just four
points and four curve segments and can be manipulated
just like anything else. You could create the same shape Stars
with the Add Point tool, but for a simple oval, this tool is
quicker. The Stars tool is a shortcut for creating a star shape. Just
click and drag to draw a star. The star will be drawn from
the upper point of the star, and all five points of the star will
Triangles be equal in size.

Arrow

Triangles

The Triangle tool is a shortcut for creating a triangle shape.

Just click and drag to draw a triangle. Hold the Shift key to Arrow
constrain the shape to an equilateral triangle.
Click and drag to draw an arrow shape. Press the Shift key
to constrain the arrow to a horizontal or vertical line.

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50 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Spirals can then later clean up the shapes by deleting unwanted

hanging lines with the Delete Edge tool.

If the edge you delete makes up part of the

outline of a fill shape, that shape will also be
deleted.
Spirals

The Delete Edge tool is also useful when used

Click and drag to draw a spiral shape. The number of
in conjunction with the Freehand tool. Due to
windings increase as you drag outward. By default the
the improved welding capabilities of the Freehand
spiral radiates in a clockwise direction from the center.
tool, you can freely sketch a character without
Press the Alt key to create a counter-clockwise spiral.
having to worry about exact placement of lines. Any
lines that cross will be welded together. You can

Delete Edge then use the Delete Edge tool to remove unwanted
straggling ends, simply by clicking on them with the
Shortcut: D Delete Edge tool.

It’s easy to delete points - just select them and press

backspace or delete. However, sometimes you may want
keep two points, but break the curve connecting them. To
do this, use the Delete Edge tool. Just use it to click on the
curve segment you want to delete and it will disappear.
You can use the Delete Edge tool to delete unwanted
lines. For example, you can use the Freehand tool to
quickly sketch out shapes, and the Freehand tool will
automatically weld crossed lines together as you draw. You

Delete Edge
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Magnet
Shortcut: X
The Magnet tool is similar to the Transform Points tool
- it is used to move points around. However, instead
of moving the selected points, it moves points based on
the strength of the magnet. When you click with this tool,
the region of strength is displayed. Any points within this
region will move with your mouse, but the points closer to
the center of the mouse click will move the most. (The
Magnet
radius of the magnet’s strength region can be adjusted in
the tool options area.)
This tool is most useful for artwork that has lots of points. For
example, the Freehand tool can create curves with many
points - the Magnet tool can then move them around
smoothly. Imported Adobe Illustrator files and text objects Magnet Options
can also be sources of many control points.

Magnet Tool Options

• Magnet Radius: Sets the radius of the magnet.

• Selected Points Only: When unchecked, the Magnet

Tool will select and move points that are initially clicked
with the Magnet tool. When checked, the Magnet will
only affect points that are preselected.

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52 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Blob Brush If you change fill color, line color, line width, or other
brush settings while you have the Blob brush selected,
The Blob Brush tool allows you to block shapes out very the currently selected shape will get deselected. The
quickly. Straight lines are preserved as accurately as next stroke you add with the Blob brush will use the new
possible, and quality of shapes are preserved as accurately properties.
as possible over multiple strokes.
For example, you can start by blocking in part of the
character as shown below.

Additional passes of the Blob Brush Tool add to the previous

shape.

You’ll get an accurate preview of the shape as you draw.

The first pass of the Blob Brush Tool
When you release the mouse, a vector outline will be
generated for the shape. Anime Studio will attempt to
You can add additional strokes to refine or add to the
simplify the curves by removing unnecessary points. When
shape. In the following example, additional strokes with
you choose this tool, a red circle gives you a preview of the
different brush sizes add legs and arms to the previous
brush size.
shape.
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The following keyboard shortcuts can be used with the

Blob Brush tool:

• You can adjust the size of the brush by using the Brush
Radius setting in the tool options area, or by pressing
the Alt key and dragging to resize the brush.

• If you hold down the Command/Ctrl key you can

erase from the shape, or use the Eraser tool. See
“Eraser” on page 54 for more information.

The brush tool can create a lot of extra Blob Brush

points. You can use the new Point Reduction
Tool to reduce the number of points. See “Point
Reduction” on page 56 for more information. Blob Brush Tool Options

You might notice the viewport jump at times

when using the Blob Brush tool. This happens
when you extend your drawing outside the
Brush Options (part 1)
boundary of the work area. The viewport resizes to
bring that additional area into view to ensure that
the object that you drew will fit on the screen. • Brush Radius: Sets the radius of the brush. A red circle
gives you a preview of the brush size. You can also
adjust the radius by pressing the Alt key and moving
your mouse left or right.

• Use Pen Pressure: Check this option if you are using the
brush with a pressure-sensitive stylus and tablet.
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• Auto Stroke: Check this option to automatically create

strokes around the shapes that you create with the
Eraser
Blob brush. The Eraser tool allows you to cut holes in any shape. If no
filled shapes are selected, the first filled shape that you
click on will become selected, and you can begin erasing
immediately. You can also hold the Ctrl/Cmd key to go
into selection mode and manually select the shapes you
Brush Options (part 2)
want to work with. Press the Shift key to select multiple
shapes.
• Point Reduction: Check this option to remove
In the following example, the Eraser Tool is used to modify
unnecessary points in the shapes that you draw while
the shape of an animal’s tail.
the option is checked.

• Draw Behind Strokes: When this option is checked,

the Blob brush will be allowed to draw behind existing
stroke shapes. This is useful for frame-by-frame drawing.

• Merge Strokes: When checked, merges all strokes

made with the Blob brush into a single object. Uncheck
this option to create separate objects with each stroke.

• Smoothing: Use the Smoothing slider to increase or

decrease the amount of smoothing that is applied
to the curve. Decrease the setting to apply less
smoothing, making the shape closer to the way it was
originally drawn. Increase the setting to apply more
smoothing. You will see some effects of the smoothing
algorithm in real time while you draw.
Chapter 3: The Draw Tools
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Delete Edge

Eraser Tool Options

• Eraser Radius: Sets the radius of the eraser. You can

also adjust the radius of the brush by pressing the Alt
key and moving your mouse left or right.
The Eraser Tool is used to modify the shape of an animal’s tail.
Before (top) and after (bottom) • Use Pen Pressure: Check this option if you are using the
eraser with a pressure-sensitive stylus and tablet.
You might notice the viewport jump at times
when using the Eraser tool. This happens
when you extend your drawing outside the
boundary of the work area. The viewport resizes to Eraser Options
bring that additional area into view to ensure that
the object that you drew will fit on the screen.
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Point Reduction
The Blob Brush, Eraser, and Paint Bucket tools can generate
a lot of extra and unnecessary points. The Point Reduction
tool helps you reduce the point count in any vector object
so that the shapes are easier to animate.

Delete Edge

When the Point Reduction tool is selected, the red circle

gives you a preview of the brush size. You can set the
Before (top) and after (bottom) Point Reduction
radius in the options toolbar, or press the Alt key while
dragging to resize the brush.
To use the tool, simply paint along the area where you
want to reduce the number of points. As you paint, the
Point Reduction Tool Options
brush will leave a trail behind where you have painted. The
areas that you paint over will be simplified. • Brush Radius: Sets the radius of the brush.

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• Tolerance Angle: If you want to reduce the number 2. Set the Min and Max Width settings appropriately for
of points but not change the shape so much, reduce the scale of the objects.
the tolerance angle. Lowering the tolerance angle will
not remove as many points, but it will keep the shape 3. Set other options in the Scatter Brush Options panel
closer to what you originally drew. if you want to increase or decrease variation in
the angle, spacing, or color of the objects you are
spraying.

Point Reduction Options

Scatter Brush
The Scatter Brush allows you to spray shapes into your
scene. There are a number of preset shapes, or you can
also copy any shape to your clipboard and spray multiple Scatter Brush
copies of that shape into your scene. The Scatter Brush
also scatters animated sample objects with animated
point position, curvature and line widths. The animations in
scattered objects is automatically cycled.
Scatter Brush Tool Options
To use the Scatter Brush tool, try the following:
Copy a vector object into your clipboard, or select one of
the preset options from the Preset menu. Scatter Brush Options
1. Choose the vector layer that you want to paint into.

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• Scatter Brush Options: Click this button to display the

following options
Perspective Points
ƒƒ Angle Jitter: Specifies the maximum amount of Click and drag side-to-side to add horizontal
angle variation in the objects that you spray. perspective to the selected group of points. Click
and drag up and down to add vertical perspective to the
ƒƒ Spacing: Specifies the minimum amount of space selected group of points.
between the objects that you spray.
Although Anime Studio is not a 3D program, the effect of
ƒƒ Fill Color Jitter: Specifies the maximum amount of this tool is similar to rotating the points around a vertical
color variation for the objects that you spray. pivot, so that one half of the group rotates into the screen
and the other half out of the screen. If you want to do a
ƒƒ Stroke Color Jitter: Specifies the maximum amount
true 3D rotation, you should use the Rotate Layer Y tool to
of color variation for the objects that you spray.
apply true 3D perspective to a layer.
ƒƒ Flip X: Check this option to flip the objects being
sprayed along the X axis.

ƒƒ Flip Y: Check this option to flip the objects being

sprayed along the Y axis.

• Preset Menu: Click the Preset menu to choose from

a number of different presets that you can spray into
your scene. If you choose Use Clipboard, the Scatter
Brush tool sprays the contents of your clipboard into the
scene.
Perspective Points
• Min Width and Max Width: Sets the minimum and
maximum width of the objects that you spray. If you
want all of the objects to be the same size, set both
values the same. Higher values create larger objects.
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Perspective Points Tool Options

Perspective Points Options

• Select Group: Used to select a group that was

previously created with the Select Points tool.
Shear Points
• Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its
default value. If pressed at any other frame, resets the
layer to the value or values set at frame 0. Shear Points Tool Options

Shear Points
This tool works on a group of two or more selected
points. Click and drag left, right, up, or down to
Shear Points Options
shear, or slant the group of points.

• Select Group: Used to select a group that was

previously created with the Select Points tool.

• Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its

default value. If pressed at any other frame, resets the
layer to the value or values set at frame 0.
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Bend Points Tool Options

To use the Bend Points tool, drag your mouse up and
down to bend the selected group of points up and
down. For best results, the selected group of points should
be wider than it is tall.
Bend Points Options
Drag your mouse side to side to bend the selected group
of points side to side. For best results, the selected group of
points should be taller than it is wide. • Select Group: Used to select a group that was
previously created with the Select Points tool.

• Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its

default value. If pressed at any other frame, resets the
layer to the value or values set at frame 0:

Noise
Shortcut: N

Bend Points The Noise tool works on a group of selected points. Click
and drag to move the points around in random directions.
This tool can be used for example when you want to
duplicate an object using Copy and Paste, but you don’t
want the new object to look exactly like the original. Just
use this tool to distort it a little bit.

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Noise

Tool Options

Noise Options

• Select Group: Used to select a group that was

previously created with the Select Points tool.

• Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its

default value. If pressed at any other frame, resets the
layer to the value or values set at frame 0.

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Chapter 4: Fill Tools

Using the Fill tools for vector layers, you take the drawings
you created with the Draw tools, and you tell Anime Studio
which areas should be filled with color, where outlines Reset tool options.
should be placed, and what fill and line styles to use.
The drawings created with Draw tools are only guides. As
far as Anime Studio is concerned, they’re invisible and they Select Shape
won’t show up in the final rendered output. That’s where Fill
tools come in. Draw tools define the shape of objects, while Shortcut: Q
Fill tools define the appearance of those objects. Of course, This tool is used to select one or more existing shapes (fills or
you’re always free to switch back and forth between any outlines).
of Anime Studio’s editing tools at any time.
To select a shape, just click on the desired shape and it will
Anime Studio has a smart tool palette, which be selected.
shows and hides tools based on their need.
The position of the tool shown in the screenshots may • To select additional shapes, press the Shift key while
differ, depending on the selected layer in the Layers you click and drag the mouse over each additional
palette, and the current time in the timeline. shape to add to the selection.

• To deselect a shape, press the Alt key while you click

Click the tool icon in the properties bar to the shape(s) you want to remove from the selection.
display a submenu. Choose Reset Tool to
After your shape or shapes are selected, you can press the
reset the current tool to its default settings. Choose
Delete or Backspace keys to delete the shapes, or adjust
Reset All Tools to reset all tools to their default
their properties in the Style Window (see “Chapter 13:
settings.
Style Window” on page 238). Options also appear in the

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properties bar to change the color of the fill or stroke in the

selected shapes.
After clicking on a shape to select it, you then have the
option to select shapes lower in the stacking order. Just
hold down the Ctrl key (Windows) or Cmd key (Mac) and
press the down arrow key to select the next shape lower
down at the point you clicked the mouse. Hold Ctrl/Cmd
and press the up arrow key to select the next shape higher
in the stacking order at that same point.
When you change the properties of multiple selected
shapes, the changes that you make will be applied to all
selected shapes. For example, you can select shapes that
have different color fills, and then change the fill color in
Four different layers, each with objects that have different
the style window so that all of the shapes are filled with the
shape properties.
same color.
To illustrate, the following figure shows four different shapes, If you click on one of the shapes with the Select Shape
each with different fill and stroke properties. tool, the Style window updates to display the fill and stroke
properties of the shape that you clicked (color, stroke
width, brush settings and effects, and so on).
If you hold down the Shift key while using the Select Shape
tool, you can select multiple shapes. Pressing the Alt key
will remove a shape from the selection.

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Multiple shapes selected with the Select Shape tool.

The preview updates as you make changes in the Style
The properties of the first shape that you selected will window.
appear in the Style window. Any changes that you make
in the Style window will be applied to all of the selected
shapes. The preview window will update as you make your
style selections.

Select Shape Tool

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Tool Options Create Shape

Shortcut: U
The Create Shape tool is used to select a region to be filled
with color, or a set of edges to be drawn as an outline. It
Create Shape Options operates exactly like the Select Points tool described in
“Select Points” on page 33.

• Fill: Check this option to change the fill of the selected

shape(s).

• Fill Color: Click the color square to select a fill color

for the selected shape(s). You can also use the Fill
eyedropper to select a color from your scene, or from
any other point on your screen.

• Stroke: Check this option to change the stroke of the Create Shape Tool
selected shape(s).
Using the Create Shape tool, select all the points that form
• Stroke Color: Click the color square to select a stroke the outer border of the shape you wish to create. If you
color for the selected shape(s). You can also use the select a set of edges that completes an enclosed shape,
Stroke eyedropper to select a color from your scene, a highlighted checkerboard will show you the extent of
or from any other point on your screen. the region you are creating. Otherwise, you will just see a
highlighted outline on the selected edges.
• Width: Allows you to set a numerical value for the width
of the stroke. Fractional values are allowed. When you have the desired region selected, press the
spacebar or press the Create Shape button in the status
bar to actually create a shape from the selected edges.

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The Style Window (see “Chapter 13: Style Window” on

page 238) can now be used to choose the shape’s color,
line width, style, etc. This is a very important step - until you
press the spacebar or use the Create Shape button, you
are only preparing the selection. A shape is only created
when the spacebar or button is pressed.
The picture below shows a selection in progress using the
Create Shape tool. Note that the figure on the left is not
filled with a checkerboard because its border points are
not all selected. The checkerboard area indicates the
region that would be filled if the user hit the spacebar at
this particular moment. The left figure would only receive a
partial outline and no fill, since then entire border has not
been selected.

Selecting the curves to make up a shape

The next figure shows the result of pressing the spacebar to

actually create the two shapes that were being prepared
in the figure above.

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Tool Options

Create Shape Options

• Select Group: Used to select a group that was

previously created with the Select Points tool.

• Create Shape: Press the Create Shape button to

complete the shape. This is the same as pressing the
Spacebar after your selection is made.

• Lasso Mode: The Create Shape tool selects a

rectangular area by default. Check this option to
select points by drawing a lasso around the desired
area.
The two resulting shapes

• Fill: Select this option if you only want to change the fill
After creating a shape, if you decide that you only want a of the selected object(s).
fill, and not an outline, you can uncheck the Stroke box in
the Style window. Similarly, uncheck the Fill box in the Style • Stroke: Select this option if you only want to change
window to make your shape have only an outline, and no the stroke of the selected objects(s).
fill color.
• Both: Select this option if you want to change both the
fill and stroke of the selected object(s).

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Paint Bucket Below are some examples of sets of curves in Anime Studio,
where the user might click with the Paint Bucket tool, and
Shortcut: P the resulting fills. In each case, the shape on the left is the
starting shape, the red X indicates the point where the
The Paint Bucket tool is used to fill a closed area with color.
user clicked with the Paint Bucket tool, and the result is the
Just click inside a closed shape to fill it with the current
shape on the right:
combination of colors and styles. This can make it much
easier and quicker to fill shapes than with the Create
Shape tool, but keep in mind you’re still working with the
same requirements - a shape must be completely closed in
order to be filled.

Paint Bucket

In Anime Studio 10 and later, the lines that

create the closed shape do not have to be
Filling a basic closed outline
welded. For example, you can draw four
overlapping lines with the Freehand tool with Auto
Weld off, and then fill the inside of the lines with the
Paint Bucket tool.

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Clicking outside a closed outline (nothing happens - no fill). A more complex shape. There are some dead-end curves, but
the overall shape is still closed.

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A shape with a hole in it. Clicking inside the hole fills just the hole

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The shape is not closed (close, but not good enough) - no fill The viewport adjusts to display the entire filled shape after
is created using the Paint Bucket.

If part of the shape is cut off on the edge of the editing You can also draw shapes that overlap, and use the Paint
window, the viewport will change to display the entire filled Bucket tool to fill within areas that overlap. This allows you
shape after you fill it with the Paint Bucket. to quickly create complex boolean shapes.

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Tool Options

Paint Bucket Options

• Fill: Select this option to affect fill only.

• Stroke: Select this option to affect stroke only.

• Both: Select this option to affect both fill and stroke.

Delete Shape
To use the Delete Shape tool, click on a fill or outline to
delete it from the project. Remember, in Anime Studio, the
shape of an object is separate from its appearance. If you
use this tool to delete a fill, the underlying points and curves
will remain. If you want to delete those as well, go back to
the Draw tools to work with the points and curves.

Two overlapping shapes are filled with the Paint Bucket to

create a boolean shape.

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You can superimpose two strokes, each with

a different line width, to create parts for
characters that are made of very few points,
making them much easier to animate. For more
information refer to “Tutorial 2.4: Varying Line
Widths” on page 71 in your Anime Studio Tutorial
Manual.

Delete Shape Tool

Line Width
Shortcut: W
The Line Width tool is used to adjust the width of a line as
it passes through a particular point. Using this tool, you Line Width Tool
can create lines that taper at the ends, get thinner in the
middle, or change width several times along their length. To use it, just click on the point you want to adjust, and
drag the mouse left and right to adjust line thickness. (Be
Line widths are stored internally in Anime sure you first either set up an outline through the point, or
Studio as percentage values. For example, a a fill shape with a non-zero line width - otherwise this tool
value of 100% represents the original line width, and won’t do you much good.)
a value of 200% represents double line width. The
width of the line smoothly varies from the 100% (no You can adjust more than one point at a time by selecting
custom width) value. multiple points with the Select Points tool from the Draw
tool group.

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Tool Options • Magnet Radius: The points that appear within the red
circle area will be affected when you use the Line
Width tool. Use the Magnet Radius setting to increase
or decrease the affected area.

Line Width Options

• Select Group: Used to select a group that was

previously created with the Select Points tool.

• Width: Allows you to enter a numerical value for the line

width.
You can also enable the Magnet Mode option and enter a
radius that determines the area that the magnet will affect.

You can set a magnet radius to affect all vertices beneath the
Line Width Magnet Mode Options magnet.

• Magnet Mode: Check this option to display the cursor

as a red semi-transparent circle. Hide Edge
Shortcut: H

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Sometimes, you will have the need to create a fill shape

with only a partial outline. The Hide Edge tool makes it easy
to accomplish this. After creating the fill shape and setting
the desired line width, simply click on the edge(s) that you
want to hide - those edges will simply disappear from the
outline, without affecting the fill. Below is a before and
after example:

The Hide Edge tool in action

Hide Edge Tool

Stroke Exposure
The Stroke Exposure tool is located in the Fill section of the
tool box. Normally, when you apply a stroke to a curve,
you see the stroke along the entire curve. With the Stroke
Exposure tool, you can click and drag on a curve that has
a stroke and control where the curve starts and ends.

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Stroke Exposure Tool

• Click and drag back and forth to set the end point
of the stroke on the curve. Dragging toward the left
exposes less of the curve’s end, while dragging toward
the right exposes more of the curve’s end

• Alt-Click and drag back and forth to set the start point
of the stroke on the curve. Drag toward the right to
Exposing less of the curve’s end
expose less of the curve’s end, and drag toward the
left to expose more of the curve’s end.
This parameter can be animated so that you can expose
the curve over time, making this feature a good option for
creating things like handwriting or water flowing through
a pipe. Rounded end caps are also supported with the
Stroke Exposure tool.

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Tool Options

Stroke Exposure options

• Select Group: Used to select a group that was Curve Profile Tool
previously created with the Select Points tool.

• Start Percentage: Allows you to enter a numerical Curve profiles can be of any shape, but the start and end
value for the start of the curve, based on its distance of the profile should be along the same horizontal line.
from the start point While you can create profile curves with or without a stroke
applied to them, it makes sense to draw them with Auto
• End Percentage: Allows you to enter a numerical value Stroke off, since you will be applying a different pattern to
for the end of the curve, based on its distance from the circle based on the style of the curve.
the end point

Curve Profile
Curve profiles provide a way to add interesting detail
to a shape. You use the Curve Profile tool to create
these details on a shape. You select a shape on a layer.
Additional curves that define the profile can appear on
the same layer.

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Shapes and curves are drawn on a single layer

A shape with a profile curve applied.

After you select the shape you want to apply the profile to
Even though the resulting shape appears to have more
(a circle in this case, select the Curve Profile tool from the
detail, it still has the same number of control points as the
Fill section of the tool box. Then click on the curve that you
original shape. For example, if you applied the curve profile
want to use as the profile.
to a circle, the resulting shape still has only the four original
control points, even though it appears to have more. You
can edit the shape by repositioning one or more of the
original control points, and the curve profile will still be
applied.

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If you want to animate a shape that uses

Curve Profiles you will need to animate the
shape used for the profile. You cannot assign one
profile shape on one frame in a timeline, and then
reassign another profile shape on another point in
the timeline. In addition, if you delete the curve that
was originally used as a profile shape, the curve
profile also gets deleted.

The Repeat Count setting in the options toolbar controls

the number of times that the curve profile repeats along
the path. You can increase or decrease this setting to add
more or less detail to the shape.

The Repeat Count controls the number of times that the profile
curve repeats along the path

To remove the curve profile from the shape, select the

Curve Profile tool from the Fill section of the tool box and
click on an empty background area.

Tool Options

• Repeat Count: Used to control the number of times

that the profile shape repeats along the path.

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Working with Fills • Use the Create Shape tool to fill closed outlines that do
not have any fill. You will need to select the points in
To define a region to be filled, you must first select all the the outlines before you use the Create Shape tool.
points along its boundary. That’s what defines a fill region
• You can also use the Paint Bucket to fill shapes that do
- the set of points along its outer edge. We’ll take a look at
not yet have a fill. For example, you can use the Add
some examples later. You can also create outlines using
Point or Freehand tool to create a shape that has a
these tools. Outlines are less restrictive than fills - an outline
stroke only, and then later use the Paint Bucket tool to
is not a set of points along an outer boundary. Instead, an
add a fill.
outline can be any set of points you choose. The curve
segments between these selected points will form the
• You can also change colors with the Eyedropper.
outline.
Use the Eyedropper to select a color from any of the
Fills and outlines are stacked on top of each other in the shapes that use the color you want to apply. Then press
order you create them. This determines which fill or outline the Alt key and click other objects with the Eyedropper
will be visible when two or more overlap. There are tools to push the selected color to other shapes.
that allow you to change the stacking order of fills and
outlines, but you’ll learn that you can save yourself a lot
of time by planning ahead and creating fills in the proper
Color Picking
order to begin with. If the Select Shape or Create Shape tools are active and a
There are a number of different ways to fill shapes in Anime shape is selected, you can quickly set the shape’s color by
Studio: picking it from another shape in the current layer. Just hold
down the Alt key and click on the shape you want to copy
• Use the Select Shape tool to select the shape you want the color from. The color (and style) will instantly be applied
to change. The color and fill properties will be “picked to the currently selected shape.
up” in the Style window. You can then change the fill
You can also push a shape’s color and style onto other
colors in the Style window.
shapes. If you hold down Alt + Ctrl (Windows) or Alt + Cmd
(Mac) and click on a second shape, the selected shape’s

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color will be pushed onto the shape you click on. This is an
easy way to propagate one shape’s color and style onto
several other shapes in the same layer.
There’s no limit to the kinds of shapes you can create this
way. By adding more boundary curves, you can create
more and more complex fills - feel free to experiment.

A Trick: Using Two Fills Instead of One

Sometimes you may want to create an object with parts
that overlap in complex ways. Consider the image below:

Two interlocking rings

The red ring is in fact two objects - one behind the blue
ring, and one in front of it. The next image shows the same
object, but colored differently so that the two parts of the
red ring stand out.

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The coloring shows three different shapes

Point and curve arrangement.
It takes a little more work to set up an object when you
have to split it into two (or more) parts, but sometimes it’s This technique is also useful in animation, for when you
the only way to achieve a certain effect. The picture below want an object to bend backwards and overlap itself.
shows the project in an Anime Studio window, so that you Normally, this would cause the fill that defined the object
can see the arrangement of points and curves. Note how to get seriously distorted, or even to break holes in itself.
the ring on the right has some extra curves set up so that it However, by building the object out of two or more parts
can be split into two fills. and stacking them properly, you can achieve this type of
effect with no problem.

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Color Points 3. Adjust the Color Strength, if desired, by entering a

numerical value in the Color Strength field. The default
The Color Points tool allows you to create a gradient-type setting is 1.
fill for the objects, based on point positions. After selecting
the point or points that you want to assign a color to, you
use the Color Points tool options to assign a color to the Tool Options
selected points. The assigned colors will then blend across
the surface of the shape.

Color Points tool options.

• Select Group: Allows you to choose a point selection

by name, as saved with the Select Point tool. For
more information on how to create a point group, see
“Select Points” on page 33.
Curve Profile Tool

• Color Strength: Increase or decrease the color strength

To use the Color Points tool, follow these steps: by setting a numerical value in this field. The default
1. Use the Select Points tool to select one or more points, setting of 1 applies the color at full strength.
or to select a predefined point group. Or, click one or
• Color Swatch: Click the color swatch to assign a
more points with the Color Points tool.
color to the selected point(s). You can also use the
2. Click the Color Swatch to choose a color for the eyedropper to select a color from your scene, or from
selected points. any other point on your screen.

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• Clear: Click this button to clear the color assignments

from the selected point(s).

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Chapter 5: Bone Tools Select Bone

Using this tool, you can click a bone to select it. You can
The following tools are available when working with Bone also draw a marquee or a lasso around multiple bones to
or Switch layers. select more than one bone with the Select Bone tool.
If a tool has the following symbol next to it: , then it can You might want to select a bone in order to delete it (press
be used for animation as well. In general, tools that are the Delete or Backspace keys - all of its children will be
used for bone setup can only be used when the time is set deleted too). You also might want to select a bone in order
to frame 0 - others can be used at any time. to add new child bones to it. Click anywhere besides a
bone to de-select all bones.
Anime Studio has a smart tool palette, which
shows and hides tools based on their need.
The position of the tool shown in the screenshots may
differ, depending on the selected layer in the Layers
palette, and the current time in the timeline.

Click the tool icon in the properties bar to

display a submenu. Choose Reset Tool to
Select Bone Tool
reset the current tool to its default settings. Choose
Reset All Tools to reset all tools to their default
settings.
Tool Options
The following options appear in the Options toolbar when
the Select Bone tool is active:

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• Color: Click the Color selector to choose a

representative color for the bones: Plain, Purple, Blue,
Green, Yellow, Orange, or Red. These colors can be
representative of any category you choose and are
Select Bone Options (Part 1) provided for project organization. The keyframes for
colored bones will show up in the timeline in specially
colored channels that match the colors you assign.
• Bone Constraints: Opens the Bone Constraints dialog,
described in “Bone Constraints” on page 87.

• Select Bone: Use the Select Bone dropdown list to

select a bone by name.

• Bone Name field: Displays the name of the selected

bone. You can edit the bone name in this field.

Color options

Select Bone Options (Part 2)

• Show Label: Check the Show Label option to display
the name of the bone in the project window.
• Lock Bone: When checked, prevents accidental The names displayed are those which are either
changes to the current bone. automatically or manually assigned in the Select Bone
list. User-assigned labels help you remember what
• Lasso Mode: When checked, allows you to select
a particular smart bone controls (eye blinks, mouth
multiple bones by drawing a lasso around them. When
shapes, etc.) To change the name of the bone, enter
unchecked, you can select multiple bones by drawing
a new name for the selected bone in the text field
a rectangular selection around them.
immediately to the right of the list.

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• Shy Bone: Shy bones help reduce workspace clutter.

To mark a bone as shy, select the bone(s) and check
the Shy Bone option. All bones marked as shy can then
be displayed or hidden with the Bone > Hide/Show Shy
Bones command, discussed in “Hide/Show Shy Bones”
on page 434.

• End Flip: Click to flip the selected bone end to end.

• Side Flip: Click to flip the selected bone side to side.

Flipping bones can be essential to certain rigs

in Anime Studio. In the past, you could only
flip a bone once. This would alter the position for the
End Flip and Side Flip
whole animation. Anime Studio 11 brings a new and
welcomed change to this workflow. Now when you
flip a bone mid-animation, a keyframe will be
created, allowing the effect to change at any time. Bone Constraints
This works with any bone setup you can think of:
With the Select Bone tool selected, click the Bone
parents, targets, point binding and layer binding.
Constraints button in the options bar to open the Bone
You can even rig your Smart Dials to flip bones,
Constraint options dialog shown below.
adding more flexibility to any workflow.
For detailed instructions and examples of the
options in this dialog, refer to the Angle
Constraints section in “Tutorial 3.2: Bone Constraints”
on page 116 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.

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• Angle constraints: Check this option if you want to limit

the movement of the bone within certain angles.

• Min/max degrees: Enter the maximum and minimum

angle range that you want the bone to rotate. For
example, if you only want the bone to rotate 10
degrees in either direction, enter -10 in the Min field,
and 10 in the Max field.

• Independent angle: Normally, if you move or rotate

a parent bone, the child bone moves or rotates with
it. If you check the Independent Angle option on a
child bone, the child will keep the original angle. This
is extremely helpful when rigging a character, as it
can be used to keep the feet parallel to the ground
as the legs move and rotate during a walk cycle. For
more information about using independent angles, see
“Tutorial 3.6: New Bone Features” on page 146 in your
Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.

Bone Constraints Options

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In the default position, the last bone is parallel to the ground. If you set Independent Angle on the child bone, it will rotate
independently of its parent.

• Squash and stretch scaling: When this option is

checked, the objects that are controlled by the bone
will maintain their volume when they are scaled. The
height of the object will decrease as the length of
the bone is increased, and the height of the object
will increase as the length of the object is decreased.
Enter the desired scaling factor in the field provided.
For more information, see “Tutorial 3.6: New Bone
Features” on page 146 in your Anime Studio Tutorial
Manual.
If you rotate its parent bone, the child also rotates.

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Arc IK Solver is turned on (as it is on the purple bone

below), Anime Studio will attempt to move the bones
so that they line up as segments on a smooth arc.
However, when the Arc IK solver is turned on it may be
more difficult to move the bones into an S-curve.

Squash and stretch scaling helps maintain the volume of an

object as the bone is scaled.

• Maximum IK stretching: Enter the maximum amount

that you want to allow a bone to stretch with Squash
and Stretch scaling.

• Arc IK Solver: Check this option to use an alternative Arc IK off (left) and on (right)
inverse solver for chains that have more than two
bones. When turned off as on the green bone in the
following figure, there are many possible ways for • Target: Allows you to assign another bone as a target.
an IK target to reach the goal, and sometimes the The most common use for this is to set up Inverse
movements cause the bones to fold upon themselves Kinematics for a character so that you can more easily
like an accordion. However, you will have more control animate walk cycles. For more information about using
over the bone this way. On the other hand, when the
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target bones, see “Tutorial 3.6: New Bone Features” on

page 146 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.
Add Bone
Use the Add Bone tool to add new bones to a skeleton.
Bone parents and targeting can be
The location you click will be the base of the bone (the
animated. For more information, see “Tutorial
point it rotates about), and where you drag to will be the
3.7: Animated Bone Targets” on page 155 in your
endpoint.
Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.
When you add a new bone, Anime Studio automatically
assigns a name to it. By default, the first bone you add is
• Angle/Position/Scale control bone: Allows one bone to named B1, the second B2, and so on.
control the motion of another. Click to select the bone
that you want to be affected, and then use the drop- If another bone is selected before you click and drag, it will
down menu to select the bone that you want to use as be the parent of the new bone you create. Otherwise, the
the controller. Enter the desired control angle (positive new bone will be parentless, a root bone.
and negative values are accepted) in the Angle field,
the X and Y coordinates in the Position fields, or the
desired scale factor in the Scale field.

• Bone dynamics: Tells Anime Studio to move the

selected bone automatically, based on values
entered in the Torque Force, Spring Force, and
Damping Force values entered. See “Tutorial 3.3: Bone
Dynamics” on page 126 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Add Bone Tool
Manual.
Hold the Shift key to constrain the new bone to point in a
• Close: Closes the Bone Dynamics palette. direction that is a multiple of 45 degrees.
Note that bones don’t have to be touching to have a
parent-child relationship. In the example shown in “Tutorial
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3.4: Character Setup” on page 132 in your Anime Studio • Hold down the Ctrl/Cmd key to disable snapping. The
Tutorial Manual, the upper arm bones are children of the child bone will not automatically snap to the tip of the
spine, even though they are separated from it by a small previous bone when working in this mode.
distance. This will often be the case - arms should rotate
about the shoulders, not the neck, even though they move
when the spine moves.
Tool Options

Bone Snapping
When you add a bone, the next bone that you draw will
automatically be a child of the previous bone. The new Add Bone Options
bone will automatically snap to the tip of the previous
bone.
• Select Bone: Click this menu button to select a bone
To connect a completely separate bone to the tip of by name.
another bone, use the Transform Bone tool to drag the
disconnected bone toward the bone you want to connect • Text Field: Allows you to assign a name to the currently
it to: selected bone, or to edit the name of the bone as
automatically assigned by Anime Studio.
• Dragging the bone to the tip of a bone will connect
the two bones together at the tip of the destination
bone. Transform Bone
• Dragging the bone to the central axis of a bone will The Transform Bone tool allows you to translate, rotate, or
connect the two bones together at the base of the scale a selected bone.
destination bone. When the Transform Bone tool is selected, two dots appear
at the ends of each bone. In addition, the cursor will

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change to display the type of transformation that will be

applied:

Transform Bone Tool

The following key combinations work while the Transform

Bones tool is selected:

• Holding the Shift key will cause the bone to only

Transform Bone tool indications
translate horizontally or vertically relative to its parent (if
you click near the base)
• To rotate a bone: Click near the bone, but outside
of the handles. A rotate cursor will provide indication • Holding the Shift key while rotating will constrain the
when the mouse is placed correctly. Then drag the rotation to 45 degree increments.
mouse to rotate the bone.
• You can nudge the selected bone by small increments
• To translate a bone: Click and drag the dot at the by holding down the Ctrl key (Windows) or Cmd key
base of the bone. Translated bones will snap to existing (Mac) and pressing the arrow keys. Hold down Shift in
bones as described in “Bone Snapping” on page addition to Ctrl/Cmd to nudge the bone by a greater
92. increment.

• To scale a bone: Click and drag the dot at the end of • If any objects in other layers have been bound to the
the bone. bone, they will not move if the current frame is 0. At

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frame 0, you are modifying the bone layout - at later • Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its
frames you are animating with this tool, and bound default length. If pressed at any other frame, resets the
objects will move with the bone. layer to the value or values set at frame 0.

• Scale: Allows you to view or enter a numerical value for

Tool Options the scale of the bone.

• Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its

default scale. If pressed at any other frame, resets the
layer to the value or values set at frame 0.
Transform Bone Options (part 1)
• Angle: Allows you to view or enter a numerical value
for the angle of the bone.
• Select Bone: Click this menu button to select a bone
by name. • Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its
default angle. If pressed at any other frame, resets the
• Position X: Allows you to numerically enter a value for layer to the value or values set at frame 0.
the X coordinate.
• Show Path: When checked, the document window will
• Position Y: Allows you to numerically enter a value for display the path(s) that the animated bone(s) follow.
the Y coordinate.
• End Flip: Click to flip the end to end positions of the
selected bones.

• Side Flip: Click to flip the side to side positions of the

Transform Bone Options (part 2) selected bones.

• Length: Allows you to view or enter a numerical value

for the length of the bone.
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Manipulate Bones skeleton in the same way, but the move will introduce a
keyframe for animation.
The Manipulate Bones tool has two purposes. First, To manipulate a skeleton, just click and drag the various
when the current frame is set to 0, it is used to test bones that make it up. If points or other layers have been
whether a skeleton is set up and working properly. bound to the bones, they will move as well. The way
Although it moves bones and points around, the changes the skeleton and the bound points move with this tool is
it makes are only temporary. When you switch to another exactly the same whether at frame 0 or a later frame. If
tool, the skeleton is reverted back to its original shape. some part of the skeleton doesn’t move correctly, you can
find out with this tool and fix it before you start animating.
When working inside a Smart Bone action,
the Manipulate Bones tool can introduce Note: If you only want to rotate a single bone, it’s better to
extra unwanted bone motion in the Smart Bone use the Rotate Bone tool. The Manipulate Bones tool will
action. For this reason, the Manipulate Bones tool will move a whole chain of bones, which is definitely not what
be disabled. you want if you plan to rotate a single bone.

Sketch Bones
The Sketch Bones tool draws a chain of bones in freehand
mode. It allows you create and animate bone chains very
quickly, and is suitable for objects like long necks, tails,
ropes, or other similar items that bend freely.

Manipulate Bones Tool

The second use of this tool is at frames greater than 0. If the

current frame is greater than 0, then this tool will move the

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A chain of bones drawn with the Sketch Bones tool.

If you want to create another chain of bones that are a

child of one of the bones in the previous chain, select the
Animating a bone chain with the Sketch Bones tool.
desired parent bone before adding the new chain.

You initially draw the bones on frame 0. The length of the

bones can be set using the New Bone Length option in the
toolbar.
Press the Shift key while drawing to constrain the bone
chain horizontally or vertically.

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Another chain with its parent set to an intermediate bone in

the first chain.

When you use the Sketch Bones tool on a frame other than
0, you can edit the bone chains that you drew on Frame
0. You’ll notice that the display of bones is different. When
you click on any bone in an existing bone chain and draw
a new curve, you reshape the bone chain from that point
on. A reference line appears to represent the total length Use the Sketch Bone tool on any frame other than 0 to
of the chain while you draw the new shape. Once you reshape a bone chain.
reach the end of this reference line the Sketch Bones tool
will not add additional bones, it will reshape the existing
bones to the new shape that you created.
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You can assign Squash and Stretch behavior

to selected bones and then use the Scale
Bones option to lengthen or shorten the curve. As
the curve shortens, the selected bones will “squash”
and become fatter. As the curve lengthens, the
selected bones will “stretch” and become thinner.

Sketch Bone Tool

Reparent Bone
Sometimes when building a skeleton, you may accidentally
Tool Options add bones to the wrong parent. Later, when you discover
the error, deleting bones and adding new ones is just
The following options appear for the Sketch Bones tool: too much work. Instead, use the Change Parent tool to
change a bone’s parent. First, select the bone whose
• New Bone Length: Enter a numerical value for the
parent you want to change (using the Select Bone tool).
length of the new bones.
Then, using this tool, click on the new parent bone. (The
new parent will become highlighted in blue.) If you want to
• Scale Bones: When turned on, the chain of bones will
turn the selected bone into a root bone (one that has no
scale itself to fit the new curve that you draw while
parent), just click on the background.
using the Sketch Bones tool on a frame other than 0.
The number of bones in the chain will remain the same,
regardless of whether the curve is shorter or longer than
originally created.

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Bone Strength
When using bones to control the points in a vector layer or
to warp an image layer, by default every bone has some
degree of influence over every point in the vector layer (or
image). The Bone Strength tool lets you adjust how much
influence each bone has. When this tool is activated, a
semi-transparent region appears around each bone - this
Reparent Bone Tool
region indicates the strength of the bone. If you drag side
to side on a bone with the Bone Strength tool, you cause
the region of influence to shrink or grow. Points that are
Tool Options closer to the center of this region move more when the
bone itself is moved.

Bone Strength Tool

Reparent Bone Tool

Although by default, all bones have some influence over
some points, you can change this behavior. In the Layer
• Select Bone: Click this menu button to select a bone Settings dialog, under the Bones tab, there are two options,
by name. Flexible binding and Region binding. Flexible binding

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means that every bone will influence every point. Region • Select Bone: Click this menu button to select a bone
binding, on the other hand, means that a point will only by name.
move under the influence of the bone(s) in whose region of
influence it lies. If that point only lies in one bone’s region, • Bone Strength: Allows you to view or enter a numerical
it will only move with that bone - if the point is overlapped value for bone strength.
by the regions of two bones, it will move with both of those
bones.
Offset Bone
Flexible binding is the default setting for new bone layers
because it works reasonably well almost automatically. The Offset Bone tool lets you add an extra amount of
The downside is that it leads to rubbery movement of the bone movement starting at frame 1 of your animation. The
attached vector artwork. Region binding will give you reason you might want to do this is to simplify the setup of
cleaner movement, but takes a little more work to set up. a complex character. Often, parts of a character such as
”Tutorial 3.4: Character Setup” on page 132 in your Anime arms and legs overlap, making it difficult to set up bones
Studio Tutorial Manual shows you how to use the Bone and attach the proper parts of the character’s body to
Strength tool together with both types of binding to quickly them. The Offset Bone tool lets you draw the parts of a
set up a character’s skeleton. character in disconnected positions, set up bones, and
then move them all back into position.

Tool Options It’s difficult to describe the usefulness of this tool without a
hands-on example, so look in “Tutorial 3.1: Bone Binding”
on page 107 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.

Bone Strength Options

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• Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its

default value. If pressed at any other frame, resets the
layer to the value or values set at frame 0.

Bind Layer
Other layers can be contained within a bone layer. For
example, you could create a hand layer and place that
Offset Bone Tool
within an arm layer. To bind the hand to the arm, use this
tool. Just click on the bone in the parent layer that you
want to connect to, and the entire layer will move with
Tool Options that bone. In the arm/hand example, you would click on
the bone nearest the wrist to bind the hand to the end of
the arm.
Use this tool to bind an entire layer to a single bone. If you
would rather bind certain points in a vector layer to certain
Offset Bone Options
bones, then you should use the Bind Points tool instead.

For more information on how to use the Bind

• Select Bone: Click this menu button to select a bone
Layer tool, see the Layer Binding section of
by name.
“Tutorial 3.1: Bone Binding” on page 107 in your
• Animation Offset X: Allows you to numerically enter a Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.
value for the amount of offset on the X axis.

• Animation Offset Y: Allows you to numerically enter a

value for the amount of offset on the Y axis.

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Bind Layer Tool Bind Points Tool

We don’t usually recommend using the Bind

Bind Points Points tool. Instead, the best way to attach
points to bones is to use automatic bone binding,
The Bind Points tool operates exactly like the Select Points together with the Bone Strength tool.
tool described in “Select Points” on page 33. Use it to
select a group of points to bind to a bone. In order to use
this tool, you must be on Frame 0, and a bone must first
be selected. When a bone is selected, the points that are Bone Physics
currently bound to it are automatically selected as well.
When objects that have bones are added to a Group layer
Use this tool to add or remove points from that selected
that has physics applied to it (as mentioned in “Tutorial 5.9:
group. When the correct group of points is selected that
Basic Physics” on page 219 in your Anime Studio Tutorial
you want to bind to the bone, press the spacebar - this
Manual), the bones will respond to the physics properties
tells Anime Studio to perform the binding. This technique is
that you have set for the object. Physics are applied to
demonstrated in “Tutorial 3.1: Bone Binding” on page 107
each bone based upon the bone’s area of influence, as
in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual
set by the Bone Strength tool.

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Bone Physics Tool

A boned character placed into a physics group

The Bone Physics tool is a setup tool and will only be

available at Frame 0, and once a boned object is placed
inside a Group layer that has physics enabled. The options
mentioned in the following section become available in
the Options bar. You can assign different physics properties
to the bones by clicking each bone with the Bone Physics
tool.

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For additional information on configuring Tool Options

groups and objects for physics, see “Tutorial
5.9: Basic Physics” on page 219 in your Anime
• Select Bone: Click this menu button to select a bone
Studio Tutorial Manual.
by name.

After you set up the objects in your scene, and the • Bone Physics Region: With physics, bones are
bones in your character, you can press the play represented internally with a kind of pill-shaped region
button to see how the character responds to the around them, the physics region. You can enter a
physics as it comes into contact with the other number numerically, but generally you would just
stationary and physics-enabled objects in the scene. use this tool to click and drag on individual bones
to control the size of the physics region, trying to get
it to match the underlaying character as closely as
possible. When you play back the animation, the bone
physics regions are what is used in collisions, not the
character artwork. (This is because the bending of the
character is not directly physics related. The physics
pushes the bones around according to the physics
regions, and the bones then move the character just
like they would if you were hand-animating.)

• Motor Speed: . The motor speed is the number of

degrees per second the object will rotate (it can
be negative to rotate backwards). Depending if
the object bumps into obstacles or there are other
influences, it may not actually rotate at that speed, but
The boned character responding to other objects in the scene in a zero gravity setup with no collisions, that will be the
speed of rotation.

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• Motor Torque: Motor torque controls the strength of • In any layer type that is a child of a bone layer: Layer
the motor. With low torque, when a motorized object translation, Layer scale, Layer Rotation (X, Y, and Z),
bumps into other objects it may come to a stop, Layer Shear, Layer Opacity, Layer Blur
depending on the size and density of the obstacles.
In the same layer as the Smart Bone itself:
With a high torque, it will tend to push obstacles out of
its way. Even with no obstacles, if a motorized object • Bone translation
is unbalanced (off center of its origin), a low torque
setting may mean that it can even lift itself up. • Bone scale

• Return to Neutral: Check this option to return the bone • Bone rotation
to neutral position.
Smart Bones can be used to control the following
additional elements:
• Lock Tip: When physics are in affect, if a bone has its
tip locked it acts as though the endpoint of the bone
• Stroke exposure: Use Smart Bones to expose more of a
has been nailed to a stationary point.
stroke along a path as you rotate the bone.

• 3D Thicknesses: Increase or decrease the thickness of

Smart Bones vector shapes that have been converted to 3D shapes
with Extrude or Inflate.
The Smart Bones feature in Anime Studio Pro allows you to
have more control over shapes when you bend them with • Shape and Fill effects: Change the colors and positions
bones. You can use Smart Bones to control the following in a gradient fill.
types of scene elements.
• Switch layers
• In vector layers that are a child of a bone layer: Point
motion, Curvature, Line Width, Fill Color, and Stroke • Layer order
Color.
• Layer visibility

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• Follow path

• Flip layer horizontally/vertically

• Shape effect positioning

How Smart Bones Work

To illustrate how Smart Bones work, create a vector layer
and add a rectangle to it.
You will eventually add two bones to this rectangle, so
you’ll also want to make sure that there are some points in
the center of the rectangle where the two bones will meet
(as a joint). Create a rectangle with points at the center; add a bone
group, and create two bones.
In the Layers window, create a bone layer and drag the
rectangle vector layer into it. With the Bone layer selected,
use the Add Bone tool to create two bones to the bone Use the Bone Strength tool to adjust the bone weights so
layer. that the rectangle bends in the center as shown below.

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The steps that follow describe how to create

smart bone actions manually. You can use
the Bone > Make Smart Bone Dial command to set
up the smart bone dials more quickly. See “Make
Smart Bone Dial” on page 434.

Creating a Smart Bone Action

In order to use this feature, you need to assign a name to
each bone that needs correction. In the following figure
the bones are named B1 (for the bone on the left) and
B2 (for the bone on the right). You can name the bones
whatever you want to name them.
Adjust bone strengths to get a nice bend in the center.

Every bone automatically gets named when

You’ll notice that if you bend the bone too far that the you create it. By default, the bone is assigned
area around the bend doesn’t look good because the a name such as B1 (for the first bone), B2 (for the
rectangle gets squeezed in the middle. second bone) and so on.
In previous versions of Anime Studio, the way around this
distortion was to add points in the center of the rectangle You’ll notice when you rotate bone B2 it causes the
that would reshape the center appropriately. However, rectangle to distort when it is bent. You can correct this
this method resulted in a lot of corrections that had to be distortion by creating an action that is associated with that
made whenever that bone was animated. bone.

Smart Bones use a different approach, by linking a bone

rotation to an action, and a resulting correction.

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Each bone is assigned a name.

Choose Window > Actions to bring up the Actions window.

Create a new action with the same name as the bone (B2
in this case). Create a new action, named the same as the bone you want
to correct.

At that point you are editing the action. Choose the Rotate
Bone tool in the Tools panel, and rotate the bone as far
as you expect it to move (or, to the limit that is set on the
bone in that direction).

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When working inside a Smart Bone action,

the Manipulate Bones tool can introduce
extra unwanted bone motion in the Smart Bone
action. For this reason, the Manipulate Bones tool will
be disabled.

Rotate the bone to the limit at which you expect it to rotate

(upward in this case).

Now switch to the vector layer and use any of the

available editing tools to adjust the shape of the rectangle
so that it looks good. The joint correction feature can track
Select the vector layer for the rectangle, and create the
point movement and curvature changes. This shape will be
target shape for that rotation angle
the target shape for when bone B2 is rotated to that angle.

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In the Actions window, switch back to the main timeline by

clicking Mainline. Now when you rotate bone B2 toward
that angle, it will automatically pick up the action that you
just created.
Now the distortion around the joint works much better. You
can now go to frames other than zero to add keyframes
that animate the bones. The actions will automatically be
added when the bone is rotated, and the action will be
removed when the bone is straightened.

Creating a Second Smart Bone Action

You’ve just created an action for the bone when it moves
in one direction. However, you also need to create an
adjustment for the other direction
A second action must be created for when B2 is rotated
downward.

To create another action that corrects the second

direction, go back to the Actions window and create
another new action. Name this bone with the name of
the bone, followed by a space, and the number 2 (B2 2).
The B2 prefix associates the action with Bone B2, and the
number 2 is a number designation to differentiate it from
the first action.

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Make sure the new action incorporates the name of the bone
you want to correct. Bend the bone in the other direction to see if adjustments are
needed.

As you did in the first case, select the vector layer for
the rectangle, and adjust the shape for when B2 is bent
downward. An example is shown in the following figure. Editing a Bone Action
You can also go back to a previous bone action and
make corrections to it. For example, when you created the
first bone action, it simply improved the shape of the bend.
Suppose you want to go back and create something like

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a muscle bulge for when an arm is bent upward. Bone • Go back to the main timeline and play the animation.
actions make this process easy to do: The keyframes that you originally added will now also
include the new muscle bulge when the rectangle
• To begin, go back to frame 0 and add a point to the is bent in the appropriate dimension. When the arm
rectangle, located in the area where you want the bends downward, the muscle bulge will not be
muscle bulge to happen. included because it was not added to the B2 2 action
that bends the arm downward.
• Select the first correction action (B2).

• Move the new point like a bulging muscle. Fixing Bad Transitions
You might discover after creating your bone actions
that the object doesn’t look quite right when it’s bent
in intermediate positions. For example, objects might
bend unpredictably if their point count is too high, or
unoptimized. The following solution can help improve the
appearance of intermediate frames.

You can also use Blob Brush to fix a transition

between two bones (such as an elbow or
knee bend). This type of bone binding can be
applied to vector and image layers. For more
information about this feature, see “Create Smooth
Joint for Bone Pair” on page 431.

The processes discussed in “Creating a Smart Bone Action”

on page 107 and “Creating a Second Smart Bone
Add a new point and position it to make a bulging muscle.
Action” on page 110 are still used to create your bone

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action in this case. But in this example you see a rectangle

that has many more points along its length (to simulate
an object that is not optimized). Most of the points in the
rectangle aren’t really necessary for it to maintain its shape
when it’s bent.

Bone B2 bend end result

However, you might notice problems in intermediate

positions, such as shown in the following figure. If you only
have an action that defines the start and end shapes,
you don’t have any way to fix interpolation problems
that might occur in intermediate frames in your actual
A rectangle with many points along its length
animation.

Bones are added to the rectangle, and the second bone

(Bone B2) is posed as described earlier in “Creating a
Smart Bone Action” on page 107. The end result looks
similar to the previous example when Bone B2 is rotated to
its extreme position.

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Anime Studio doesn’t care how many frames

you need to complete the bone action. But
because of the nature of the program it interpolates
in steps. If an action is too short (3 frames), you only
have three steps in between to make the animation
smooth. Spreading it out smoother gives you room to
correct for a more smooth transition.

Select all of the point positions that you changed

for the original bone action and move them out
to 120 as well. Now the action takes 120 frames to
complete the bend.

An intermediate frame shows some shaping problems.

• Move to an intermediate frame in that bone action
(not in the main timeline) until you locate an area
If your bone action works fine in the intermediate frames,
that looks objectionable. Now you can adjust the in
using just a single frame action, leave it as is.
between positions of the points. Make sure when you
If the in-between frames are objectionable, you can do edit the points that they are the only keyframes that
the following to correct it: are selected.

• Go back to the B2 action.

• Instead of creating the angle at frame 1, you can

move it somewhere later in time, like frame 120. Move
the keyframe for the bone angle out to 120.

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Frame 60 of the bone action before adjustment. Frame 60 of the bone action after adjustment

After you make your adjustments, scrub through to make

sure that there are no other areas that need adjustment.
If you find others, just move the points in that frame of the
bone action (not in the main timeline) to make additional
corrections as needed.
After your edits are complete go back to the main
timeline. Test out bending the bone on frame 0.

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Other Uses for Bone Actions go to the actions window, you can create actions that
match each one of the control levers.
Here are some eyes in which bones have been set up to
For example, if you are working on the Blink action you
make the eyes do a variety of movements such as blink,
rotate the bone to the other extreme, and then adjust
dilation, sideways, and up-down. Tags have been put on
the points in the Lids layer to close the eyelids. When you
the bones to show what the bones are used for, but this
go back to the timeline and move the bone, it closes the
is not necessary. The bones aren’t really being used as
eyelid.
bones, but they are being used as control levers.

A bone used as a control lever to make an eye blink.

Bones used as control levers.

The bones were initially created with the bone strength Smart Bones and Binding
set to zero. Each of the bones was assigned a name (the
name isn’t really important but helps you keep track of the The original type of binding used in Moho 1.0 was a direct
actions that the bones are intended to control). When you binding method. With direct binding, each point can
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be bound directly to one particular bone. When that need to delete and recreate the smart bone actions, or
bone moves, the point tracks that bone exactly, without at least review them carefully and tweak them to make
influence from any other bones. sure they still look good with the new point binding. As a
general rule of thumb, we recommend that you get the
Flexible binding was introduced in later releases of Anime
rig to work as well as you can first. Adjust bone position,
Studio, and is now the default behavior. The benefit of this
strength and point binding first, and commit to them
type of point binding is that it’s relatively easy to make
before you set up any smart bone actions.
points bend smoothly around joints in a bone structure.
With this method, every bone has some kind of influence
on every point. Points that are closer to a given bone are
more influenced by that bone; but bones that are far
away from certain points can also move those points a
small amount. Bone strength also plays a part in how much
each bone controls each point.
Here’s where the type of binding matters: When bones
move points, that movement is going to be different
depending on the type of binding. When you set up a
bone rig with smart bones, the smart bone actions get set
up as movement relative to the bone rotation.
If you set up smart bones, but then later change the
type of binding on the points, the smart bone actions
will no longer be meaningful. Because the basic point
motion changes when you change binding, you’ll get
unexpected results when you apply an action that was
designed for a different point motion on top of that.
If you need to change the type of point binding for vector
layers when working with smart bones, you will generally
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Chapter 6: Layer Types Of course, most standard image and movie formats
are not vector-based, so when you’re done working on
a Anime Studio project, it must be rendered to create
Drawings in Anime Studio are vector-based. Vector a traditional pixel-based image. During the rendering
drawings are different from pixel-based images (like a process, Anime Studio can apply various effects to the
photograph) in that they use lines and curves to represent objects, such as shading and blurring.
a picture, rather than a grid of colored pixels. This Anime Studio is designed in such a way that projects
difference makes a lot of things easy in Anime Studio that are split into layers. You can have many, many layers in
would be difficult or impossible to do with a pixel-based a Anime Studio project, each representing a different
image. element in a scene or animation, such as background
First of all, since an Anime Studio drawing is represented scenery, a character, or a title. Some layers can even
as a bunch of curves, you can reshape the curves at any contain other layers, so a more complex object, such as
time, without ever losing precision. Also, Anime Studio a character, might contain separate layers for each arm
projects are relatively small, even for complex animations and leg.
- this means Anime Studio doesn’t require much memory
even when working on a long movie. Vectors also have
benefits when it comes to animation. By moving just a few Layer Types
points, you can totally change the shape of an object over
Anime Studio currently supports the following types of
time.
layers:
You’re not restricted to vector artwork, though - Anime
Studio also has Image Layers. Using this type of layer, you • Vector Layers are used to hold vector-based artwork.
can work with regular images within an Anime Studio These are the main type of layer you will use to create
project. So, Anime Studio is not strictly vector-based, but drawings. See “Vector Layers” on page 121 for more
you will probably still use mostly vector layers, as image information.
layers are not as flexible when it comes to animation.

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You can use the Scripts > Draw > Simplify • Bone Layers contain skeletons that are used to
Curve menu command to reduce the control the artwork in your vector and image layers.
number of points in a complex Vector layer. You manipulate skeletons as if they were “puppets”
by bending arms and legs to make a character
move. See “Bone Layers” on page 124 for more
• Image Layers can be used to bring in images from
information.
other applications. Image files created in 3D programs
or photo editing applications can be used in Anime Right-click a Bone layer in the Layers window
Studio with Image Layers. See “Image Layers” on to quickly convert it into a Switch layer.
page 122 for more information.

• Group Layers (Anime Studio Pro only) are used to • Switch Layers are just like Bone layers, except they
group together multiple layers. If you created 20 will only display one of their sub-layers at a time.
layers with trees for example, you could put them all Switch layers are an excellent way to perform lip-sync
in a Group Layer and call it a forest. Group layers are animation. Which sub-layer gets displayed is controlled
a useful tool for organizing a complex project. See by a switch data file. You can create this data file
“Group Layers” on page 123 for more information. by hand, or better yet, use a lip-syncing program like
Papagayo. See “Switch Layers” on page 127 for
Right-click a Group Layer in the Layers more information.
window to quickly convert the Group layer
into a Bone or Switch layer. • Frame by Frame Layers: Provide a quicker and
easier way to create frame by frame animation. For
further explanation of the settings, see “Frame by
• Group with Selection Layers (Anime Studio Pro only):
Frame Layers” on page 131. For a hands-on tutorial,
After selecting two or more groups, choose the
see “Tutorial 5.10: Using Frame by Frame Layers for
Group with Selection layer type to create a group
Animation” on page 225 in your Anime Studio Tutorial
that contains the selected layer(s). See “Group with
Manual.
Selection Layers” on page 124 for further information.

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• Particle Layers (Anime Studio Pro only) are used as a • 3D Layers (Anime Studio Pro only) can be used to
way to simulate water, sparks, smoke, crowds, or any import 3D objects that were created in a 3D modeling
number of effects that can be made up of many small program. Use the File > Import > 3D command to
objects. A Particle layer behaves somewhat like a create a 3D Layer. 3D models can be a good source
Group layer, but instead of displaying each of its sub- of background scenery. Or, use a 3D model for a
layers, it can display many, many copies of each sub- character’s head, and decorate it with eyes, mouth,
layer arranged in sort of a “spray” formation. The sub- etc. created with Anime Studio’s vector layers. See “3D
layers appear to be moving outward from the origin of Layers” on page 136 for more information.
the Particle layer. For more information, see “Particle
Layers” on page 132
Enhanced Layer Alignment
Note Layers (Anime Studio Pro only) are like sticky notes
•
in Anime Studio. You might use a note layer when you
Features
want to leave a note for yourself or another animator. The Layer Alignment features in Anime Studio assist in
For example, you might create a note layer at a alignment when using 2D to 3D conversions. New layers
particular frame that needs some work, or to describe align to face with the current camera view. This allows you
why a character is set up in a particular way. See to create more complex 3D objects in your Anime Studio
“Note Layers” on page 135 for more information. scenes.

• Audio Layers allow you to add a sound file to your To demonstrate, try this:
project. When adding an audio layer you will be
1. Create a new Anime Studio scene.
prompted to select an audio file.
2. Use the Draw Shape tool to draw a box in the scene.
• Patch Layers allow you to arrange layers so that part of
a layer can appear behind a layer, and another part 3. Use the 2D to 3D conversion features to extrude the
of the same layer can appear in front of a layer. They 2D box into a 3D box. To convert a 2D vector layer to
are used in conjunction with the Character Wizard, but 3D, double click on the layer in the Layers Window and
can also be used in other ways.

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click on the 3D Options tab. Then select ‘Extrude’ from

the 3D Conversion drop down menu.

4. Use the Orbit Workspace tool to rotate the camera

so that you are looking at the 2D box from a different
angle.

5. Create a new layer, and add another extruded box

on that layer. The new box faces the current angle of
the camera.

6. Rotate the camera so that you can see how the two
boxes relate to each other.

New layer alignment features

Vector Layers
Vector layers are the most common layer in Anime Studio
projects. Artwork that you create in Anime Studio is always
contained in a vector layer. Tools are available for drawing
and editing curves, setting up fills and outlines, and
connecting your drawings to bones.

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there’s no difference between them whatsoever - they’re

both collections of curves. One happens to be in the
shape of a circle, and the other in the shape of some text.
There are advantages in treating all objects the same: first,
you never have to worry about what type of object you’re
working with - the answer is always the same: a set of points
and curves. The other advantage is that any operation you
can perform on hand-drawn curves can be performed on
text, or a circle, or whatever.
The other feature of Anime Studio’s drawing mode that
is different from many other drawing programs is the
concept of welding. In Anime Studio, two points can be
welded together into a single point. In fact, any number of
points can be welded together. When points are welded
together, moving one of them moves them all, along with
any curves that pass through that point. This is particularly
Vector Layers useful when you start to animate objects. For example, if
you want to move a character’s nose, then welding it to
The tools available for working with vector layers essentially the face might not be a bad idea. That way, however you
make up a 2D drawing program. You can draw lines and distort the nose or the face, they’ll always stay connected.
curves, re-shape existing curves, and manipulate objects in
various ways. There are a couple ways that Anime Studio
differs from other drawing programs. First, everything you Image Layers
draw in Anime Studio is a set of points and curves. In many
Image layers are a way of importing artwork into Anime
programs, when you draw a circle, you get a circle object,
Studio that was created in other programs. Any program
or you may type some text to create a text object. In
that can produce image files can be used together with
Anime Studio, once you’ve created the circle or the text,
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Anime Studio this way. For example, a painting program, The best image format to use with Anime Studio is PNG.
photo editor, or 3D modeling program can produce PNG files have high quality, good compression, and
images that can be used in an Anime Studio image layer. support full alpha channels for transparency effects.
You can’t edit the pixels of one of these images in Anime Although PNG is the preferred format for use with Anime
Studio, but you can move, resize and rotate image layers, Studio, you can also use JPEG, BMP, Targa, or GIF images.
and attach them to skeletons for more complex animation.
Image layers can also be used to bring external movies
into Anime Studio. Instead of selecting a still image, select
When an image layer is first selected, the
a movie file when creating a new image layer. Anime
default tool is set to the Transform Layer tool.
Studio can import QuickTime (Windows and Mac OS)
or AVI (Windows only) movies as image layers. When
importing a movie file, Anime Studio will use the movie’s
alpha channel (if present) to composite the movie with
other elements in the scene.

Due to differences in media support between

Macintosh and 64-bit Windows OS, you will
need to use the 32-bit version of Anime Studio Pro to
import and export MOV files that have alpha
channels.

Group Layers
Group layers are used to group together multiple sub-
layers so that they can be manipulated as one. They’re
also very useful for organizing complex projects. You can
Image Layers think of a group layer as a folder that can contain files
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(layers) and other folders (more group layers). When you The group layer will be created as the parent of the last
move a group layer, turn it invisible, or apply an effect layer that you selected, unless its parent is also selected. In
(such as a layer shadow), these are all applied to every that case, the new group will become the grandparent of
layer contained within the group. the last selected layer.

Group Layers Group with Selection Layers

Group with Selection Layers Bone Layers

You can use the Group with Selection layer type to Bone layers are similar to Group layers - they can both
combine two or more selected layers into a group. group together multiple sub-layers that can then be

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manipulated as a single object. However, bone layers will help you animate later on. The purpose of setting up
have an additional feature: In a bone layer, you can bones is exactly what you might think: creating a rigid
set up a skeleton that can be used to manipulate your skeleton inside your drawing. Later on, during animation,
artwork. A skeleton is exactly what it sounds like - an when you want to move an object, bones make the job
internal structure that can move the outer, visible portion of easy. By moving a single bone in the arm of a character,
your artwork. for example, the whole arm will move with it. Around the
elbow, the drawing of the arm will bend and stay smooth
(as long as the bones were set up well with the Bone
editing tools).
Bones by themselves don’t really do much of anything:
you can move them around, but they’re invisible in the
final Anime Studio output. To really make use of bones,
they need to be attached to objects in other layers. This
process is covered in “Bones” on page 107 in your Anime
Studio Tutorial Manual, and also “Chapter 5: Bone Tools”
on page 85.
When you create a skeleton out of a group of bones, the
bones have a hierarchical relationship. Each bone has a
single parent (or maybe no parent at all, in which case it’s
called a root bone), and each bone may have multiple
children. The relationship between parent and children is
that when a parent bone is moved, all of its children move
with it. When a child bone is moved however, it’s parent
Bone Layers
remains unchanged.

Setting up bones is sort of a pre-animation phase. You Below is a picture of a skeleton created in Anime Studio.
don’t draw shapes in Bone layers, you set up controls that Red arrows have been added that point from each bone

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to its parent (the spine has no parent and is referred to as you can adjust). Points move mostly with the bone whose
the root of the skeleton). Note that the currently selected region of influence they fall within, although other bones
bone is highlighted in red, and its parent (if it has one) is can still have an effect on them. Below is a picture of some
highlighted in blue, as shown below. points and bones. Notice the region of influence around
each bone. The second picture shows the same object
after the bones have been moved. Notice how the points
follow the bones according to regions of influence (and
how the curves pass smoothly through the points, wherever
they move to).

A skeleton hierarchy

When you use bones with a vector layer, you need to

consider how the bones and curve control points will
interact. When a bone moves, it moves the points around
it as well. Each bone has a region of influence (which A bone and vector setup

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Switch Layers
Moving bones moves the curve control points
One reason you might want to do this is for lip-sync
animation. In this case, each of the sub-layers would
Switch Layers correspond to a mouth shape for a particular sound.
Many of the characters in the Library provide switch layers
Switch layers are used to group together multiple layers,
for the visemes that Anime Studio supports. For example,
much like Group layers. However, switch layers have
if you load Jace from the Version 6 character library
an interesting twist: only one of their sub-layers can be
and expand the Mouth layer, you’ll see support for the
displayed at a time.

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following visemes and mouth positions: Rest, Etc, FV, L, MBP, To set up a mouth that can lip sync, you will
O, E, AI, U, and WQ. need to create a switch layer that contains at
least ten sub-layers with different mouth shapes.
Anime Studio includes powerful automatic lip-syncing
Shapes should be created for the appearance of
which is a big time saver .
the mouth when at rest, and when speaking each of
• Anime Studio Debut uses the volume of the audio the 9 before-mentioned phonemes. The Preston Blair
track to determine which mouth shape to use. When mouth shapes are discussed in more detail at http://
the audio is quiet, the mouth is more closed. When the minyos.its.rmit.edu.au/aim/a_notes/mouth_
audio is louder, the mouth is more open. shapes_01.html.

• Anime Studio Pro uses a production sync library that

For examples of how lip syncing is used, see
analyzes the audio track to determine the phonemes
“Tutorial 5.1: Automatic Lip-Sync” on page
(the basic components of speech) that are being
185 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual and
used. Results are improved when you enter the spoken
“Tutorial 5.2: Phoneme Lip-Sync” on page 187 in
words into Anime Studio. After the production sync
your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.
analysis is done, Anime Studio Pro applies the matching
mouth shape.
If you prefer more control over lip-syncing than what the
The mouth shapes supported by the Anime Studio lip automatic built-in lip-syncing offers, you can take full
syncing features follow standards developed by Preston manual control over the process using a separate, and
Blair, an animator from the early days of Disney. free, tool called Papagayo (see http://www.lostmarble.
com/papagayo/). In Papagayo, you type in the words
that are being spoken. Papagayo then uses a phoneme
dictionary to break down the words into spoken phoneme
components. These are lined up on a timeline, along with
the audio waveform.

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Initially, the lineup on the timeline in Papagayo is rough If you make changes to the switch data file outside
and the phonemes are spaced evenly. You then shift of Anime Studio, and you want to incorporate those
words and phonemes along the timeline so that they line changes, you will need to re-load the data file. To do this,
up better with the actual sounds you hear. The final result is double-click the Switch layer in the Layers window, and
saved out as a “switch data file” that can be imported into in the dialog that opens up, go to the Switch tab, press
Anime Studio. Source Data and re-select the data file.
You can also create a switch data file by hand. To do this, You don’t have to use a data file to work with Switch layers
the data file should look like this: - you can also control them manually from within Anime
MohoSwitch1 Studio. To control which sub-layer is displayed at any frame
1 A in your animation, just right-click on the Switch layer in the
2 A Layers window. A pop-up menu will appear that lets you
10 B choose which sub-layer to display.
22 A Anime Studio includes several sample mouth sets for doing
37 C lip-sync with Papagayo - take a look at those files to see
40 C how a switch layer should be set up. Also, check out the
lip-sync tutorials included in this manual.
• The first line is a header that just tells Anime Studio that
the file is a switch data file. Switch layers have a feature that allows for smooth
switching. To use this feature, all the sub-layers need to be
• The following lines contain two items each: Vector layers, and they need to have the same number
of control points. Then, when switching, Anime Studio
• The first item is a keyframe. can smoothly transition between sub-layers. To enable
ƒƒ The second item is the name of one of the switch this feature, turn on Interpolate sub-layers in the Switch
group’s sub-layers. (In this example, the switch layer’s properties dialog. An example of using this feature is
layer should have three sub-layers, named “A”, included in one of the mouth sets mentioned above.
“B”, and “C”.) Switch layers can be set up with skeletons, just like bone
layers. More accurately, a switch layer is a bone layer, just
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a specialized one. If you add bones to a switch layer, you • When moving switch layer keys in the timeline:
can use them (for example) to change the shape of a
ƒƒ Drag the left side of the switch layer key to move it
mouth as it speaks, bending it into a smile or a frown.
forward or backward in time.
Don’t feel restricted to lip-sync animation with switch layers.
ƒƒ Drag the right side of the switch layer key to move
They have a lot of potential uses (controlling eyes, syncing
it forward or backward in time.
to music & sound effects, switching between different
hand gestures, etc.). ƒƒ For shorter keys, you can use shortcut keys as
follows: hold the Cmd/Ctrl key down to move the
right side, or the Shift key to move the left side.
Using Switch Layers
ƒƒ Hold the Alt key down to revert to the old behavior
Improvements to switch layers now include behaviors that of simply moving keyframes around.
will make them work better for frame-by-frame animation.
These improvements include the following changes and ƒƒ Drag the center of the switch layer key to move
enhancements: the entire switch layer as a whole. You can also
drag it before or after a neighboring switch layer to
• You no longer need to select a switch layer’s active swap positions.
child in the Layers palette. You can now simply Alt
COMMAND/Ctrl Right-click on it in the workspace. • When a layer is added to an empty switch group, it
becomes the active child at frame 0.
• You can Alt-click the child of a switch layer in the
Layers palette to activate it. • When a new layer is created inside a switch group,
Anime Studio will assign a unique name (which is
• You can activate the previous switch layer child using necessary for proper switch group functionality).
the Alt+D shortcut.
• When a layer inside a switch group is renamed, the
• To activate the next switch layer child, use the Alt+C switch animation channel is updated to use the new
shortcut. name to preserve existing switch animation.

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• When a new layer is created inside a switch group at

a frame other than zero, that new layer is not marked
Frame by Frame Layers
invisible prior to that time. (The switch layer takes care The Frame by Frame layer type automatically creates a
of its visibility, so setting it separately is redundant and layer that has the Frame by Frame option turned on in the
makes it difficult to re-time the frame-by-frame effect.) Layers window. A new vector layer will be placed inside
the Frame by Frame animation layer so that you can begin
• When a new shape is drawn in a vector layer inside
drawing in it.
a switch group at a frame other than zero, that
shape will not be set invisible prior to that time. (Same All of the drawing tools are available when a frame by
reasoning as for new layers.) frame layer is selected. Unlike doing frame by frame
animation with switch layers, you will not need to go into
If the children of a switch layer have layer the individual layers inside the frame by frame layer. If a
colors assigned to them (as described in frame by frame layer is selected when you insert text, the
“Using Layer Colors” on page 194), the text will be created on the active vector layer. You also will
corresponding keys in the timeline will have the not need to expand a Frame by Frame animation layer to
same color when those children are active. This select the individual layers while you draw.
makes it easier to see at a quick glance what switch
layer is active at what time. See “Tutorial 5.10: Using Frame by Frame
Layers for Animation” on page 225 in your
Anime Studio Tutorial Manual for more information
Switch layer keyframes are displayed in the on how to use Frame-by-Frame layers.
timeline. You can mouse over one of the
keyframes to see which layer is active at that point.

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layer will automatically animate its sub-layers so that they

appear to be flowing outward from the particle layer’s
origin.

Frame by Frame Layers

Particle Layers
Particle Layers
The direction that a particle layer sprays its particles is
Particle layers are a way to simulate such effects as flowing
illustrated below.
water, fire, bubbles, or other effects that you can imagine
are made up of many small objects. A particle layer is like
a group layer in that it can contain sub-layers. However,
instead of just displaying its sub-layers as they are, a particle

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The complete list of settings for a particle layer is as follows.

These settings are accessible in the Layer Properties dialog,
under the Particles tab:

Particle spray direction

During an animation, a particle layer can be turned on or

off. When it is turned off, no more particles will be created,
but those that already exist will continue to the end of their
lifetime. To turn a particle layer on or off, right-click its entry
in the Layers window. A popup menu will appear to let you
turn the particle layer on or off. Particles Layer Settings

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• Particle Count: The total number of particles visible at • On at start: Whether the particle layer should be on at
any one time the start of the animation

• Preview particles: The number of particles displayed in • Full speed start: If the layer is on, this checkbox
the working view (a smaller number than Particle count indicates if it should be running at full speed, or just
keeps the working view from slowing down too much) starting

• Lifetime (frames): The number of frames before a • Orient particles: If checked, then the particles will
particle is recycled and sent back to the source. If set rotate to face the direction they’re moving in
to zero, the particles will keep going for the duration of
the animation. • Free-floating: If unchecked, then the particles will be
tied to the particle layer if it is moved
• Source width: The width of the spray source
• Evenly spaced: if checked, then the particles will be
• Source height: The height of the spray source released in even time increments

• Source depth: The depth of the spray source. If set to • Randomize playback: Normally, particles will start
a number greater than zero, then some particles will their animation from the beginning when they are
appear closer to the camera than others. first created. If this box is checked, then particles will
start playback at a random time. This is useful when
• Velocity: The speed that particles start at (a value of 2 simulating things like crowds of people when you use
will cause a particle to cross the entire screen vertically effects (see “Effects” on page 236 in your Anime
in one second) Studio Tutorial Manual).

• Velocity spread: The amount of random variation in the • Use Base Layer as Source: Check this option if you want
particles’ velocity to use the bottommost layer as a shape that generates
your particles. For more information on this feature, see
• Damping: This acts kind of like air resistance, or
“Tutorial 6.4.2: Custom Particle Generators” on page
backwards acceleration
250 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.
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• Direction: An angle indicating direction to spray

particles in (see above figure)

• Spread: How wide the spray should be (see above

figure) (a value of 360 will cause particles to spray in all
directions)

• Acceleration: The direction of acceleration (straight

down simulates gravity)

• Rate: The rate of acceleration

• Copy all Particle settings to other selected layers:

When multiple layers are selected, check this option
and click the Apply button to copy all particle settings
to all other applicable selected layers.

Note Layers Note Layers

Anime Studio’s Note layers work kind of like sticky notes. By default, Note layers do not appear in final rendered
You can add a note layer to remind yourself of something output, so your audience doesn’t need to see your
you need to work on, or to explain to other animators comments to yourself. However, if for some reason you
some important aspect of your project file. If you add a do want a note to appear in the final product, you can
note layer at a frame other than zero, the note will only do that by unchecking Don’t render this layer in the Layer
appear starting at that frame. That way, you can add Settings dialog.
notes that refer to specific parts of your animation (ex. “Use
more exaggeration here!”).

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You can assign a color to the Note layer in

the General tab. After you create the Note
layer, open the Layer Settings dialog and switch to
the General tab. Choose a color from the Layer
Color drop-down menu, as described in “General
Tab” on page 198. If the color is set to Plain, the
note will appear against the default background
color.

Audio Layers
Audio layers allow you to add an audio file to your project.
You will be prompted to select a file after choosing this
layer type. A graphic representation of the audio file
appears in the timeline after the file is selected.
Audio Layers

3D Layers
3D layers are a way for you to import true 3D models into
Anime Studio. When a 3D layer is rotated in space (or the
camera moves around it), you actually see that backside
of the model. Anime Studio supports importing OBJ files into
3D layers - OBJ is a common 3D file format that most 3D
programs can read and write.
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When importing OBJ files, Anime Studio will also load any When preparing a 3D model for use with
associated material file, importing the objects’ colors and Anime Studio, it’s usually a good idea to
texture maps. triangulate the model before exporting it as an OBJ
file. This will eliminate any problems with concave or
3D layers can also be used with skeletons. Using a bone
complex faces.
layer, you can warp a 3D model by moving bones
around. Keep in mind that while 3D layers are truly three-
dimensional, bone layers are only 2D. So, any manipulation
you do with bones is going to be limited to some degree. Patch Layers
Because Anime Studio is not a true 3D program, not all
Patch layers are used in the Character Wizard to create
3D features are supported. In particular, lighting. Any 3D
objects that appear both in front of and behind objects on
model you import will be flat shaded. However, because
another layer. You can also create patch layers manually.
Anime Studio does support texture maps, you can simulate
lighting if a texture map has lighting effects baked into it.
There are lots of quality 3D programs we recommend for
use with Anime Studio Pro. The following are products that
will work well with Anime Studio Pro:

• Poser

• Amapi
For further information on importing 3D objects within
Anime Studio Pro please see the Anime Studio Tutorials
section at http://my.smithmicro.com/tutorials/.

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However, when one joint meets another joint, there are

outlines that overlap with other body parts. This is where
patch layers come in, because you can blend the two
layers together and “hide” the line where they connect.
Look at the following example, which shows a number of
body parts that are placed inside a Bone layer named
Skeleton.

Patch Layers

Patch layers are intended for use when you are

constructing a character such as a humanoid figure. For
example, let’s say you are drawing different body parts on
different layers in a bone group. The head is on one layer, Determine the areas that you want to blend with underlying
the torso on another, upper left and right arms on their own layers.
layers, and so on. Each layer has its own outline and fill.

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Let’s say you want to blend the area between the torso
and the right upper arm (Upper Arm R), which appears
directly above the torso in the Layers window. To do this,
you would follow these steps:
1. Select the Upper Arm R layer, so that the new Patch
layer will appear above it.

2. Create a new Patch layer in the Layers window.

3. A dialog asks you to select a target, and you can

select the target layer from the Target drop-Down
menu. Choose the Torso layer and click OK.

4. You’ll see a new circle in the project window. The

circle is the patch. The patch will be named according
to the target layer that you selected in the Patch Layer
dialog. In the case of our example, the patch layer is
The new Patch Layer in place.
named Torso-Patch.

5. Use the Transform Layer tool to position and scale 6. Use the Manipulate Bones tool to test the positioning of
the patch so that the lines are covered. It should be your patch.
positioned at the point where the shoulder will rotate.
If you need to change the target at any time,
you can double-click the Patch layer and
choose a new target from the Patch tab in the
Layer Settings dialog.

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Double-click the Patch layer to change the target if necessary.

Text Layers
The Text Layer option adds a text layer to your document,
and works the same as the Text tool, the Draw > Insert
Text command or by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl/ Text Layers
Command+T. For a description of the Insert Text dialog, see
“Inserting Text and Word Balloons” on page 152.

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Chapter 7: Layer Tools

The following tools are available to be used with any type
of layer. Their purpose is to modify an entire layer, not just
an individual object in that layer. Reset tool options.

If a tool has the following symbol next to it: , then it can

be used for animation - using the tool at different frames
in the timeline will cause the object you adjust to change Transform Layer
over time.
Use this tool to translate, rotate, or scale the entire
Anime Studio has a smart tool palette, which layer. It doesn’t matter what objects are selected -
shows and hides tools based on their need. everything in the layer will move when you use this tool.
The position of the tool shown in the screenshots
When the contents of the layer are selected, a pair of
may differ, depending on the selected layer in the
rectangles will surround the items in the layer.
Layers palette, and the current time in the timeline.

Click the tool icon in the properties bar to

display a submenu. Choose Reset Tool to
reset the current tool to its default settings. Choose
Reset All Tools to reset all tools to their default
settings.

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When transforming multiple layers with the

Transform Layer tool, make sure that you do
not transform one or more layers when their parent is
also selected. Otherwise, double transforms will result
in the child layer(s).

When you move an object forward or

backward in Z, it appears to move toward
the center of the camera. What you are seeing is a
perspective effect. If you want to move an object
backward but keep the visual size the same, press
the SHIFT and ALT keys together while you transform
Transform Layer rectangle the layer. You will see the object move backward or
forward, but it will also be transformed along the X
and Y axes as well. This will make the layer appear as
• To translate a layer: Click anywhere inside the inner
though it is moving forward or backward from its
rectangle to move the layer to a new location.
center.
ƒƒ Hold the Shift key while translating to constrain
the movement to straight horizontal or vertical
movement.

ƒƒ Hold the Alt key while translating to move the layer

on the Z (depth) axis.

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When you release the mouse after • Drag a handle on the top, bottom, right, or left edge
transforming the layer with the Shift ALT keys, of the rectangle to scale the object horizontally or
it will appear as though the layer pops back to its vertically.
original size. If you rotate the camera you’ll see that
ƒƒ Press the Alt key while scaling to maintain the
the object has become larger. This helps you
volume of the object while you scale ... in other
maintain the same composition from the view of the
words, if you increase the height of an object, the
camera, allowing you to compose your scene in 2D
width will decrease; or if you increase the width of
but then add depth to it in Anime Studio. As you
an object, the height will decrease.
move the object forward or backward the change
in scale reflects the amount that the object is
moved. After you release the mouse, the object
changes scale to retain the original composition of
the scene.

• To rotate a layer: Click in the area between the inner

Transform Layer
and outer rectangles, and drag up, down, left, or right
to rotate the layer around its origin point.
When you are working with a 3D camera, the
ƒƒ Hold the Shift key while rotating to snap the
original plane of the object might not be the
rotation to 45 degree angles.
best place to move the object. You can use the
• To scale a layer: Click one of the corner handles to Pan and Tilt camera tools to position the camera
scale the layer uniformly. Scaling is proportional by along the plane in which you want to move the
default. To perform non-proportional scaling with a object, and then use the Transform Layer tool to
corner handle, press the Shift key while you scale the move the object along the plane of the camera’s
object. current view.

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If the Show Path box in the tool options area is checked, • Position Y: Allows you to numerically enter a value for
then the motion path for the current layer will be displayed the Y coordinate.
in the working area when this tool is active. This makes it
easier to visualize and plan out the motion of a layer. • Position Z: Allows you to numerically enter a value for
the Z coordinate.’
Direct Path Editing: To edit the motion path directly, hold
down the Ctrl key (Windows) or Cmd key (Mac) , then click • Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its
and drag anywhere on the motion path to adjust the curve default value. If pressed at any other frame, resets the
that the layer will follow through space. layer to the value or values set at frame 0.
Nudging: When this tool is active, you can nudge a
layer by small increments by holding down the Ctrl key Tool Options (for Scaling)
(Windows) or Cmd key (Mac) and pressing the arrow keys.
Hold down Shift in addition to Ctrl/Cmd to nudge the layer
by a greater increment.

Tool Options (for Translating) Transform Layer Options for Scaling

• Scale X: Allows you to enter a numeric value for scaling

along the X axis.
Transform Layer Options for Translating
• Scale Y: Allows you to enter a numeric value for scaling
along the Y axis.
• Position X: Allows you to numerically enter a value for
the X coordinate. • Scale Z: Allows you to enter a numeric value for scaling
along the Z axis.

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• Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its • Show Path: Check this option to display the motion
default value. If pressed at any other frame, resets the path on the layer. Uncheck the option to turn the
layer to the value or values set at frame 0. motion path display off.

• Flip Layer Horizontally: Click this button to flip

Tool Options (for Rotating) horizontally.

• Flip Layer Vertically: Click this button to flip vertically.

• Alignment: After you select two or more layers, click

the Alignment button to choose how you want to align
Transform Layer Options for Rotating them. Options are Left, Right, Center Horizontally, Top,
Bottom, or Center Vertically.
• Angle: Allows you to enter a numerical value for
rotation along the Z axis.

• Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its

default value. If pressed at any other frame, resets the
layer to the value or values set at frame 0.

Tool Options (Other)

Alignment button and options

Other Transform Layer Options

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Set Origin Tool Options

With the Set Origin tool selected, click anywhere in
the layer to set the origin to that point. The origin of a
layer is indicated by the crosshair displayed when editing
that layer. The origin is the point that the layer rotates
Set Origin Options
around when using the Rotate Layer tool, and the point
that the layer resizes around when using the Transform
Layer tool. The location of the origin can also define how a • Origin X: Allows you to view or enter a numerical value
layer will move when it is attached to a group of bones. for the X origin

• Origin Y: Allows you to view or enter a numerical value

for the Y origin

• Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its

default value. If pressed at any other frame, resets the
layer to the value or values set at frame 0.
Set Origin
• Flip Layer Horizontally: Click this button to flip
horizontally.
Although you can change the origin at any time, the
position of a layer’s origin is not animated. We recommend
• Flip Layer Vertically: Click this button to flip vertically.
setting the layer’s origin just once, and then leaving it alone
for the rest of the animation - otherwise unpredictable
movement can occur. In most cases, you will never need Follow Path
to change the origin of a layer at all.
This tool allows you to assign any layer to follow a path in
your scene. You will need two layers, one with the path,
and the other with the object that will follow the path.
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Previously, there was no indication that a

layer was set to follow a path. This could
make it very confusing when opening a file you
weren’t familiar with (or hadn’t used in a while).
Certain layers might move in unexpected ways.
Now, layers that follow a path get a little extra
squiggly line (indicating path following) on top of
their icon in the Layers palette.

Follow Path
Two layers, one with a path, and another with a character or
object
If a layer follows a path, an extra squiggly line
will appear on top of their icon in the Layers
palette. To use the tool, select the layer that contains object
that you want to follow the path. Then select the Follow
Path tool from the Layer section of the toolbox. The path
appears in the scene after you select the Follow Path tool.
Click the path in the scene to reposition the object to the
beginning of the curve.

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You can click and drag left or right with the Follow Path You can set the object to rotate so that it follows the path.
tool to position the object along the curve at any point. Double-click the object’s layer in the Layers window, which
You can then move to a later frame in your animation and opens to the General tab. Check the Rotate to follow path
set the object to a new position. This allows you to animate option in the Options section of the Layer Settings dialog
the object travelling along the path. and click OK. This causes the object to automatically orient
itself to follow the path to which it is assigned.

Check the Rotate to Follow Path option in the Layer Settings

dialog to orient the object to the path

The fish before and after it is placed on the path with the
Follow Path tool

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You can also combine path following with

the Stroke Exposure tool, and expose the
stroke of the curve while the object moves along
the path.

If you hold down the Alt key while clicking on

a curve, the object will now bend along the
curve. This allows for text bending, characters that
warp along a path (like a snake), and so on. You
can animate this effect. For example if you go to
another point in the timeline, you can Alt-click
somewhere else on the curve.

Press the Alt key while using the Follow Path tool to bend the
object along the path

Tool Options

Follow Path Options

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• Percentage: Allows you to enter a numerical value for Tool Options

the position of the object on the path. A value of 0
places the object at the beginning of the path, while a
value of 100 places the object at the end.

Rotate Layer XY Rotate Layer XY Options

Click and drag up and down to rotate the layer around

• X Rotation: Allows you to enter a numerical value for
the X (horizontal) axis. This is a true 3D rotation, so that one
rotation along the X axis.
half of the layer rotates into the screen and the other half
out of the screen. • Y Rotation: Allows you to enter a numerical value for
Click and drag side-to-side to rotate the layer around rotation along the Y axis.
the Y (vertical) axis. This is a true 3D rotation, so that one
half of the layer rotates into the screen and the other half • Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its
out of the screen. You can verify this by using the Orbit default value. If pressed at any other frame, resets the
Workspace tool to change your view of the scene. layer to the value or values set at frame 0.

Shear Layer
Use this tool to shear the current layer horizontally or
vertically. Click and drag to shear, or slant the
current layer to the left, right, up, or down.
Rotate Layer XY

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• Reset: If pressed at Frame 0, resets a layer back to its

default value. If pressed at any other frame, resets the
layer to the value or values set at frame 0.

Layer Selector
Shear Layer The Layer Selector helps you quickly find and edit the
vector, image, and 3D content in your layers. It is very
helpful, especially when you have dozens or hundreds of
layers in your project and can’t remember which layer a
Tool Options specific shape appears on.

This tool can be also be used by Alt Right-

clicking on the object that you want to
select.
Shear Layer Options
You can Alt Right click any layer type that has visible
contents. If you click a shape that appears in a Bone
• Shear X: Allows you to view or enter a numerical value
group, for example, it will select the vector layer that
for shear along the X axis.
appears within that Bone group.
• Shear Y: Allows you to view or enter a numerical value There are no options for this tool. Simply click on the object
for shear along the Y axis. you want to select, and its layer is automatically selected
for editing. If there are multiple objects in the layer, the
• Shear Z: Allows you to view or enter a numerical value object that you click on is the selected object.
for shear along the Z axis.

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Layer Selector Insert Text

ƒƒ Choose Draw > Insert Text

Inserting Text and Word Balloons ƒƒ Use the keyboard shortcut COMMAND/Ctrl T. The
Insert Text dialog appears.
Anime Studio allows you to enter text in your projects. While
doing so, you have the option to automatically create a
word balloon that encloses the text.
The following example explains how you can add text and
a word balloon inside a project:
1. Choose one of the following to open the Insert Text
dialog:

ƒƒ In the Layers window, create a new Text layer.

ƒƒ Click the Insert Text Tool, located in the Layer Tools

section.

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2. The Select Font list displays all of the fonts on your

system. Select the font that you want to use from the
list.

Select Font list

3. Enter the text in the Text field. The project window will
update as you type.

Word balloons will automatically resize to

accommodate the text. If you want to break
the text into multiple lines, you will need to press the
Insert Text Options Enter key where you want a line break to occur.
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Enter your text in the text field.

4. Use the remaining settings to set additional text

properties as follows:

Select fill, stroke, and other font options.

ƒƒ Style 1 or Style 2: Select a saved style to assign to

the text.

ƒƒ Fill: Check this option if you want your text to be

filled with a solid color. Uncheck the option if
you want your text to only use an outline stroke
(described next). For filled text, click the color

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swatch or use the eyedropper to select the fill If your text is added as a vector object, you
color. can use the Freehand tool and Delete Edge
tool to create uniquely colored text. First, create
ƒƒ Stroke: Check this option if you want your text to
your text as normal, making sure that there is a
have an outline. Click the Color swatch or use the
stroke on the text. Then use the Freehand tool (with
eyedropper to select the outline color.
its Auto Weld option on) to slice the text or letter up
ƒƒ Width: Enter the desired pixel width for the outline into shapes that you can color differently. Finally, use
stroke in the Width field. the Delete Edge tool to remove the lines that hang
out from the edges of the text. See “Freehand” on
ƒƒ Justification: Click the justification type that you
page 44 and “Delete Edge” on page 50 for
want to apply to the text. Choices are Left, Center
more information on how to use those tools.
(the default), or Right.

ƒƒ Create One Shape: With this option checked, your

text object will be added to the currently selected
layer. This text will be added as a vector object
and will not be editable.

If you leave the Create Text Layer option

unchecked, your text object can be
manipulated just like anything else. This includes
using any of the drawing tools to distort its shape, or
to add new points in the middle of a character. This
also means that in order to move or rotate a text
object, you need to select all the points in the
object. This is easy to do using the Select Points tool Create colorful text using the Freehand and Delete Edge tools
- just click on the filled in area of the text to select all with the Insert Text tool.
of it.

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ƒƒ Create Text Layer: With this option checked. a options that affect the appearance and placement
new text layer will be created, and you can easily of the balloon tail, or whether the outer edges of the
edit the text afterward. To do so, open the Layer balloon are smooth or cloud-like. Each of these balloon
Settings dialog and click the Text tab to make your morphs are set to zero, initially. You can move the dials
changes. in any combination to change the appearance of the
balloon. The preview window updates as you make
ƒƒ Scale: Use the Scale slider to increase or decrease
your changes. The text will appear in your document,
the text size, or enter a scale value in the Scale
pre-filled with the current fill color and style, and it can
field.
be resized and positioned just like any other object.
ƒƒ Leading: Use the Leading slider to adjust the
spacing that appears between multiple lines of
text. Move toward the left to decrease space,
and toward the right to increase space. Negative
values are also valid.

ƒƒ Kerning: Use the Kerning slider to adjust the amount

of space between letters. Move toward the left to
decrease space, and toward the right to increase
space. Negative values are also valid.
5. If you want to use a word balloon to enclose your text,
select one of the word balloons from the Select word
balloon type list. Otherwise, choose <none> if you do
not want to use a word balloon.

6. Additional word balloon options (custom for each

word balloon type) appear beneath the selection. Choose a word balloon type, if desired, and use the balloon
These options allow you to change the appearance morphs to customize its appearance.
of the word balloon. For example, you might find
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7. Use the following settings to determine the color and the color swatch or use the eyedropper to choose
size of the word balloon: the desired stroke color.

ƒƒ Stroke Width: Enter the width of the stroke used for

the word balloon in pixels.

ƒƒ Size Relative to Text: Use this slider to increase

or decrease the amount of white space that
appears between the text and the outer edges
of the balloon. Move the slider toward the left to
decrease the amount of space, and toward the
right to increase the amount of space.

ƒƒ Flip Vertical: Check this option to flip the object

vertically. For example, if the tail is on the bottom
of the balloon by default, it will place the tail on
the top.

ƒƒ Flip Horizontal: Check this option to flip the object

horizontally. For example, if the tail is on the left
Choose a word balloon type, if desired, and use the balloon side of the balloon by default, it will flip the balloon
morphs to customize its appearance. so that the tail is on the right side.

ƒƒ Constrain Proportions: Check this option if you

ƒƒ Custom Fill: Check this option if you want to select
want to keep an equal amount of white space
a fill color for the word balloon. Click the color
around the width and height of the balloon. When
swatch or use the eyedropper to choose the
unchecked, the height of the balloon will be closer
desired fill color.
to the text, and the width of the balloon will have
ƒƒ Custom Stroke: Check this option if you want to more white space.
select a stroke (outline) color for the balloon. Click
8. Press OK to add the text to your project.
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• If you want to add morph targets to your word balloon,

you will need to use the Window > Actions command
to open the Actions window. Use the New Action
button in the Actions toolbar to design single-frame
animations that you can use for your morph targets.
For further information on this process, see “Creating
Morphs” on page 346.

• Default word balloons for Anime Studio appear in

the Resources > Support > Word Balloons installation
folder. It is not recommended to put your custom word
balloons in this same folder. Instead, create a content
folder as recommended in “Creating a Content
Folder” on page 17, and place your custom word
balloons in its Word Balloons subfolder.

Text added as a text layer.

Eyedropper
To use the Eyedropper, click on a shape to copy its
Creating Word Balloons parameters.

You can use Anime Studio Pro to create word balloons for Hold the ALT key to push the current color.
your own use. Briefly, the following conditions should be
• Press the COMMAND/CTRL key down while you click
met when creating word balloons:
to pick up the properties of the underlying object. This
• The Anime Studio files must contain a rectangular point is not limited to vector layers. For example, if you have
group named Text Region. If this point group is missing, a Bone Layer active in the Layers palette but click over
the balloon will be considered invalid. a gradient shape on the stage, the properties of the
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gradient shape will be copied to the clipboard in a

Web color format. You will then be able to paste that
property into the Color Picker to assign that color to a
fill, stroke, or project background color.

Eyedropper Tool

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Chapter 8: Special
Tools
Anime Studio includes a number of special tools that are Reset tool options.
available in specific circumstances. These tools appear in
the Special section of the tool palette when the conditions
are met. The sections that follow describe how these
special tools are uses.
Poser
Poser 7 or later must be installed on your system in
Anime Studio has a smart tool palette, which
order for this feature to work. In addition, the scene
shows and hides tools based on their need.
that you import into Anime Studio must contain objects
The position of the tool shown in the screenshots may
that are installed in libraries that are recognized by your
differ, depending on the selected layer in the Layers
Poser application. Refer to your Poser documentation on
palette, and the current time in the timeline.
how to use, add, and maintain content in your Poser library
folders.
Click the tool icon in the properties bar to
display a submenu. Choose Reset Tool to
reset the current tool to its default settings. Choose
Reset All Tools to reset all tools to their default
settings.
Poser

After you create your scene in Poser, save it to a folder

on your hard disk. The file will be saved with a .PZ3 or .PZZ
extension, depending on whether you use compressed files
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or not. In Anime Studio, choose the File > Import > Poser After the Poser scene has been imported, the Poser tool
Scene command, and select the scene that you saved is enabled in the Special section of the tool box. You can
from Poser. click one of the body parts to rotate it with the Poser tool,
or you can use the Poser Parameters dialog (Window >
Poser scenes that use dynamic hair are very Poser Parameters) to rotate or scale the selected body
resource intensive. If your Poser scene uses part through the use of sliders.
dynamic hair or other resource-intensive features,
be careful not to use extreme settings.

Rotate or scale Poser actors with dials in the Poser Parameters

dialog
A Poser figure, imported into an Anime Studio scene

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Poser animations are baked into the Poser group. You can change the active layer by selecting it
project that you import. If you make from the menu.
animation changes in Anime Studio, the changes
that you make will be transferred to the Poser
project file. When you quit and relaunch Anime
Studio, the keyframes in your Poser object layer will
be gone because they have been written into the
Poser project file. Switch Layer

To select the character’s root actor (usually

the BODY), hold down the ALT key while Tool Options
clicking the figure with the Poser tool.

The parameters for each body part can be animated. For

example, you can pose the figure on one frame in your
timeline, and then move to a frame that appears later in Switch Layer Options
the timeline and reposition the body part. Anime Studio will
then animate the in-between frames by interpolating the
• Active Child: Use this menu to select the active layer
motion between the keyframes that you set.
for the switch function
Switch Layer
This is a specialized tool for use with Switch layers Particle Layer
only. This tool has no effect if you click and drag in
the workspace. What it does is supply a popup menu in the This is a specialized tool for use with Particle layers
tool options area that lists all the sub-layers of a switch only. This tool has no effect if you click and drag in
the workspace. What it does is supply a checkbox in the

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tool options area that lets you control whether the particle
layer is turned on or not (emitting particles or not).

Particle Layer

Options that appear in the Particle Options dialog are

discussed in detail in “Particle Layers” on page 132.

Particle Layer Options

Particle Options

Crop
The Crop tool allows you to crop an image layer to a
specified area. After you add the image, select the Crop
tool and draw a rectangle around the area that you
want to keep. As you draw the rectangle, Anime Studio
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highlights the area that you want to keep. When you

release the mouse, the image layer will be cropped to the
Image Masking
rectangle that you drew. Many Anime Studio users do not use Photoshop or other
similar programs, making it difficult to create images with
transparent backgrounds. The Image Masking tool assists
with this task. This tool helps you clear out and remove
background areas from images that you import into Anime
Studio.
Crop tool

Tool Options
Image Masking tool

Crop tool Tool Options

• Reset Crop: Click the Reset Crop button to restore the

image to its original apperance.

• Center Image: Click the Center Image button to Image Masking tool
center the cropped image around the point that the
entire image was originally centered.
• Clear Mask: Click the Clear Mask button to remove
all areas from the mask and restore the image to its
unmasked state.
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Click with the Image Masking tool to mask out areas of the
Import an image into your Anime Studio scene
image that you want to hide

After you import an image, select the Image Masking tool

from the Layers section of the tool box. Click on an area
that you want to remove from the background. Click and Video Tracking
drag left or right to control the sensitivity of the tool. Drag
toward the left to decrease the sensitivity, and toward the To use the video tracking feature, you need to have a
right to increase it. Release the mouse button when you movie file in your project. Either import a movie into an
have masked out the desired area. existing project or open a movie file from scratch. The
following sections describe the process of how the video
tracking feature works.
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Adding Tracking Points

Assume that you have imported a video, and you want to
eventually add an object that will follow the position and
rotation of a person’s thumb and wrist. The first step of the
process is to add tracking points that identify the two points
you want to follow. The Primary tracking point controls
the position of the object’s origin. The Secondary tracking
point controls the angle or scale of the object. To add the
tracking points, select the Video Tracking tool from the
Layer panel.

Video Tracking tool

The first tracking point is added to the thumb
Click on the first point you want to track. You can click, and
then drag to position the point exactly where you want to Now we add the second tracking point for the wrist, and
place it. It is optional, but recommended, that you name name it (appropriately) Wrist.
the tracked point in the Tracker Name field of the status
bar. For example, since we are tracking a thumb here, we
name the tracking point Thumb.

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points follow the items you want to track. When you see a
problem, don’t worry ... there are ways to fix them!

After the tracking points are added, keyframes are generated

in the timeline

Fine-tuning Marker Positions

You might notice some places where the tracking points
seem to drift away from the marker, or stop following it
entirely. If this happens, stop the video playback. Go back
The second tracking point is added to the wrist to the beginning of the movie. Zoom in more closely to the
video and use the Video Tracking tool to reposition the
After you place your tracking points, make sure the Video markers that need to be adjusted.
Tracking Tool is still selected. Play the video back and
Choose View > Reset to reset the zoom level of the video
watch the tracking points follow the points you selected.
back to the default. Play the video again and watch for
Playback runs a little slower during video tracking.
any other problems. Keep making adjustments until you
As you play the video back, you’ll notice keyframes are happy with the results. The following movie shows our
being added to the timeline. While the video is playing, markers after they have been adjusted.
watch for any problem spots in the way that the tracking

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Markers after they are adjusted (SWF file) The tracking point loses focus after reaching the paper on the
wall (SWF file)

Re-syncing Tracking Points To fix this type of problem, you scrub through the timeline
until you find the point where it loses track. In the next figure
You may also find instances where the tracking points go you see the spot where the thumb appears to blend in with
out of sync with the tracked object. The most likely cause the paper. This is the area that causes the tracking point to
for this is when the tracked area touches or passes over lose sync with the thumb.
another area in the video that is very close in color. For
example, when the tip of the thumb goes in front of the
paper on the wall, there are similar colors in the paper that
cause the tracking point to go out of sync with the thumb.
Fortunately, there is a way to fix that. The next movie shows
one of those problem areas.

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Find the point where the point loses focus Advance the video to a clear spot and adjust the tracking
point
After you find the problem frame, advance ahead a
couple of frames until you reach a point where there is Sometimes color similarities occur for a period that is longer
more contrast. Then drag the tracking point to position it than a couple of frames. For example, in our video there is
where it should be. When you press Play, the tracking point a segment where the thumb passes across the face. This is
will continue tracking from there. a much larger area where there is very little color contrast
between the tracked object and the area it passes over.
The solution here is slightly different. You can use
interpolation to calculate the path between two good

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points. First, move back to find the last good point before
the thumb crosses the face. Delete the keyframes from that
point until the thumb passes across the face and reaches
the other side.

You can use the Animation > Clear Animation

> From Layer After Current Frame or
Animation > Clear Animation > From Document After
Current Frame commands to delete keyframes from
the current frame to the end of the project.

Here we move to the point just before the thumb passes over
the face ..

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... and we delete the keyframes that occur until the thumb
reaches the other side of the face

Jump ahead in the video to a point after the thumb passes

over the face and reposition the tracking point. When
you play the video back, Anime Studio will interpolate the
motion between the keyframes that are missing.

On the other side of the face, we reposition the tracking point

to a good spot

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Adjusting Tracking Point Sensitivity

When you add tracking points, you can change the sizes of
the inner and outer rings to adjust the falloff. Click and drag
on the edge of the rings to change the size. The inner ring
defines the region that you are trying to track. For example,
if you are trying to track an eye, adjust the inner ring so that
it surrounds the eye.
The outer ring represents how fast the object can move.
From one frame to the next, the outer ring represents the
maximum distance that you want the object to move. If
you have a fast-moving object you may need to increase
the size of the outer circle for tracking. Expanding the
search area too much can lead to further errors, so you
want to keep it as narrow as possible. The default settings
are generally sufficient for most cases.

Two rings control the sensitivity of the tracking point

Assigning the Tracked Layer

After you set the two points on the object you want to
track, you can then assign the layer that will track those
points. In our example, we returned to Frame 0 and added

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an exclamation point to a new layer. Now we want the want the origin of the exclamation point to track the Wrist
exclamation point to follow the hand in the video. point. So, we select Wrist here and choose OK. When
we play the result, the origin of the exclamation point
To assign the layer that will track the points, choose
(represented by the crosshairs) tracks the wrist.
Animation > Track Layer to Video. The Motion Tracking
dialog lists the videos in your scene (in this case, there is
only one).

The crosshairs of the exclamation point, representing the origin,

Select the movie to track, then choose the primary and now follow the primary tracking point
secondary tracking points
The secondary tracking point is optional. You can use it
First we’ll assign the Primary Tracking Point, which is to control either the angle or scale of the tracked layer.
associated with the origin point of the tracked layer. We In our case, we want the thumb to control the direction
of the exclamation point, so we select the thumb as the
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secondary tracking point. Then we check the option to

control Angle.

The exclamation point now follows the wrist, and points in the
same direction as the thumb (SWF file)

The secondary tracking point can control the angle or scale of Offsetting the Origin
the tracked layer. We want the thumb to control the angle of
the exclamation point You can use the Transform Points tool in the Draw panel to
move the tracked object away from the origin. The origin
The following movie shows the results of our selections. Now still tracks to the two tracking points, but the object that
when you play the movie, the origin of the exclamation you are tracking can be offset.
point follows the wrist, and the angle of the exclamation
point is follows the angle line from the wrist (primary
tracking point) to the thumb (secondary tracking point).

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motion. This allows you to use a video file as a reference

whether or not you want to see the video in your final
project.

You can offset the object from its origin with the Transform
Points tool

Once you have applied video tracking points to another

layer, the two layers are totally independent. The tracking
feature creates standard keyframes. You can edit, add
or remove keyframes to the tracked object. You can also
hide or delete the video layer that was used to initially
create the tracking points and keyframes. The layer that
was tracked to the video will still continue to follow the

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Chapter 9: Camera
and Workspace Tools
Reset tool options.

Camera Tools
The following tools let you move a virtual camera around in Track Camera
a scene. Although layers in Anime Studio are primarily 2D,
Anime Studio’s camera can be moved around in true 3D This tool moves the camera up and down, and
space. The camera tools affect all layers in the document, side-to-side. By giving the project’s layers different
not just the currently active layer. depth values, you can create parallax (depth) effects.
Holding the Shift key while using the Track Camera tool will
If a tool has the following symbol next to it: , then it can
constrain the camera to only move vertically or
be used for animation - using the tool at different frames
horizontally. Holding the Alt key will move the camera
in the timeline will cause the object you adjust to change
forward and back.
over time.
If the Show Path box in the tool options area is checked,
Click the tool icon in the properties bar to then the motion path for the camera will be displayed
display a submenu. Choose Reset Tool to in the working area when this tool is active. This makes it
reset the current tool to its default settings. Choose easier to visualize and plan out the motion of the camera.
Reset All Tools to reset all tools to their default (The camera’s motion path is only visible when the Orbit
settings. Workspace tool has been used to view the scene from
outside the camera.)

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Roll Camera
This tool rolls the camera side to side. Try tilting your
head side to side, and you’ll understand this tool
immediately.
Track Camera Tool

Zoom Camera
Roll Camera Tool
This tool zooms the camera in and out on the scene,
just like the zoom control on a real camera.
Technically, the Zoom Camera tool is changing the field of
view angle (or focal length) of the virtual camera. The Pan/Tilt Camera
default camera Z position and field of view is equivalent to
a 35 mm camera to reduce the wide angle distortion. This tool changes the viewing angle of the camera.
Drag the tool up and down to change the tilt angle
of the camera, and drag side to side to change the pan
angle. Hold the Shift key while using this tool to constrain
the camera to only one direction of rotation. Press the Alt
key while dragging with the Pan/Tilt camera tool to orbit
arround a central point, such as when you want to fly
Zoom Camera Tool
around a 3D object.
This tool is most useful when you’ve set up a scene in 3D
(different layers at different depths), and have placed the
camera so that it is sitting somewhere among the layers,
not viewing them from a distance.
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In order to be consistent with multi-touch moving the objects in your project - only your view of them
features, the Pan/Tilt Camera tool has had its is changing, not where they appear in the final image.
mouse direction reversed.
A shortcut for the Pan Workspace tool is to click and drag
in the working area using the right mouse button - it’s a
quick way to pan, regardless of what tool is selected in the
toolbar.
Several tools allow you to pan the workspace by pressing
the spacebar and dragging the workspace. The cursor
Pan/Tilt Camera Tool turns into a hand when panning is active.

Workspace Tools
Change your view of the workspace
Pan Workspace Tool
The last group of tools in the toolbar is always available,
regardless of the current layer type or the current selected
object. These are the Workspace tools, and are used to
control your view of the project, but don’t actually modify Zoom Workspace
the project itself.
The Zoom Workspace tool is similar to the Pan Workspace
tool: it moves your view of the project, without modifying
Pan Workspace the objects themselves. With this tool, dragging the mouse
left or right zooms your view of the project in and out.
When the Pan Workspace tool is selected, you can click
A shortcut for the zoom tool is to click and drag left or right
and drag in the working area to move the project side
in the working area using the right mouse button while
to side and up and down. Note that this isn’t the same as

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holding down the shift key - it’s a quick way to zoom,

regardless of what tool is selected in the toolbar.

Rotate Workspace Tool

Zoom Workspace Tool

Orbit Workspace
Rotate Workspace The Orbit Workspace tool allows you to view your scene
from outside the camera. It’s like holding the scene in your
The Rotate Workspace tool is used to temporarily rotate handing and turning it around to look at it from different
the workspace. Think of drawing on paper - sometimes you angles. This tool is mainly useful when you’re working on
might rotate the physical paper to draw from a different a scene with 3D elements (layers with different depths,
angle. The Rotate Workspace tool works in a similar way complex camera moves, etc.). Hold the Alt key while using
- sometimes (especially with the Freehand drawing tool) this tool to move your view forward and back.
it may be helpful to orient the workspace in a different
direction. A shortcut for the Rotate Workspace tool is to
click and drag in the working area using the right mouse
button or the touchwheel on a Wacom tablet, while
holding down the control key - it’s a quick way to rotate,
regardless of what tool is selected in the toolbar. Orbit Workspace Tool
To get back to the normal view of the scene, you can
select Reset from the View menu, click the Reset View After using this tool to change your view of the scene, a
button in the tool options area of the Anime Studio blue wedge will be visible in the scene, representing the
window, or press the Home key to reset the view. location of the camera. To get back to the normal view of

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the scene, you can select Reset from the View menu, click
the Reset View button in the tool options area of the Anime
Studio window, or press the Home key to reset the view.

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Anime Studio
Windows

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Chapter 10: Anime

Studio’s Main Window

Overview
The Anime Studio interface has various windows that are
used for controlling different aspects of a Anime Studio
project. In this chapter we’ll briefly describe some general
components of the Anime Studio project window.
The more complex parts of the Anime Studio interface,
such as the Layers window, have their own chapters that
follow this one. Although this chapter will describe how the
main window works, it won’t go into detail about creating
a drawing or animation.
Anime Studio Pro interface

Working Area
Most of the Anime Studio project window is taken up by the
working area. This is the region where you will create and
view your drawings and animations. In every project, even
an empty one, two items will be displayed in this area. The

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first is a cross marking the center of the currently active your project. A quick way to do this is by using your right
layer. The second is a blue rectangle that indicates the mouse button. By dragging the right mouse button in the
visible region of the project. Only objects that are within working area, you can move around from side to side. If
this rectangle will appear in your final animation. you hold down the shift key while right-clicking and then
drag left or right, you can zoom in and out. If you want to
restore a reasonable overall view in the working area, press
the Escape or Home keys, or choose Reset from the View
menu (see “Chapter 24: View Menu” on page 456).
The background of the working area is usually just a blank
color, but if you drag an image file into the working area, it
will appear in the visibility rectangle. This is a helpful feature
meant to allow you to trace the image with the drawing
tools.
The real work that happens in the working area is not
covered here, but is described in the sections “Anime
Studio Tools” on page 31, and“Anime Studio Windows”
on page 181.

Working Area Toolbar

Although every project has a fixed image size (for example The toolbar to the left of the main Anime Studio window
640x480 pixels), the working area is basically an endless is where you select which tool you want to work with. The
flat space on which you can draw and animate. The available tools will change depending on whether you’re
blue visibility rectangle mentioned above indicates the currently animating, which objects are selected, and what
actual image area for the project. While working, you type of layer is currently active. The purpose and use of
may want to zoom in or out to see more or less detail in each tool is described in the following chapters:

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• Draw Tools: See “Chapter 3: The Draw Tools” on page

32

• Fill Tools: See “Chapter 4: Fill Tools” on page 62

• Bone Tools: See “Chapter 5: Bone Tools” on page 85

• Layer Tools: See “Chapter 7: Layer Tools” on page

141

• Camera Tools: See “Chapter 9: Camera and

Workspace Tools” on page 176

• Workspace Tools: See “Chapter 9: Camera and

Workspace Tools” on page 176

Anime Studio Pro Tools (some tools not shown)

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Status Bar
The status bar along the top of the Anime Studio window
displays a short description of the currently active tool in
the toolbar. If you don’t know what a tool does, the best
thing is to read this manual. However, if you just need a
quick reminder, the status bar can be helpful.

Playback controls
Status Bar

Display Quality
Playback Buttons Near the bottom-right of the main Anime Studio window
Near the bottom-left of the main Anime Studio window is a popup box that lets you customize the level of display
are a set of playback buttons that allow you to play/stop/ quality in the editing area. The Display Quality popup lets
rewind/etc. your animation. you control the following options.

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• Shape Effects: Displays shape effects

• Images: Display images in image layers.

• Smooth images: Display images with higher quality

alpha blending.

• Masking: Display masking effects.

• Transparency: Display shape transparency.

• Brushes: Display brush effects applied to shape outlines.

• Labels: Displays bone labels on the workspace so you

can easily identify what the bones control.

• Fade unselected layers: Fades the content of

unselected layers so that you can more easily see
and work on the content in layers that are currently
Display Quality options
selected.

Note that this only applies to the editing view - when • Antialiasing: Draw shapes with smooth edges.
rendering your final project, everything will be drawn in full
quality, regardless of the following settings. • GPU Acceleration: Check this option to enable GPU
acceleration; uncheck to disable it. GPU Acceleration
• Paths: Display points and curves for vector layers. improves the display of image and vector layers. An
OpenGL-compatible graphics card is required.
• Fills: Display the fill colors of vector shapes.

• Strokes: Display the outlines of vector shapes.

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layers except one, you would leave Fills turned on in the

Display Quality popup, but turn it off in the Current Layer
popup for the layer in question.

Docking and Undocking Windows

You can dock and undock the windows that appear
at the sides and bottom of the Anime Studio interface
to maximize the area that the document window uses.
The windows that you can dock and undock appear in
the upper portion of the Windows menu as shown in the
following figure:

Window commands
GPU Acceleration on (top) and off (bottom)

Windows that are normally docked (the Tools, Layers,

A little way to the left of the Display Quality popup is Timeline and Style windows) will become undocked if you
another popup box labeled Current Layer. This popup choose the Window menu command associated with
contains similar options to those found in Display Quality. that window. Choose the command again to redock the
The options in Current Layer apply only to the current layer, windows in their default space.
while Display Quality’s options apply to the entire project.
So, for example, if you wanted to display fill shapes for all
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Windows that are normally hidden (Actions, Library, Audio

Recording, and Poser Parameters) will open undocked
when choosing the command. Choose the respective
command again to close the window.

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Chapter 11: Layers

Window
An Anime Studio document is composed of layers, each
of which can be independently edited and animated.
Layers can be thought of as transparent sheets of plastic.
You can draw separately on each of these sheets, and the
final picture is the composition of all the sheets stacked on
top of one another.
Layers can be added, removed, copied, and re-ordered.
The Layers window is where all these operations take place
in Anime Studio, and is the topic of this section.

Overview The Layers window

The Layers window has two sections of interest. As seen

below, these consist of the toolbar and the layer list.
The Layer List
Most of the Layers window is taken up with the layer list. This
is a vertical scrolling list of all the layers in the document.
The layers are stacked in order from bottom to top. That is,
when the project is displayed, the lowest layer in the list is
drawn first, followed by the second from the bottom, and

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so on up to the top. When two layers contain objects that Layer Visibility
overlap, this ordering determines which object is in front
and which is behind. At the left side of a layer’s entry in the list is a visibility
control, which controls whether a layer is visible or not. If
A layer’s entry provides you with three pieces of
a pair of eyes is visible in this box, any objects drawn in
information: what type of layer it is, its name, and whether
the layer will appear in the main Anime Studio window, as
the layer is visible. Each layer is represented in the list with
well as in any rendering of the project. If you click this box,
an entry that looks something like this:
the layer will turn invisible and will not appear in the main
Anime Studio window. This can be a convenient way to
remove clutter in the main window when you don’t need
to see all the layers at once. Also, only visible layers will
appear when you render a view of the project or export an
animation - you can generate test movies much quicker if
you turn some layers invisible that don’t involve what you’re
currently working on.

The visibility box of the currently active layer

behaves differently. The currently active layer
is always visible (how could you edit it if it wasn’t?),
and clicking its visibility box (while holding the Alt
key) will turn all the other layers at the same level
A single layer in Anime Studio
visible or invisible.

You can edit more than one layer at a time in

Anime Studio, as described in “Editing
Multiple Layers” on page 196.

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If you click in the Layers palette to toggle the it. When the insertion bar appears at the location you
visibility of a layer, you can set underlying choose, just drop the layer and you’re done. You can also
layers to the same visibility. To do so, keep the use this method to drag sub-layers into or out of group
mouse button pressed down while you drag over layers.
the underlying layers. Release the mouse button
after you drag over all layers you want to set.
Changing Layer Settings
The last thing you can control in the layer list is the property
Layer Type set of any layer. By double-clicking a layer in the list, a
dialog will appear with various options controlling the
To the right of the visibility control is an icon that indicates appearance and behavior of the layer. This dialog is
what type of layer each entry in the layer list is. The described in “Chapter 12: Layer Settings” on page 196.
different types of layers include vector, image, group,
bone, switch, particle, 3D, and note layers.
Certain types of layers act as groups, and can contain
Copying and Pasting Layers Between
other layers within them. (You can think of them like folders Documents
on your hard drive.) These layers have a triangle on their
The Edit > Copy Layer and Edit > Paste Layer commands
left side. Clicking this triangle opens and closes these group
allow you to copy and paste a selected layer between
layers, allowing you to access or hide the sub-layers they
documents. For more information on these commands,
contain.
see “Copy Layer” on page 404 and “Paste Layer” on
page 404.
Reordering Layers
Layers can be re-ordered simply by dragging one layer
above or below another layer. Just click and drag the
layer you want to move - you will see a red insertion bar
indicate where the layer will be placed when you drop
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Layer Toolbar In Anime Studio 10.1 and later, you can copy
a layer and paste it into another opened
At the top of the Layer panel is a toolbar that provides document. Select the layer that you want to copy,
several layer operations. The buttons in the toolbar are and choose the Edit > Copy Layer command. Switch
described below: to the destination document, and choose Edit >
Paste Layer to paste it directly above the currently
selected layer. You can also copy multiple layers as
outlined in “Editing Multiple Layers” on page 196.

If you have multiple layers selected when the

Duplicate Layer button is pressed, all of the
selected layers will be duplicated.

Layer Toolbar If the Inline layer naming option is enabled in

the Layers/Objects tab of the Preferences
dialog, you can immediately edit the name when a
• New Layer: Adds a new, empty layer to the project. A single layer is duplicated. If multiple layers are
popup menu allows you to choose the type of layer selected before duplicating, none of the duplicated
you want to add. The new layer is placed directly layers will enter edit mode.
above the current active layer.

• Duplicate Layer: Makes a copy of the current active • Reference Layer: Creates a reference layer
layer and adds it to the project. This new copy is immediately above the current layer, which takes on
placed directly above the current active layer. If you the properties of the selected layer. See “Using Layer
duplicate a group layer, all of the sub-layers inside it will Referencing” on page 195 for more information.
be duplicated also.

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• Delete Layer: Deletes the current active layer. This The Layer Comp tool appears in the toolbar in the Layers
operation cannot be undone, so you will be asked to window. Click the Layer Comps tool to display a menu that
verify if this is really what you want to do. includes the following commands:

• Layer Settings: This command brings up a dialog with

various controls to modify the layer’s appearance and
behavior. The next section, Layer Settings, goes into
detail about these options. The Layer Settings dialog
can also be invoked by double-clicking the current
active layer in the layer list.

• Layer Comps: Click to display a menu of Layer Comp

commands. These commands are discussed in the
following section.

Layer Toolbar
Using Layer Comps
• New Layer Comp: In the Layers window, hide the layers
Layer comps are useful if you want to export only selected
and objects that you do not want included in the layer
items in your scene so that you can composite them
comp, and make sure that all items that you do want
externally in third party software. For example, you can
to include are visible. Then choose New Layer Comp.
create a layer comp that relates to background elements,
Enter a name for the layer comp in the dialog that
another that relates to characters, and another that relates
appears.
to foreground elements or titles.
Turn groups on and off until you get elements that logically
belong together. Then create a new layer comp from that
group. At render time, you can then choose to render
specific layer comps as a movie file.
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• Expose Layer Comp: Allows you to “solo” the items in

a selected layer comp. All other items will be set to
invisible. Select the layer that you want to expose from
the list of layer comps.

• Show Layer Comp: Allows you to show a single layer

comp by name. Select the layer comp that you want
to show from the list of layer comps.

• Hide Layer Comp: Allows you to hide a single layer

comp by name. Select the layer comp that you want
to hide from the list of layer comps.

• Show All Layers: Shows all previously hidden layer

Creating a new layer comp comps.

• Hide All Layers: Hides all layer comps.

• Update Layer Comp: Choose this option if you need to
make changes to an existing layer comp. Make sure • Delete Layer Comp: Allows you to delete a layer comp
that all items that you want to include are visible on from the list. Deleting a layer comp does not delete
the stage. Choose Update Layer Comp and select the the content contained within it, it only removes the
layer comp that you want to change. references to the deleted layer comp.

• Rename Layer Comp: Choose this option and then

select the Layer Comp that you want to rename. A Using Layer Colors
dialog will prompt you to enter a new name for the
selected Layer Comp. If you have many different layers in your Layers window,
you can assign colors to them to help find specific content
more easily. To do so, double-click the layer in the Layers
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window to open the Layer Settings dialog. In the General it will act independently from the original, allowing for the
tab, choose a color for the layer from the Layer Color creation of unique assets. You can even reference layers
drop-down selector. The layer will then be displayed in the across multiple documents, opening up new workflow
Layers window in the color that you choose. possibilities for team based productions.
When you make changes to the original layer, the
changes are applied to all instances as described in the
following sections.
You can easily create reference layers from the Layers
palette. Simply click the Reference Layer icon to add a
reference layer above the currently selected layer.

Choosing a layer color

Using Layer Referencing

Reference Layer icon
Layer referencing allows you to create one or more
references or instances of a layer. Referenced layers take
on the properties of the original layer. This even extends For more information and hands-on examples
past the initial creation of the layer. As an example, let’s that describe how to create and use
say you have a rigged character. When you create a reference layers, see “Layer Referencing” on page
reference of the character and then move the original 280 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.
character’s arm, the reference layer character will also
move his arm! If changes are made to the reference layer,
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Chapter 12: Layer

Settings
The Layer Settings dialog can be invoked either by double-
clicking a layer in the layer list, or by selecting a layer, then
clicking the Layer Settings button in the layer toolbar. The
various controls are grouped into tabs that we’ll describe
in order. Use the Shift or Command/Ctrl keys to select multiple layers in
the Layers palette.
Click the Apply button to apply changes in settings. The
Layer Settings window will remain open so that you can
When multiple layers are selected, the last layer that you
make additional changes.
select becomes the primary layer. The primary layer is
displayed in a slightly darker shade in the layers palette.
Editing Multiple Layers Secondary layers are displayed with a slightly lighter
colored highlight.
When you select a layer in the Layers palette, you can
A message appears at the bottom of the Layer Settings
view the settings for that layer in the Layer Settings dialog.
dialog to indicate that multiple layers are selected. In
In Anime Studio 10, you can use the Shift or Command/Ctrl
addition, a checkbox appears at the bottom, labeled
keys to make multiple selections in the Layers palette. The
Copy all <Tab name> settings to other selected layers.
layers that you select don’t have to be the same type of
Check this option in the applicable tab and click the
layer. For example, you can select an image layer and a
Apply or OK button to copy all settings from that tab to
vector layer as shown in the following figure:
all the other selected layers, as applicable. Reference
the General, Image, Audio, and Text tab sections in this
chapter for minor exceptions that are not copied to the
other tabs when this option is selected.
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setting in the Vectors tab, and then apply that change

to all of the layers in the selection, whether they are
vector or image layers.

• If you make settings that are specific to the primary

layer type, they will not be applied to sublayers of a
different type. For example, if your primary layer is an
Image layer and you make changes in the Images
tab, those changes will not be applied to the vector
The Layer Settings window displays a message when multiple layers in your selection.
layers are selected.
• Where settings are grouped, any change to one of
those grouped settings will cause all settings within
The following rules apply when you are making changes to that group to change on all of the selected layers.
multiple selected layers: For example, the Outline section of the General tab
groups three settings together: Outline On, Width, and
• If different layer types are selected, the Layer Settings
Color. If you change the outline color, Anime Studio
window will only display the tabs that apply to the
will also update the outline state (on or off) and outline
primary layer. For example, if your primary layer is a
width to all of the layers when you click Apply or OK.
vector layer but you have image layers as secondary
Settings are grouped as follows:
layers, the Image tab will not be displayed. However,
you will be able to edit settings that are common to ƒƒ Outline (“General Tab” on page 198): Outline
image and vector layers in the Vectors tab. On, Width, and Color.

• When you change a setting that is common to all ƒƒ Colorizing (“General Tab” on page 198): Colorize
selected layer types, those common changes will be Layer, and Color.
applied to all of the selected layers when you click
the Apply or OK button in the Layer Settings dialog.
In other words, you can change the Blur or Opacity
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ƒƒ Layer Shadow (“Shadows Tab” on page 208): ƒƒ All Settings in the 3D Options tab (“3D Options”
Shadow On, Offset, Blur, Shadow color, Shadow on page 231): Any changes that you make in
threshold, Expansion, and Shadow direction. the 3D Options tab will be applied only to other
layers if they are the same type as the primary
ƒƒ Layer Shading (“Shadows Tab” on page 208):
layer. For example, if the primary layer is a 2D
Shading On, Offset, Blur, Shading threshold,
vector layer, the changes that you make in the 3D
Shading color, Contraction, Inverted, and Shading
options tab will only be applied to 2D vector layers.
direction.
If the primary layer is a true 3D layer (such as an
ƒƒ 3D Shadow (“Shadows Tab” on page 208): imported Poser scene), the changes will only be
Perspective shadow on, Blur, Shadow threshold, applied to other true 3D layers.
Scale, Shear, and Color.
ƒƒ Physics Settings (“Physics Tab” on page 234):
ƒƒ Motion Blur (“Motion Blur Tab” on page 213): Enable physics, Gravity direction, Gravity
Motion blur on, Frame count, Frame skip, Start magnitude, Use baked physics.
opacity, End opacity, and Blur radius.

ƒƒ Depth Sorting (“Depth Sort Tab” on page 224):

General Tab
Sort layers by depth, Sort by true distance, Enable
animated layer order. This tab is available for all layer types, and controls general
ƒƒ Toon Settings (“Image Tab” on page 225): layer properties.
Toon effect, Edge level, Gray level, Black level,
Saturation, Lightness, Quantization.

If you make any settings in the Image tab that

apply to videos, they will only be modified in
secondary image layers that have video files as their
sources.

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• Name: This field allows you to change the name of the

layer. You can type in any name for the layer you want
here, and the name will appear in the layer list after
you click the OK button. Good names make working
with large projects much easier. Examples of layer
names might be Background, Body, or Head.

• Hide in editing view: Turn on this checkbox to hide

the layer while editing. The layer will still appear in
rendered output, but will be invisible in Anime Studio’s
edit view. This can be useful to reduce clutter and
improve performance. Things you might consider
hiding in the editing view are background details,
texture and detail layers, or special effects like particle
layers. Note that if a hidden layer is the currently active
layer, it will temporarily un-hide itself so that you can
edit whatever it contains.

• Don’t render this layer: If this box is turned on, then the
layer will not appear in any rendered/exported movies.
This option is usually used for some kind of helper layer.
For example, you might draw a layer with some guide
lines to help you draw and animate a scene, but you
don’t want those guides to appear in the final output.
General Layer Settings Note layers have this option turned on by default.

• Allow animated layer effects: When checked allows

you to animate layer effects by varying settings

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through the timeline. When unchecked, layer effects

do not animate.

• Layer Color: Layer colors are used to help you

categorize the content in your project using colors of
your choosing. Use the Layer Color selector to choose
a color for the current layer. Plain will display the layer
in the normal Anime Studio interface color. Other
choices for categorizing your layers are Purple, Blue,
Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red.

Compositing Effects
This group of controls allow you to change certain layer
properties over time. When you modify any of these at
a frame greater than 0, you will add a keyframe to the
corresponding layer effects channel. For example, if you Compositing Effects
go to frame 1 and uncheck Visible, then go to frame 20
and re-check Visible, that layer will not appear in the final
animation until frame 20. • Visible: Controls whether a layer is visible in the final
output. It is important to note that this checkbox is
totally independent of the visibility box displayed in the
layer list: these are two separate notions of visibility,
and don’t affect each other at all. The visibility control
in the layer list is meant for your editing convenience:
you can turn one layer off while you work on another.
The visibility checkbox in this dialog is meant to allow

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certain effects during an animation. For example, if

you had a layer with a drawing of a glowing lightbulb,
you could uncheck the visibility of this layer at frame 1,
then turn it on at frame 10, off at frame 20, on at frame
30, etc. to create the effect of a blinking light.

• Blur radius: Lets you apply a blur (in pixels) to an entire

layer to simulate such effects as camera focus. The
blur can be animated over time to make a layer look
like its coming in and out of focus. Decimal values
are allowed to provide smoother transitions during
animation.

• Opacity: Allows you to modify the transparency of

an entire layer. An opacity value of 100 will not affect
the layer at all, while a value of 0 will make it totally
transparent. By changing the value from 0 at frame
1 to 100 at frame 10, the layer will seem to gradually Without Auto Shading
appear out of nowhere, which in some cases is more
desirable than the type of on/off visibility provided by
the Visible checkbox.

• Auto shading radius: Allows you to simulate 2D

ambient occlusion effects. Double-click the desired
layer, or highlight a layer in the layers panel. Turn the
Auto Shading option on and set the radius to a value
other than zero. A good starting point is somewhere
between 8 and 16 pixels.

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The threshold is applied to the RGB values at

whatever you add in the threshold field. A
value of 128 is a midpoint value. If you end up with
unusual colors after applying the threshold, you can
use Colorizing to overlay a color on the layer. For
more information about colorizing, see “Colorizing”
on page 204.

• Noise: Adds noise to the fills in the selected layer.

Enter the amount of noise desired in the Noise field.
Accepted values are 0 to 255. Visible in preview and
final rendering.

• Pixelation: Adds pixelation to the objects in the scene.

Enter a value, in pixels, for the size of the pixel blocks.
Accepted values are from 0 to 255. Visible in preview
and final rendering.
With Auto Shading
• Flip horizontally and Flip vertically: Clicking these boxes
• Threshold: Works in conjunction with blur, and can be flips the entire layer in the direction specified. (If the
used to produce smoother transitions in corners. The layer is a group layer, then the sub-layers inside it get
more an object is blurred, the more the threshold will flipped as well.) This can be convenient in the case
have an effect. The blur is computed first, and then where you want to duplicate a layer and have the
the threshold is added on top of it to smooth out the second copy face the first one as a mirror image.
overall shape.

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Outline You can add an outline to a layer by enabling the option

in this section and specifying the width and color of the
The General Tab of the Layer Settings dialog displays the outline.
following options for outlines:
You can set separate colors and widths for each layer to
add nice effects to your drawings. If you set just one color
and width on a bone group, but not on each layer of a
bone group, the layer outline will only be applied to the
outline of the character (and not each individual part).
After you specify your outline parameters, you will need to
preview your drawing with the File > Preview command, or
use the shortcut Cmd R (Mac) or Ctrl R (Windows).

Outline Options

• Outline on: Check this option to create an outline

around the objects on the layer.

• Width: Set the desired width of the outline, in pixels.

• Color: Click to set the color of the outline.

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Colorizing Options

• Colorize layer: Check this option to apply a color

overlay to the selected layer.
With 10 pixel blue outline around the bone group
• Color: Click to set the overlay color and properties.
You can use the Colorizing feature to eliminate unwanted
Colorizing or objectionable colors that occur after you apply
thresholding to objects on a layer (see “Compositing
The Colorizing section allows you to overlay a color on the Effects” on page 200 for information about the Threshold
selected layer. The options are as follows: settings). The figure shown below shows several objects
on a layer which have a blur setting applied (top).
Thresholding is added to soften the shapes between
the objects. After rendering, you may see unusual colors

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(middle) because the threshold is applied to the R, G, and Options

B values in the original object color. To fix this, choose the
Colorize layer option and select your overlay color. Render The Options section of the General Properties tab provides
again to see the final result (bottom). the following options:

General Options

• Rotate to follow path: When this checkbox is turned on,

the layer will automatically rotate to follow its direction
of movement. (Specifically, the up direction will turn
to follow the direction of layer translation.) This can be
useful for creating things like flowing arrows that need
to point in their direction of movement.
Original objects (top); threshold applied (middle); with color
overlay (bottom)
• Scale compensation: When this box is checked (as
it is by default), and you scale an entire layer larger
or smaller, the lines in the final rendered output will
automatically get thicker or thinner so that they retain
their relative weight in the overall image. Also, layer
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effects like blurs and shadows will become larger or blurring of objects with different distances from the
smaller to match the scale of the layer. camera. This option allows you to turn off this effect for
any particular layer.
• Use HSV modifier image: This checkbox lets you use an
image file to distort the colors of the layer. Sometimes • Rotate to face camera: In previous versions of Anime
you may want to do this to break up the solid colors in Studio, a layer would pivot only on the Y axis and face
your project and make it look less computerized. The the center of the camera. In Anime Studio 9.5.2 or later,
exact behavior of this feature is difficult to explain. The you can choose different pivot axes, and the layer
best way to try it out is to use one of the HSV modifier can face the camera center or the image plane. This
images included with Anime Studio. These images can be useful when using Anime Studio’s 3D camera -
should be pretty close to 50% gray. Other images especially for scenery-type objects. Trees, for example,
may produce bizarre, unexpected results. Feel free to that always face the camera can save you a lot of
experiment - you can always turn off this checkbox if work. Choose a rotation option from the popup menu:
you don’t like the results.
ƒƒ No: Turns off the Rotate to Face Camera feature.
• Immune to camera movements: Sometimes you may ƒƒ Pivot X Axis: Rotates the layer on its X (horizontal)
want to make some layers ignore camera movements. axis as best it can to make the layer’s Z axis point at
For example, certain backgrounds or title or logo layers the camera.
you may want to stay in one place on the screen even
while you move the camera around. ƒƒ Pivot Y Axis: Rotates the layer on its Y (vertical) axis
as best it can to make the layer’s Z axis point at the
• Embedded Script File: Allows you to attach a lua script camera.
to a layer. When you play it back in the timeline or
ƒƒ Free Pivot: Rotates the layer on both its X
render a document, the script is executed to go with
(horizontal) and Y (vertical) axis as best it can to
that layer.
make the layer’s Z axis point at the camera.
• Immune to depth of field: The depth of field function
(in the Project Settings dialog) lets you simulate the

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ƒƒ Face Image Plane X Axis: Rotates the layer on its In the first image, the camera is in its default position
X (horizontal) axis as best it can to keep the layer and rotation. Layer A, which has the Rotate to Face
parallel to the camera plane. Camera feature off, will not move when the camera
is moved. Layer B, which is set to rotate on the Y axis,
ƒƒ Face Image Plane Y Axis: Rotates the layer on its
turns to face the camera. Layer C, which is set to
Y (vertical) axis as best it can to keep the layer
rotate with the image plane, is rotated the same as
parallel to the camera plane.
the image plane.
ƒƒ Face Image Plane Free Rotate: Rotates the layer
on both its X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) axis
as best it can to keep the layer parallel to the
camera plane.

In the diagrams that appear below, the X

and Z Axes are shown in red and blue. The Y
axis points straight up, so being that we are looking
at the scene from the top, the Y axis points at you.
The black pyramid represents the camera view, with
the point of the pyramid representing the eye. An
image plane appears in front of the camera. This
image plane is like film, and represents where the
rendered image gets focused. An Anime Studio scene, viewed from the top.

There are also three layers in the diagrams: Layer A

is not set to face the camera. Layer B pivots on the Y
axis so that it faces the center of the camera. Layer
C is set to Face Image Plane Y Axis.

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When the camera is moved to the left of the scene, transparency of each layer. The layer blending mode
and rotated to face the center, the image plane popup lets you select a different blending mode
also rotates to the same angle. Notice now that for each layer. This can be very useful for simulating
Layer A remains in the same position because shading and lighting effects.
Rotate to Face Camera is off. Layer B, which is set
to rotate with the Y axis of the camera, rotates to • Copy all General settings to other selected layers
face the new position of the camera eye. And Layer (except Name): When multiple layers are selected,
C, which is set to rotate with the Y axis of the image check this option and click the Apply button to copy
plane, rotates in parallel with the image plane. all settings (except the name) to all other applicable
selected layers.

Shadows Tab
The controls in this tab allow you to apply automatic
shadows and shading to an entire layer.

An Anime Studio scene viewed from the top, with the camera
moved to the left side

• Layer blending mode: Normally, layers are composited

on top of each other simply according to the
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• Copy all Shadow settings to other selected layers:

When multiple layers are selected, check this option
and click the Apply button to copy all shadow tab
settings to all other applicable selected layers.

Layer Shadow
This section lets you apply a drop-shadow effect to a layer.
The options are:

Shadows Layer Settings Layer Shadow options.

The Shadows tab includes the following option that applies

• Shadow On: Checking the Shadow on checkbox will
to layer shadow, 3D shadow, and layer setting options:
make all objects in the layer cast shadows on the
layers underneath.

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• Offset: Controls how far the shadow appears from the Layer Shading
actual objects. A larger offset makes objects appear
higher up above the layers below them. This section is similar to the “Layer Shadow” section above.
However, instead of producing a shadow effect behind
• Blur: Determines how hard or soft the edges of the the layer, these controls let you apply a shading effect on
shadow appear. top of the layer.

• Shadow Threshold: Works in conjunction with blur,

and can be used to produce smoother transitions in
corners. The more an object is blurred, the more the
threshold will have an effect. The blur is computed first,
and then the threshold is added on top of it to smooth
out the overall shape.

• Expansion: Allows you to expand the reach of the

shadow. This can be useful for halo-type effects. Try an
Offset of 0, Blur of 8, and Expansion of 8.

• Clip shadow to group: Clips the layer shadows to the

contents of the enclosing group. Layer Shading options.

• Shadow Color: Clicking on the “Shadow color” swatch

lets you change the color of the shadow that is being • Shading On: Checking the “Shading on” checkbox will
cast. You can also modify the transparency of the make all objects in the layer appear shaded, giving
shadow with this control. them a rounded edges effect.

• Shadow Direction: Controls the direction the shadow • Offset: Controls how far inside the layer the shading
is cast. Just drag the knob in circles to change the appears. A larger offset makes objects appear to have
direction of the shadow. more “rounded” edges.
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• Blur: Determines how hard or soft the edges of the 3D Shadow (Perspective Shadows)
shading appear.
Anime Studio allows you to easily create perspective
• Shading Threshold: Works in conjunction with blur, shadows for the objects in your scene. Select a layer from
and can be used to produce smoother transitions in the Layers window and open the Layer Settings dialog.
corners. The more an object is blurred, the more the Click the Shadows tab, and adjust the settings in the 3D
threshold will have an effect. The blur is computed first, shadow area. You can animate this feature by applying
and then the threshold is added on top of it to smooth different settings at different points in the timeline. You
out the overall shape. will not see the shadow until after you render the current
frame, or all or part of a movie.
• Contraction: Allows you to pull the shading further into
the center of the layer. The position of the shadow is determined by the Set Origin
tool in the Layer section of the toolbox. When you set a
• Inverted: Inverts the shading effect so that the object perspective shadow, pay attention to the location of the
looks like it has a rim highlight. origin of the object. The shadow is cast from the origin
point. The origin represents the ground point, so you can
• Shading Color: Clicking on the “Shading color” swatch position it to make the object look as though it is resting on
lets you change the color of the shading that is the ground, or as if the object is floating in the air.
applied. You can also modify the transparency of the
shading with this control.

• Shading Direction: Controls the direction the shading

appears. Just drag the knob in circles to change the
direction of the shading.

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3D Shadow options.

Position the origin point at “ground” level.

• Perspective Shadow On: Check this button to turn
The settings for perspective shadows are as follows: Perspective Shadows on. Uncheck it to turn Perspective
Shadows off.

• Blur: Sets the amount of blur on the perspective

shadow. Higher values create a softer shadow.

• Scale: Controls the “depth” of the shadow. Higher

values make the shadow seem more elongated, while
lower values make the shadow shorter

• Shear: Allows you to control the slant of the shadow

(the direction that the light source is coming from).

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• Color: Allows you to select a color for the shadow.

Default color is black.

Motion Blur Tab

The controls in this tab control the motion blur effect for
this layer. Motion blur can be turned on and off during the
course of an animation.

Motion Blur Layer Settings

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• Motion Blur On: Checking “Motion blur on” turns on the

effect. The default settings work pretty well for a basic
Masking Tab
motion blur effect. This tab is used to control layer masking. Layer masking
controls the visible region of a layer - objects in a layer that
• Frame Count: Controls how many copies of the layer
are not within the visible region of the mask will not appear
should trail behind itself. The higher this number, the
in the final output. This tab is available when a group or
longer it will take to render your animation. Sometimes
bone layer is selected.
a high number may be used for an exaggerated
anime or cartoon effect.

• Frame Skip: Controls the separation between blur

frames. A larger number will cause the blur effect to
trail farther out behind the current position.

• Start Opacity and End Opacity: Control how the blur

fades away behind the layer. Generally, a motion
blur effect will fade a bit as it trails behind the layer.
For some special effects, however, you may not want
the motion blur to fade at all. In those cases, set both
values to 100 to keep the motion blur completely
opaque.

• Blur Radius: Controls the radius (in pixels) of the motion

blur effect.

• Copy all Motion Blur settings to other selected layers:

When multiple layers are selected, check this option
and click the Apply button to copy all motion blur
settings to all other applicable selected layers.
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No masking in this group: Means that no masking will occur

in this group.

• Reveal all: Means that masking is on, and by default all

sub-layers will be fully visible.

• Hide all: Means that masking is on, and by default all

sub-layers will be invisible (this is the most common
option when using layer masking).
All other layers inside a group will have the following
options for layer masking:

• Mask this layer: Clip this layer against the current mask.

• Don’t mask this layer: Skip all masking operations for

this layer.

• + Add to mask: Add this layer to the mask. Any higher

layers will be visible wherever this layer is visible.

• + Add to mask, but keep invisible: Add this layer to the

mask, but don’t show it in the final output.

• - Subtract from mask: Use this layer to cut a hole in the

Masking Layer Settings current mask.

• + Clear the mask, then add this layer to it: This makes
If the layer is a group or bone layer, then the following
the mask identical to the transparency value of the
options are available:
current layer.
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• + Clear the mask, then add this layer invisibly to it: • Masking should only increase in a one-way direction.
The alpha channel must increase monotonically.
• Exclude Strokes: Check this option to exclude outlines
from the mask. • Use additive masks only (use Hide All, instead of Reveal
All)
• Expand mask by a pixel: Adds an additional pixel
around a layer mask. • Don’t use any of the following modes for child layers in
the group:
• Copy all Masking settings to other selected layers:
When multiple layers are selected, check this option ƒƒ Subtract from mask
and click the Apply button to copy all masking settings ƒƒ Clear this mask then add this layer invisibility to it
to all other applicable selected layers.
ƒƒ Don’t Mask This Layer (unless all other layers in the
The masking controls are simple but powerful group above this one also use Don’t Mask This
options that can be used for all kinds of Layer)
creative tricks. The best way to explain these is with a
ƒƒ Exclude Strokes (unless all layers in the group
hands on example. See “Tutorial 2.7: Layer Masking”
above are set to Masked)
on page 84 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.
The following examples demonstrate some do’s and don’ts
in masking techniques.

Masking Tips and Tricks Simple Masking (Produces No Fringing)

When setting up masking in a group, the best approach This example starts with a group that contains five layers.
is to first set up the mask, then set up the objects to be each with a different shape. This group renders with no
masked. The bottom-most layers should define the mask fringe because it follows the rule of only adding to a mask.
by either adding to it or subtracting from it. Then the layers
above that should be masked against the defined mask.
For masking to be fringe-free, try to follow these guidelines:
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• Group mask: In the Group Mask section, choose Hide

All. In the Layer Masking section, choose Mask this
layer.

• Layer 1: Set to +Add to mask.

• Layer 2: Set to Mask this layer.

• Layer 3: Set to Mask this layer

• Layer 4: Set to + Add to mask

• Layer 5: Set to Mask this layer

After you apply the above settings, the end result will look
as shown in the following figure, when rendered.

A group with five layers, each with a different shape.

To mask an example such as this, use the following settings:

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Result of simple masking.

Mask Reset (Produces Fringing)

This example consists of a group with five layers, each with

an oval shape. This group doesn’t follow the rules. It renders
with fringe because Layer 4 is set to “Clear and Add to the
Mask.”

A group with five layers, each with a different shape.

This example uses the following settings:

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• Group mask: In the Group Mask section, choose Hide

All. In the Layer Masking section, choose Mask this
layer.

• Layer 1: Set to +Add to mask.

• Layer 2: Set to Mask this layer

• Layer 3: Set to Mask this layer

• Layer 4: Set to + Clear the mask, then add this layer to

it.

• Layer 5: Set to Mask this layer

After you apply the above settings, the end result will look Result of mask reset.
as shown in the following figure, when rendered.
Complex Masking (Produces Fringing)

This example starts with a group that contains three

layers. each with an oval shape. This masking example
also renders with fringe, because it breaks the rules by
combining additive and subtractive masking in the same
group.

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• Layer 1: Set to +Add to mask.

• Layer 2: Set to -Subtract from mask (this layer will be

invisible)

• Layer 3: Set to Mask this layer

After you apply the above settings, the end result will look
as shown in the following figure, when rendered.

Result of complex masking.

A group with three layers, each with a different shape.

This example uses the following settings:

Vectors Tab
• Group mask: In the Group Mask section, choose Hide
This tab is only available for vector layers, and controls
All. In the Layer Masking section, choose Mask this
the appearance of lines and fills in the layer. The controls
layer.

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here enable the vector “noise effect”. By adding “noise”

to a layer, you can make it look more hand-drawn, or at
least get rid of some of that pesky computer precision.
Of course, that’s up to artistic interpretation: if you like
computer precision, the noise effect may not be the
feature for you.

Vectors Layer Settings

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• Noisy Outlines and Noisy Fills: The first two checkboxes • Interval (Frames): When vector noise is set to be
turn on noise for outlines and/or fills. If you turn on animated, you can set an interval so that the noise
both of these, all the shapes in the layer will become changes every nth frame, with n being the number
distorted. However, if you check only one, the effect that you enter in this field. Increase the number to
will look like someone was coloring but didn’t stay in reduce the amount of noise.
the lines. The circle displayed on the right side shows a
preview of what your noise effect settings will do to the • Line Count: Tells Anime Studio to draw a number of
final drawing. (The best way to understand this feature lines, distorting each in a different way.
is to just start clicking the checkboxes and watch the
• Animated Shape Order: Check this option if you want
circle.)
to enable animated shape order on the selected layer,
• Animated noise: Controls whether the noise factor will using the Draw > Raise Shape, Lower Shape, Raise to
vary over time in your animation. This can lead to either Front, or Lower to Back commands (or their equivalent
a very distracting look, or a very sketchy, free-form one, shortcuts: Up arrow, Down arrow, Shift Up arrow or
depending on your tastes. Again, experiment with this Shift Down arrow). This will allow you to select shapes
and watch the circle. on the current layer and animate the order in which
they are stacked in relation to the camera. In the
• Extra Sketchy: (Associated with noise settings). Creates following example, animated shape ordering is used
gaps in the outlines. If you have a curve being drawing in combination with smart bones to position the ears
you might actually have little gaps in it. above or below a character’s head as the head turns.
When the smart bone is positioned toward the left, the
• Offset: Determines how far in pixels (on average) your character is looking to the left, the right ear is above
drawing will be distorted from its original shape. the head and the left ear is below the head. When the
smart bone is in its center position, the character looks
• Scale: Determines the “jaggedness” of the distortion.
to the center, and both ears are above the head.
Larger scale numbers will result in smoother, lumpier
Finally, when the smart bone is positioned to the right,
distortion, while smaller numbers will give you a more
the character looks to the right, the left ear is above
scribbled look.
the head and the right ear is below the head.
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See “Tutorial 5.11: Animated Shape Ordering” on

page 233 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual for
a hands on tutorial on how to use animated shape
ordering.

• Gap Filling: Sometimes two shapes are drawn that line

up exactly side-by-side with no overlap whatsoever. In
some situations, a small crack can appear between
them. Turn this option on to enable Anime Studio to fill
in these cracks.

• Legacy Curves: Switches a layer back to the curve

drawing method used in Anime Studio 7 and earlier.
Documents created in Anime Studio 7 and earlier
should open in the application with this option turned
on so that the existing artwork does not suddenly
change.

• Antialiasing: Applies antialiasing to the currently

selected vector layer(s).

• Copy all Vector settings to other selected layers: When

multiple layers are selected, check this option and
Animated shape ordering allows you to position the ears of a click the Apply button to copy all vector settings to all
character as its head turns. other applicable selected layers.

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Depth Sort Tab

This tab is only available for group and bone layers. Depth
Sort has two controls that can be used with Anime Studio’s
3D features.

Depth Sort Layer Settings

• Sort Layers by Depth: Allows sub-layers to move in

front of and behind each other during an animation.

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Normally, layers are drawn in the order they appear in

the Layers window. However, with this option turned
Image Tab
on, layers are displayed according to how far they are This tab is only available for image layers. There are five
from the camera. Typically, layers are sorted by their options in this tab.
depth from the camera, but if you’re trying to create
a 3D object using multiple Anime Studio layers (like a
cube or pyramid), you may want to turn it on.

• Sort by True Distance: Tells Anime Studio to sort layers

by the distance from the camera to the layers’ origins,
rather than by depth. Usually this option will be left
unchecked.

• Enable animated layer order: During the course of an

animation, you may want to move objects in front of
or behind each other. One example is when simulating
head turns. The children of a group layer have the
ability to move back and forth in layer order over
the course of an animation, but you need to turn this
option on to allow it. If it’s off, then moving one layer in
front of another affects them for the entire timeline.

• Copy all Group settings to other selected layers

(except Name): When multiple layers are selected,
check this option and click the Apply button to copy
all group settings to all other applicable selected
layers.

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• Set Source Image: Lets you select the image to be

used in the image layer. Use this if you want to change
the image, or if it got lost for some reason.

• Reveal Source Image: Click the button to open

Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) to the folder that
the current source image is contained within.

• AVI movie has alpha: Turn this on if the image layer is

using an AVI movie, and that movie includes an alpha
channel.

• Loop movie indefinitely: When checked, the movie

plays in a loop for as long as required in the animation.
When unchecked, the movie plays once and stops
when it reaches its end.

• Play backwards: When checked, plays a movie layer

backwards (in reverse frame order).

• Persist First Frame: When checked, displays the first

frame of a movie continually until the playhead
reaches the frame at which the movie begins to play.
When unchecked, the movie will not appear in the
project until the playhead reaches the first frame in the
Image Layer Settings
movie.

• Persist Last Frame: When checked, displays the last

frame of a movie continually after the playhead
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reaches the last frame of the movie in the timeline. Toon Settings
When unchecked, the movie will no longer appear in
the project after the playhead moves beyond the last The Toon Effect filter is used with images and movies.
frame in the movie. Load an image or movie into a new layer. Open the
Layer Settings dialog to the Image tab and check the
• Premultiplied Alpha: If an imported movie has Toon Effect option. The image or movie will be processed
an alpha channel and the edges look bad after through the Toon Effect filter.
importing, it may be because the movie has
premultiplied alpha. Check this option to improve
appearance.

• Movie FPS: Sets the speed of the movie in Frames per

Second

• Warp using bones: If this box is checked and the image

layer is placed inside a bone layer, the bones can
be used to warp the image as if it were printed on a
rubber sheet.

• Nearest neighbor sampling: When this option is not

checked, Anime Studio will try to smooth out the areas
in between pixels when you enlarge the image. If you
want the images to look blocky when they are resized,
turn this option on. Anime Studio will not smooth
the image and it will start to look blocky when it is
Toon effects on a photograph
enlarged.

When used with videos, the processing can take quite a

while. When working with videos, open up the movie file
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and apply the toon effect filter. Immediately afterward,

import the animation as a new movie file. Use the new
movie file, with the toon effect applied, in your final project.
Some types of images work better than others. Faces
should be pretty large in the image. If the face is small then
a lot of detail will be lost or blurred together.
The Toon Effect filter has several parameters in the Image
tab:

Toon settings in the Layer Settings Image tab

• Edge level: Controls the width of the edges in the toon

effect. Increase the setting to make the edges wider,
and decrease to make the edges thinner.

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• Gray level: Darkens the middle areas of the toon

effect.

• Black level: Darkens the dark areas of the toon effect.

• Saturation: Increases or decreases the amount of color.

Negative values make the toon more black and white.

• Lightness: Increase the setting to make the image

appear more faded.

• Quantization: Sets the number of colors in the image.

When set at 0, the quantization works the same as
found in Anime Studio 7 and earlier. When set to
a value greater than 1, the value you enter is the
number of colors in the image.

• Copy all Image settings to other selected layers

(except Source Image): When multiple layers are
selected, check this option and click the Apply button
to copy all image settings (except the source image)
to all other applicable selected layers.

Audio Tab
Audio Layer Settings
This tab is only available for audio layers. The options are:

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• Set Source Audio: Click the Set Source Audio button to • Select Audio Sync Source: Lets you select a data
select an audio source file on your system. file used to control the switch layer. A data file is not
required (you can control a Switch layer manually by
• Reveal Source Audio: Click this button to locate the right-clicking its entry in the Layers window), but if you
audio source file in its folder location. do want to use a data file you have two choices:

• Audio level: Displays a numeric value for the audio If you want a quicker lip-sync solution, you
volume, with 1 being equal to the default volume of can use an audio file as a data file. In this
the audio file. case, your switch file should contain several version
of a mouth shape, ranging from closed to wide
• Spatial Positioning: Enabled by default. When enabled,
open. The volume of the audio file will control which
Anime Studio will use and play back
mouth shape is used at which frame. If you do use
an audio file to control the Switch layer, you can

Switch Tab either use automatic volume gain (recommended)

or set the gain manually. The gain controls how wide
This tab is only available for switch layers. the mouth gets. When using manual gain, start with
a value of 1 - if the mouth seems too wide, try smaller
values (0.75 or 0.5). If the mouth isn’t wide enough,
try higher gain values (1.5 or 2).

See “Tutorial 5.1: Automatic Lip-Sync” on

page 185 in your Anime Studio Tutorial
Manual and “Tutorial 5.2: Phoneme Lip-Sync” on
page 187 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual for
Switch Layer Settings
examples of using audio lip-syncing functions.

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• Interpolate sub-layers: If this box is checked Anime

Studio will do smooth transitions between the sub-
layers as long as they’re all vector layers and contain
the same number of points.

• Frame-by-frame drawing: Check this option to enable

Frame-by-frame drawing features on the selected
switch layer. This option is used in conjuction with
frame-by-frame animation layers. For a thorough
example of using frame by frame animation in Anime
Studio, see “Tutorial 5.10: Using Frame by Frame Layers
for Animation” on page 225 in your Anime Studio
Tutorial Manual.

Particles Tab
This tab is only available for particle layers. The description
for how these controls affect a particle layer can be found
in “Particle Layers” on page 132.

Particles Layer Settings

3D Options
This tab is only available for 3D layers.

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level of crease outline that will appear. The Edge

Extension setting makes the outline thicker.

• Shading: Controls the type of shading that appears

on the 3D object, along with the shading color and
density. Choices of shading include None, Smooth,
Toon, Hatched, or Extruded Side Color.

3D Options Layer Settings

• Edges: Allows you to control which elements get edges

(or outlines) and to what degree. You can choose to
enable or disable outlines around silhouettes, materials,
or creases. The Crease Threshold setting controls the
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turned inside-out or otherwise distorted, try switching

the polygon orientation.

• Warp using bones: If this box is checked and the 3D

layer is placed inside a bone layer, the bones can be
used to warp the 3D model. Be aware that although
the model is three-dimensional, bone layers are only
two-dimensional, so you will be limited in the ways you
can control the 3D object using bones.

• Reset Z buffer: Anime Studio uses a z buffer rendering

algorithm and the result is that all 3D objects in the
scene interact in a visually consistent way. Objects
that are closer appear in front of those further away,
regardless of the layer order. However, if you turn
this checkbox on for layer X (a 3D layer), then when
layer X gets rendered it first resets the z buffer. This is a
way to force a 3D layer to appear in front of other 3D
layers that it might actually be behind. In other words,
sometimes you may want multiple 3D layers to interact
in the Z dimension (hide behind each other, or even
interpenetrate so that some parts of one object are
3D Shading Options
in front of another and some parts behind). This is the
normal behavior. Turning on the Reset Z Buffer option
• Polygon orientation: Allows you to adjust whether the forces 3D objects to act like regular 2D layers and just
polygons in your model are oriented clockwise or be in front of or behind each other according to the
counter-clockwise. After importing a model, if it looks layer order in the Layers palette.

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• Copy all 3D settings to other selected layers: When

multiple layers are selected, check this option and click
the Apply button to copy all 3D settings to all other
applicable selected layers.

Note Tab
This tab is only available for note layers, and lets you
change the text label in the note.

• Copy all Note settings to other selected layers: When

multiple layers are selected, check this option and click
the Apply button to copy all Note settings to all other
applicable selected layers.

Notes Layer Settings

Physics Tab
The settings in the Physics tab are as follows:
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ƒƒ Enable physics: Check this option to turn the Normally, physics simulations are re-run every
physics simulator on. time you play back an animation so that
they can respond to other objects in the scene. The
ƒƒ Gravity direction: Use the directional slider to point
advantages to using baked physics are (1) it is faster
to the direction from which gravity is originated.
to re-use simulations rather than to re-run the
By default, the direction is straight down (270
physics; (2) If the physics simulation doesn’t give you
degrees). 0/360 degrees is at the 3:00 position of
the results you want, you need to tweak results. You
the dial.
can’t manually animate objects if they are under
ƒƒ Gravity magnitude: Controls the strength of the the influence of physics, but you can use the
gravity. Lower values make the gravity less forceful precomputed physics while you modify keyframes
(objects are lighter) and higher values make the as you see fit. (3) If you get a result that you like, you
gravity more forceful (objects are heavier). can turn this option on to make sure it doesn’t
change.
ƒƒ Use baked physics (advanced): Turn this option
on to stop the physics simulation from running. It
will play back results from the last time you played Physics will only work with objects that are
back the animation. filled.

ƒƒ Copy all Physics settings to other selected layers:

When multiple layers are selected, check this For more information on how to use physics in your Anime
option and click the Apply button to copy all Studio projects, see “Tutorial 5.9: Basic Physics” on page
physics settings to all other applicable selected 219 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.
layers.

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The settings in the Bones tab are as follows:

• Binding Mode: Check one of the following to select the

binding mode that you want to use for bones.

ƒƒ Flexible Binding: This option is selected by default.

This uses Flexi-Binding, which allows greater control
over how bones affect different layers in a bone
group. See “Tutorial 3.5: Flexi-Binding” on page
143 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.

ƒƒ Region Binding: Uses the binding style that was

used by Anime Studio prior to version 9.5. See
“Tutorial 3.4: Character Setup” on page 132 in
your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.

• Allow Nested Layer Control: Allows you to control the

children of their children, making it easier to work with
bones on images and vector art.

• Copy all Bones settings to other selected layers: When

multiple layers are selected, check this option and click
the Apply button to copy all bone settings to all other
applicable selected layers.
Physics Settings

• Bones Tab
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Anime Studio provides an option that allows

you to control the children of a bone’s
children, making it easier to work with bones on
images and vector art. In other words, if you have a
group inside a bone layer, and vector layers inside
that group, the bone layer can warp the artwork in
those vector layers if Allow nested layer control is
turned on in the Bones tab of the Layer Properties
palette and if the group layer is not bound. This
allows more powerful bone rigging while also
allowing you to organize your layers in a hierarchy.
This allows you to have parent bones and
“Grandpa” bones ... bones that affect more than
one layer of bones beneath them.

Bones Settings

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Chapter 13: Style

Window
The Style window is where you set up colors, line widths, fill
effects, and other properties to control the appearance of
your vector artwork. The Style window has two views, Basic
(shown on the right in the following figure) and Advanced
(shown on the left in the following figure).
The Advanced checkbox in the lower-left corner of the
dialog will toggle the Styles palette between Basic and
Advanced views. Check the option to display in Advanced
view, and uncheck it to display in Basic view.
The options in the Style window are displayed and listed on
the following page.
When you edit the fill color, stroke color, or brush settings,
the changes will be displayed live on the canvas so that
you can see the effects of your changes.

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Style Window Options: 27. Checker selection

1. Fill enable checkbox
2. Fill color selector
3. Stroke enable checkbox
4. Stroke color selector
5. Stroke brush selector
6. Stroke line width field
7. Stroke effect drop-down menu
8. Stroke effect settings button
9. Color swatch drop-down menu
10. Color swatch
11. Copy button
12. Paste button
13. Reset button
14. Advanced window checkbox
15. Window mode indication
16. Name field
17. Fill effect drop-down menus
18. Fill effect settings buttons
19. Round end caps checkbox Basic Style Options
20. 3D conversion thickness field
21. Shape selection drop-down menu
22. Style management drop-down menu
23. Fill color override checkbox
24. Stroke color override checkbox
25. Stroke width override checkbox
26. Applied styles drop-down menus

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Shapes (Advanced View)

Window Mode Indication (15)

This indicates the current mode of the Style Window. There
are three modes:

Window Mode Indication

• DEFAULTS (For new shapes): In this mode the style you

define will be applied to any new shapes you create.
This default will retain the style of the last shape you
had selected. This is the default mode when there are
no shapes or styles selected.

• SHAPE: In this mode the style you define will edit the
style of the currently selected shape. Selecting a shape
in the workspace or in the shape selection drop-down
menu will enter shape mode.

• STYLE: In this mode the style you define will either

Advanced Style Options (Green)
create a new style or edit an existing one, depending

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on the option you select from the style management

drop-down menu.

Name Field (16)

The name field allows you to name or rename any
selected shape or style and displays any existing name. It is
only active in SHAPE or STYLE mode.

Shape Selection Drop-Down Menu

Name Field
• Shapes: The fill and/or stroke that make vector
construction visible when rendering/exporting. For
example, if you use the Draw Shape (E) tool with the
Shape Selection Drop-Down Menu (21) Auto-fill and Auto-stroke options unchecked, you will
create a vector construction without any shape and
You can use this menu to select any existing and named it will not be visible when rendered/exported. You can
shape on the current vector layer. Select <None> to always use the Create Shape (U) tool to make a shape
deselect all shapes. using this vector construction. Enabling either or both
of these Auto options before using the Draw Shape
tool will create a visible shape with the properties
chosen.

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Choose Edit >Preferences... and in the Option

tab, you can select Auto-name new shapes
so that all of your shapes have names when
created. Refer to “General Tab” on page 407 for
more information.

Style Management Drop-Down Menu

(22)
A style contains all of the properties which define how a
shape should look. Use the Styles menu to create, delete,
and edit your styles.

Style Management Drop-Down Menu

These are the options of this menu:

• New: This option allows you to create a new saved

style.

• Delete: This option allows you to delete a selected style.

• Delete Unused: This option allows you to delete all styles

that are not currently applied to any shapes.

• <None>: This option deselects all saved styles.

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• List of style names: If you have created any saved

styles there will be a list of their names. Selecting one of
these will open that style for editing.

Style names are now referenced internally by

a unique ID rather than by name. This allows
you to have more than one style of the same name,
and also prevents naming collisions when you Fill Enable Checkbox
import styles of the same name from another
document.

Fill Color Selector (2)

Fills This displays the fill color for the default style, the selected
shape, or the selected style, depending on the style
In Basic view, the Style window displays the following window mode. Clicking on it allows you to edit the color
options for fills: with the color picker, or by using the Eyedropper tool to
pick a color.

Fill Enable Checkbox (1)

This checkbox determines whether a selected shape has
a fill.
A fill is the color inside of a closed shape. This option is only
available when you have an existing shape selected. Fill Color Selector

The color picker allows you to select the color and

transparency of the fill or stroke of your style. The large field

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to the left is where you can chose the color saturation and Fill Effect Drop-down Menu (17)
brightness. The vertical colored bar to the right of this is
where you chose the color hue. The next, checkered bar is These drop-down menus in advanced view allow you to
where you set the color alpha value (opacity). At the top select two different fill effects. There are many effects to
right are two color chips. The top one is the current color chose from:
and the lower one is the previous color ( click to restore).
Below these are manual inputs for the red, green, blue,
and alpha values. And last is a hexadecimal field where
you can copy or paste hex values to set the color.

Fill Effect Drop-Down Menu

• <plain> indicates that no effect is applied in this drop-

down.
This is followed by a list of fill effects. Some fill and line
effects can be animated, with keyframes being added to
the timeline when you change colors, blur radius, angles,
offsets, blurs, and more.

Color Picker

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You will only be able to view the results of

some effects on your shapes by rendering a
single frame (Cmd/Ctrl R) or exporting the animation
(Cmd/Ctrl E).

Many of the fill and stroke effects can be

shown in the workspace, while others can
only be seen once rendered. This can slow down
performance, so it is disabled by default. To enable
effects in the workspace open the Display Quality
settings drop-down at the bottom of the workspace
and enable the Shape effects checkbox.

Shaded Fill Effects

When you choose Shaded Fill effects, a dialog displays the

following options:
Expanded Menu

Selecting an effect will bring up an effect settings dialog,

each of which are described in the sections that follow.
Each effect has a variety of specific parameters for the
user to adjust, as well as an effect preview that updates as
changes are made to these settings.

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• Offset: Allows you to assign a value for how far the

shadow is offset from the filled area

• Blur: Controls the softness of the shadow.

• Shadow Color: Allows you to choose the shadow color

from a color palette.

• Shadow Only: Check this option to only display the

shadow, without the fill.

• Threshold: Works in conjunction with blur, and can be

used to produce smoother transitions in corners. The
more an object is blurred, the more the threshold will
have an effect. The blur is computed first, and then
the threshold is added on top of it to smooth out the
overall shape.

Soft Edge Fill Effects

When you choose Soft Edge Fill effects, a dialog displays

the following options:
Shaded Effect Options

• Light Angle: Provides a dial that allows you to change

the direction that the light is coming from. You can also
enter a numerical value. Zero degrees is located at the
bottom of the dial.

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Halo Fill Effects

When you choose Halo Fill effects, a dialog displays the

following options:

Soft Edge Effect Options

• Blur Radius: Allows you to increase or decrease the

softness, or blur, around the edge of the fill.

• Threshold: Works in conjunction with blur, and can be Halo Effect Options
used to produce smoother transitions in corners. The
more an object is blurred, the more the threshold will • Inset Radius: Adjusts the radius of the inner area
have an effect. The blur is computed first, and then
the threshold is added on top of it to smooth out the • Blur Radius: Adjusts the softness around the halo
overall shape.
• Halo Color: Click the Color chip to select a color for
the halo.

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• Halo Only: Check this option to only add the halo • Type: Allows you to choose one of four types of
effect without the fill. gradient effects:: Linear, Radial, Reflected, or Angle.
The preview shows an example of each type.
Gradient Fill Effects
• Allow transparency: Check this option if you want the
Gradient fill effects can be animated and can also gradient to appear partially or completely transparent
respond to bone warping. You can animate the location in some areas.
and color of all of the color markers in the gradient. All
changes in color will show up in the timeline when added. • Color: Allows you to select a color and transparency
for the selected gradient marker (below).
This is the dialog used to control the gradient effect. The
following options appear:
• Gradient bar: This bar shows the current gradient.

• Gradient markers: Below the gradient bar are initially

two markers, one on each end. Selecting one of these
will fill the arrow above it and display its color in the
Color selector to indicate it is selected. These markers
can be moved anywhere along the gradient bar.

• You can also add additional color markers to the

gradient by clicking anywhere just below the gradient
bar. You can copy an existing marker by holding the
Alt key when you select a marker. You can then drag
this copied marker to a new location on the gradient
bar, or even click the color selector to change its color.

Gradient Effect Options

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Image Texture Fill Effects • Don’t Repeat: Choose this option if you do not want
to repeat image used for the fill. The image will be
When you choose Image Texture Fill effects, a dialog rescaled proportionally as needed to fit the width or
displays the following options: height of the area that will be filled.

• Through Transparency: Check this option to mask

areas of an underlying shape with transparent areas in
a texture fill.
When you apply a texture fill effect, you can select images
that are partially transparent. After you select the image,
the preview in the Texture dialog will apply the partially
transparent image over the shape so that you can see the
underlying color through the texture.

Image Texture Effect Options

• Select Texture: Click this button to choose an image

file to be used as a texture fill.

• Tile: Choose this option if you want the image to

repeat more than once to fill the selected area
A shape filled with a partially transparent image.
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When the Through Transparency option is checked, you will When you choose a Drop Shadow, a dialog displays the
see a change after you render a preview. The transparent following options:
areas in the texture will now be transparent through the
entire shape. This causes the transparencies in the image to
function similar to a mask.

A shape filled with a partially transparent image.

Drop Shadow
Drop Shadow Effect Options
The Drop Shadow feature allows you to quickly and easily
create a drop shadow for your objects. The feature allows
• Light Angle: Provides a dial that allows you to change
you to set the angle from which the light shines, how much
the direction that the light is coming from. You can also
the shadow is offset from the object, and the blur radius (or
enter a numerical value. Zero degrees is located at the
softness) of the shadow. In addition, you can set the color
bottom of the dial.
of the shadow through a color swatch.
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• Offset: Allows you to assign a value for how far the

shadow is offset from the filled area

• Blur: Controls the softness of the shadow.

• Shadow Color: Allows you to choose the shadow color

from a color palette.

• Threshold: Works in conjunction with blur, and can be

used to produce smoother transitions in corners. The
more an object is blurred, the more the threshold will
have an effect. The blur is computed first, and then
the threshold is added on top of it to smooth out the
overall shape. Crayon Effect Options
A preview of the settings appears in the preview window
as you adjust them. When you are satisfied with the • Line Width: Allows you to increase or decrease the
appearance of your shadow, click OK to apply the width of the crayon stroke.
settings. You will need to preview the frame (Cmd/Ctrl R)
or export the animation (Cmd/Ctrl E) to see the results. • Density: Decrease the setting to give the crayon a
more grainy appearance. Increase the setting to
Crayon make the crayon more “solid.”

The Crayon feature allows you to simulate the effect of • Erase to Background: Check this option to erase
something that is drawn with a crayon. The feature allows underlying strokes with the crayon.
you to adjust the width and density of the crayon stroke.
You can also use the crayon as an eraser. • Minimize frame-to-frame randomness: Check this
When you choose the Crayon effect, a dialog displays the option to keep the crayon effect from jittering during
following options: the animation.

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A preview of the settings appears in the preview window

as you adjust them. When you are satisfied with the effect
preview, click OK to apply the settings.

Legacy Effects

Legacy Effects (Anime Studio Pro only). These are older

effects that significantly slow down render speeds, do
not respond to bone influence, and may have other
limitations and drawbacks. You must decide for yourself
whether these effects are worth the extra time to render an
animation that makes use of them.

Splotchy

This effect fills the selected area with a splotchy pattern.

You can control the contrast, scale, and chromatics of the
pattern fill.
Splotchy Options

• Magnitude: Allows you to adjust the contrast of the

splotchy pattern.

• Scale: Adjusts the scale of the splotchy pattern.

• Monochrome: When this option is checked the

splotchy pattern will only use shades of the fill color.

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Spots • Spot length: This option determines the length of the

spots.

• Spot width: This option determines the width of the

spots.

• Length spacing: This option determines the space

between the ends of the spots.

• Width spacing: This option determines the space

between the sides of the spots.

• Angle: Provides a dial that allows you to change the

direction of the spots. You can also enter a numerical
value. Zero degrees is located at the right of the dial.

• Spot color: Allows you to choose the spot color from a

color palette.

Fill Effect Settings Button (18)

Each of these buttons in advanced view become active
when you have an effect selected in the effect drop-
down menu next to it. These buttons allow you to access
and edit the effect settings dialog of the selected effect.

Spots Options

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• DEFAULTS and SHAPE: In these modes the override is

only available if a saved style has been applied (see
19). Enabling this will override the applied style fill color
with the current color in the fill color selector.

• STYLE: In this mode the override determines what

properties are included in the saved style. There is an
override for fill, stroke (see 12), and line width (see 14).
You can create styles with any combination of these
Fill Effects Settings Button
properties.

• When a style is applied any overrides checked in that

Fill Color Override Checkbox (23) saved style will override those properties in the shape
or default.
If checked in advanced view, the color displayed in the fill
color selector will override any other fill color in the style.
Stroke

Stroke Enable Checkbox (3)

This checkbox determines whether a selected shape has
a stroke.
Fill Color Override Checkbox A stroke is the outline of a shape. Shapes can exist without
a stroke or only composed of a stroke. This option is only
This works slightly different, depending on which mode the available when you have an existing shape selected.
window is in:

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Stroke Brush Selector (5)

This displays the current brush used for the stroke of the
default style, selected shape, or selected style.

If a brush style references a brush that is not

found in the Style window, the Stroke Brush
Selector will display Missing Brush instead of No
Stroke Enable Checkbox Brush.

Stroke Color Selector (4)

This displays the stroke color for the default style, the
selected shape, or the selected style, depending on the
style window mode. Clicking on it brings up the color
picker.

Stroke Brush Selector

Clicking this box opens the Brush Settings dialog:

Stroke Color Selector

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• Align brush with curve: This option changes the

orientation of the brush to the vector curve it is applied
to.

• Brush jitter angle: This option determines how much the

orientation angle varies, with zero being to variance.

• Brush angle drift: This setting works well with multibrushes

that have some sort of obvious alignment. With brush
angle drift off (see top stroke in the figure below),
strokes that are aligned with a curve will be aligned
similarly. With brush angle drift on (see bottom stroke
in the figure below), the alignment angles will vary
depending on the drift angle value that you enter.
Smaller values will produce less angle drift than larger
values.

Brush Settings Dialog

• Brush selection menu: This displays all of the available

brushes. You can click on one to select it for use or
select None for no brush.

• Selected Brush: Displays a tooltip for the name of the

currently selected brush, even if the image is not found. Brush angle drift off (top) and on (bottom)

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• Brush spacing: This allows you to set the spacing

between each instance of the brush. Improvements to
brush spacing have been made so that brush spacing
remains consistent whether the brush curve follows
curve points that are either pointed or curved.

• Minimize frame-to-frame randomness: Check this

option to keep the brush from jittering during the
animation.

• Merge alpha: With merged alpha turned on (see

top stroke in following figure), an alpha value will be
applied uniformly on strokes that were made with
multibrushes. With merged alpha turned off (see
bottom stroke in following figure), multibrush strokes are
allowed to build up and the strokes appear more like
natural media (as shown in the two strokes on the left
in the following figure).

Merge alpha on (top) and off (bottom)

• Tint brush using stroke color: For brushes that are

colored (not all black) this option allows the brush to
take on the selected stroke color instead of the color
displayed in the brush selection menu.

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• Random Order: When checked, randomizes the order Using Multi-Brushes

of the Multi-Brush shapes while the stroke is painted.
Anime Studio 10 includes a new feature called Multi-
• Brush preview: This displays a preview of the chosen Brushes. If you go into the Brush Settings dialog you will
brush settings. notice several new brushes. Multi-brushes are indicated in
the Brush Settings dialog with three dots in the upper left
• Save Brush: Allows you to save a brush with the current corner of the brush preview.
settings. Click this button to enter a name for your new
brush. The settings for the brush will be encoded onto
the end of the name. You are also allowed to choose
where the brushes are saved. Click Custom Content
Folder to save the new brush in one of your user
content folders. Click Choose Folder to save the new
brush to another folder on your hard drive.

The name that you assign to the brush must

be a legal filename for your system.
Underscore characters that appear in the base
Multi-Brushes are indicated with three dots in the upper left
filename will be converted to dashes to preserve
corner of the brush preview.
encoding requirements in Anime Studio.

When you select a Multi-brush, the preview window at

If you save a new brush into the Brushes folder the bottom of the Brush palette displays a preview of the
in your User Content folder, they will not show selected brush. You will notice that there are multiple
up in the Brushes picker until you reload the brushes. images mixed into a single brush stroke.
You will be given the option to reload the brushes
when you save the new brush to the User Content
folder.

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Multi-Brushes allow you to add multiple shapes in a single brush

stroke.

Some Multi-Brushes mix different textures into a single

stroke. The differences in texture may appear to be more
subtle in the preview window, but the variations will be
more obvious after you render a preview.

Subtle Multi-Brush differences will be more clear after rendering

(as seen in the bottom)

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Creating Multi-Brushes • Fifth number: Tint Brush Using Stroke Color off (0) or on
(1).
It is very easy to create your own Multi-Brushes. First,
locate your User Content folder. If you did not create • Sixth number: Random Order off (0) or on (1).
a User Content folder when you first ran Anime Studio After you create the folder, place PNG files, with
(as described in “Creating a Content Folder” on page transparent backgrounds, for each shape that you want
17) you can use the Help > Set Custom Content Folder the Multi-Brush to paint. The following figure shows three
command to create one. different flower shapes added to the Flowers 1 Multi-Brush
Your Custom Content folder includes a brushes category folder.
folder within it. Beneath this brushes folder, create a new
folder that has the same name as the Multi-Brush that you
want to create.
The following naming convention can be used to save
settings that apply to the brush. The foldername can
contain six numbers, separated by underscores as follows:
Brushname_#_###_###_#_#_#

The numbers represent the following brush settings: Create a Multi-Brush folder in your custom content folder,
within the brushes category folder, and place PNG files into the
• First number: Align brush with curve off (0) or on (1). new folder.

• Second number: Represents the Brush Jitter angle.

The next time you start Anime Studio, you will find the
new Multi-Brush added to the Brush palette. It will appear
• Third number: Represents the Brush Spacing setting.
last in the list. You can further adjust the brush settings as
• Fourth number: Minimize Frame to Frame Randomness indicated previously in “Stroke Brush Selector (5)” on page
off (0) or on (1). 255.

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Stroke Line Width Field

Stroke Effect Drop-down Menu (7)

This drop-down menus allow you to select a stroke effect.
There are many effects to chose from. The stroke effects
are the same as the fill effects described earlier.

Stroke Line Width Field

Stroke Line Width Field (6)

This field allows you to set the stroke line width of the
default style, selected shape, or selected style. The
minimum line width is .25. After clicking in this field you can
either type in or use the mouse wheel to adjust the value.

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Sketchy

Stroke Effect Drop-Down Menu Sketchy Effect Options

There are two more stroke Legacy Effects:

• Radius: Adjust the radius of the effect.

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Angled Pen Stroke Effect Settings Button (8)

This button becomes active when you have an effect
selected in the effect drop-down menu next to it. This
button allows you to access and edit the effect settings
dialog of the selected effect.

Stroke Effect Settings Button

Round End Caps Checkbox (19)

Angled Pen Effect Options
You’ll notice the addition of a Round Caps option in the
Stroke section of the Advanced Style window. Check this
• Radius: Adjust the radius of the effect. option if you want to use strokes that have rounded ends.
Uncheck the option to use flat ends on your strokes (similar
• Angle: Provides a dial that allows you to change the to those used in Anime Studio 7 and earlier).
direction of the angled pen. You can also enter a
numerical value. Zero degrees is located at the right
of the dial.

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Stroke Override Checkbox (24)

If checked in advanced view, the color displayed in the
stroke color selector will override any other stroke color in
the style.

Rounded End Caps Checkbox

Older files will open with plain end caps to retain their
original appearance. New artwork will default to round
end caps unless the Round Caps option is unchecked.
Stroke Override Checkbox

This works slightly different, depending on which mode the

window is in:
DEFAULTS and SHAPE: In these modes the override is only
available if a saved style has been applied (see 19).
Enabling this will override the applied style stroke color with
the current color in the stroke color selector.
STYLE: In this mode the override determines what properties
are included in the saved style. There is an override for fill,
Rounded end caps compared to ends that are not rounded. stroke, and line width (see 14). You can create styles with
any combination of these properties.

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When a style is applied any overrides checked in that override for fill, stroke, and line width. You can create
saved style will override those properties in the shape or styles with any combination of these properties.
default.
• When a style is applied any overrides checked in
that style will override those properties in the shape or
Stroke Width Override Checkbox (25) default.

If checked in advanced view, the width displayed in the

line width field will override any other line width in the style. Applied Styles Drop-Down Menus
(26)
These drop-down menus in advanced view allow you to
apply two different saved styles.

Stroke Width Override Checkbox

This works slightly different, depending on which mode the

window is in:

• DEFAULTS and SHAPE: In these modes the override is Applied Styles Drop-Down Menus
only available if a saved style has been applied (see
19). Enabling this will override the applied style line A saved style is a set of information used by a shape
width with the current width in the line width field. (color, line width, line brush, effects, etc.), but it doesn’t
actually appear on its own in your animation. Instead, after
• STYLE: In this mode the override determines what creating a style, you can apply that saved style to one
properties are included in the saved style. There is an or more shapes. For example, you might create a “Skin”
style, and apply it to all the body parts of a character.

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Later, if you want to change the color of the character, just displays the 3D thickness of the default style or selected
modify the Skin style, and any shapes that use that style will shape. After clicking this field, you can type in or use the
change instantly. Use the Style management drop-down mouse wheel to adjust this value.
menu to create new styles and to select a style for editing.
These swatches appear in the Color Swatch (10) below.
You can select any saved style you have created to apply
to the default style or the selected shape. Select <None>
to clear the applied style.

3D Conversion Thickness Field

Swatches
Expanded Menu
Color Swatch Drop-down Menu (9)
You can define global shading, line width, etc. to maintain
This menu allows you to select from a variety of color
a consistent look throughout your project.
swatches or select a Custom Image as a swatch.

3D Conversion Thickness Field (20)

This option (20) is only available for the default style or
selected shapes on vector layers that are using either the
Extrude or Inflate options of the vector layer Layer Settings
> 3D Options tab > 3D Conversion drop-down. This field
Swatches menu
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use this as a shortcut for selecting colors for your objects.

Just click a color in this palette to assign it as the selected
shape’s fill color. Right-click a color swatch to assign it as
the selected shape’s outline color.
Use the following shortcuts for selecting colors from the
Color Swatch palette:

• Click a color swatch to assign a fill color.

• Ctrl-click or right-click a color swatch to assign a stroke

color.

• Alt-click a color swatch to assign a point color (see

“Color Points” on page 83 for more information
about the Color Points tool).

Expanded menu

These swatches appear in the Color Swatch (22) below.

Color Swatch (10)

Color Swatch
The swatch you select from the color swatch drop-down
menu shows up here as a simple color picker. You can
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Copy, Paste, and Reset Buttons Advanced Window Checkbox

There are three buttons that we’ve classified as “other” (14)
controls:
As mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, this
checkbox switches the style window between Basic
and Advanced views. The basic view minimizes the style
window to some of the options most used while animating.

Copy, Paste, and Reset buttons

• Press Copy (11) to copy the properties of the selected

shape or style.

• Press Paste (12) to apply a previously copied set of Advanced Window Checkbox
properties to another shape or style.

Press Reset(13) to switch back to editing the default

•
fill and line properties - if a shape or style is currently
Checker Selection (27)
selected, it will be de-selected. When the Checker Selection option is enabled, a
bounding box will be shown around the selected shape
rather than displaying the object with a checkerboard
pattern. This allows you to see the colors and outlines of the
selected shape more clearly.

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Chapter 14: The Library 1. Category Icons: The Category icons allow you to select
library content that is arranged in several different

Window categories. See “Library Palette Categories” on page

271.

2. Tree List: The Tree is a hierarchical list of the content in

If the Library Window is not open, select Window > Library
the library. You can customize the appearance of the
or use the keyboard shortcut Command/Ctrl Shift L.
tree as discussed in“Tree Options” on page 273.
The Anime Studio Library window provides access to
all of the content that ships with Anime Studio such as 3. Item List Panel: The Item List Panel is shown or hidden
characters, props, images, audio, etc. It has three tabs: as described in “Display Options” on page 272.
You can display the item list panel and customize
• The Library tab that provides access to the content its appearance as discussed in “Library Palette
categories. See “The Library Tab” on page 270. Categories” on page 271.

• The Search tab which allows you to search your 4. Extended Details Panel: The Extended Details Panel
content folders for specific files. See “Searching the displays metadata about the selected library item. It
Library” on page 279. is shown or hidden as described in “Display Options”
on page 272. For other display options, see “Detail
• The Favorites tab where you can gain easy access
Options” on page 275.
to your frequently used or favorite content items. See
“Favorites Tab” on page 280. 5. Breadcrumbs: The breadcrumb displays the
hierarchical folder path to the currently selected item.
You can show or hide breadcrumbs as described in
The Library Tab “Display Options” on page 272.
The Library tab consists of the following main areas:
6. Display Options Widget: Click this widget to show or
hide the library display options panel. See “Controlling
Library Appearance” on page 272.
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7. Library icons: See “Loading and Managing Items using Virus and ad blocking software may affect
the Library Icons” on page 275. the display of thumbnails in the library. If
thumbnails are not appearing in the library, try
turning off your antivirus or ad blocking software to
see if that resolves the issue, and check to see if your
software allows you to set permissions so that the
thumbnails can be displayed.

The version of Anime Studio Debut that is sold

through the Mac App store offers most of the
functionality described in this section. Differences will
be noted in this chapter where appropriate.

Library Palette Categories

The Library tab contains several categories, discussed
below. Each category is further divided into
subcategories. You can create and remove categories
and subcategories, and can add and remove content,
including your existing content libraries, to/from the Library
palette. Anime Studio’s library allows you to quickly select
The Anime Studio Library window
categories and the items contained within them:
Click a Category icon to select a Content category. Then
drill down in the hierarchical list in the Library list to select
the item you want to add to your scene.

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Category Icons

The default categories are broken down by content type:

Figures, Props, Images, Audio, Video, Effects, Scenes, 3D, Display Options
Styles. When you switch between categories, the Library
remembers which item was selected the last time you used • Tree (1): If this option is checked, the folders in the
a specific category. Library will be displayed in a hierarchical list. Options for
the tree are discussed in “Tree Options” on page 273.

Controlling Library Appearance • Item List Panel (2): If this option is checked, the items
in the selected folder will be displayed in a separate
The appearance of the library window is controlled by a
window on the right side of the library, and the Tree will
widget that is located at the bottom of the Library window.
display folder hierarchy. If not checked, the items in
If you expand this widget you will find four categories of
the selected folder will be displayed as thumbnails in
options: Display, Tree, List, and Details. The options in these
the tree beneath the folder in which they are located.
categories are described below.
Options for the item list panel are discussed in “List
Options” on page 274.
Display Options
• Extended Details Panel (3): Check this option to display
The options in the Display Options tab control which metadata for the selected library item. Options for
elements are displayed in the Library tab. Check or the extended details panel are discussed in “Detail
uncheck the following items as desired: Options” on page 275.

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• Breadcrumbs (4): Check this option to display the thumbnails in the tree using the Tree Options tab shown
a breadcrumb trail to the selected item. The below. The display options are as follows:
breadcrumb trail will appear at the top of the library
window.

Tree Options

• Thumbnail Size: Move the slider left or right to decrease

or increase the size of the thumbnail that is used when
an item is not selected.

• Selected Thumbnail Size: Move the slider left or right to

decrease or increase the side of the thumbnail that is
used when an item is selected.

• Indent: Move the slider left or right to adjust the

Areas with Display Options
indentation of the thumbnails.

Tree Options
By default, the Tree displays the content in your library in a
hierarchical folder structure. You can adjust and position of

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• When a folder is collapsed, click the right arrow to

expand the contents of the folder.

• When a folder is expanded, click the down arrow to

collapse the contents of the folder.

• The currently selected item is highlighted, and

displayed with a larger icon. Smaller preview icons
appear beside an item that is not selected.

• Available details about the selected item appear in

the Extended Details panel if you have elected to
show them.

List Options
Tree (default view)
The options in the List Options section control the size and
You can navigate through the tree as follows: spacing of the thumbnails that appear in the List Item
panel when it is displayed.
• Use the Up and Down arrow keys to move higher or
lower in your content tree.

• Use the Right and Left arrow keys to open and close
folders.

• Click or select an item in the list to expand the display

and view a larger preview of the content item. List Options

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• Thumbnail Size: Move the slider left or right to decrease • Minimum Image Size: Move the slider left or right to
or increase the size of the thumbnails in the Item List decrease or increase the minimum image size of the
panel. thumbnails used in the Extended Details panel.

• Horizontal Gap: Move the slider left or right to decrease

or increase the amount of horizontal space between Displaying the Library Window
the thumbnails.
To resize the Library palette:

Detail Options • Drag the left or right side to resize the width of the
Library.
The options in the Detail Options section control the
appearance of the thumbnail in the Extended Details • Drag the top or bottom edge to resize the height of the
panel. The options are: Library.

• Drag any corner of the Library palette across your

screen to the desired height and/or width.

Loading and Managing Items

using the Library Icons
Detail Options
The Library icons appear as shown in the following figure.
These icons appear at the bottom of the palette.
• Show Image: Check this option if you want to display a
thumbnail of the currently selected item. Uncheck the From left to right, these icons are:
option to display only text.

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• Save to Library: Clicking the Save to Library (+) button

adds the selected item to the Library palette.

• Delete from Library: Clicking the Delete from Library

(-) button removes the selected item from the Library
palette.

The Save to Library and Delete from Library

buttons allow you to save and delete content
to your “My” folders only. You will not be allowed to
save or delete library content from the Anime Studio
library.

• Rename: Click to assign a new name to the currently

Library Icons selected item. Enter a new name for the item in the
Rename dialog, and then click Rename to assign it.

• Double checkmark: The Add to Scene (double check) • Add to Favorites: Click to add the currently highlighted
button adds the selected item to your scene. After you library item to your Favorites list.
choose a content category and locate the item you
want to use in your scene, click the Add to scene icon
to add the item to your project. Maintaining Your Content Folders
• Create New Folder: Click the Add a Folder (+) button to When you first start Anime Studio, you are prompted
create a folder beneath the currently selected Library to create a content folder. The steps are discussed in
folder. “Creating a Content Folder” on page 17. You can use
the subfolders in this directory to store your own custom
Anime Studio-compatible content.

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In addition, the Library window allows you to add content 4. Enter a new folder name and choose OK. The folder
to your own folders so that you can access this content appears in the Library window.
more easily. When you select one of the category icons at
the top of the Library window (such as Characters, Props,
Cameras, and so on), you’ll see a “My” folder at the top
of the content pane. For example, you will see a folder
named My Characters in the Character category.
You can maintain your Library palette by adding and
removing items to and from the Library palette, as
described below.

Creating Subfolders
You can create new subfolders in the library to store your Creating a Subfolder
content. Follow these steps:
1. Click the category icon that applies to the subfolder
you want to create. For example, if you will use the Adding Items to the Library
new folder to store your own characters, select the
Characters category. Saving an item to the Library palette adds the appropriate
item to the currently selected category/subfolder. To add
2. Highlight the folder beneath which you want the new an item to the Library palette:
folder to appear (such as the Anime Characters folder
1. In the Layers window, locate and highlight the
shown in the following figure.
item that you want to save to the library. Assign a
3. Click the Create New Folder icon located at the descriptive name to the object, if necessary, as the
bottom of the Library palette. You are prompted to Library uses the layer name to identify the Library
enter a name for the new folder. object name.
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2. In the Library window, select the desired category/ If you select the Styles category you can save
subcategory by clicking the appropriate Category styles documents into the library. You will be
icon (Figures, Props, Images, Audio, Video, Effects, asked whether to export all styles or only styles from
Scenes, 3D, Styles). the currently selected layers. Once saved in the
library, these Style files can be added to Favorites.
3. Click the Save to Library icon (+) at the bottom of the Anime Studio will generate a preview for the Style
Library palette. The object is saved to the Library folder document, and up to 8 styles can be represented. If
that you selected. the Styles document contains more than 8 styles,
only the first eight will be previewed.

Choosing meaningful names for your styles

documents can also aid in recognizing which
styles each document contains.

Deleting Items from the Library Palette

To delete an item from the Library palette, select it by
Library Icons clicking its preview image, then click the Delete from
Library icon (-) at the bottom of the palette (see below for
an image of the Library icons).

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Deletions are permanent! Be sure you really

want to delete the selected item. If you have
not saved your content elsewhere (such as archiving
the source files), the deleted content will be
permanently lost. You cannot undo content
deletions.

Searching the Library

The Search tab in the library allows you to perform a
keyword search in all or in selected categories.

Library Search Tab

To perform a search, follow these steps:

1. Switch to the Search tab in the Library.

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2. Enter a keyword (such as anime) or a series of

keywords (such as outdoor scene) in the Search For
Favorites Tab
field. The Favorites tab allows you to quickly add your favorite
content to library folders that you create yourself.
3. Check or uncheck options as follows:
To add an item to the Favorites tab:
ƒƒ To perform a search throughout all Library
1. Highlight the library item that you want to add to
categories, check the All Categories option.
favorites.
ƒƒ To perform a search in specific categories in your
Library, uncheck the All Categories option and 2. Click the Add to Favorites button at the bottom of the
then check or uncheck Characters, Props, Images, Library palette. An Add to Favorites menu appears
Audio, Video, Effects, Scenes, or 3D as needed to above the selected item.
find the content you are looking for.
3. From the menu, select an existing Favorites category,
or choose <<New Folder>> to create a new Favorites
folder. When the New Library Name dialog appears,
enter a name for your new folder and click OK. The
new folder appears in the Favorites tab and your item
appears within it.

Searching specific categories

4. Click the Search (eyeglass) button. Anime Studio

performs a search for the content that you specified,
and search results appear in the Content pane.

Add to Favorites button

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Importing Library Content

You can also access library content by choosing
Import > and selecting content from one of the various
subcategories.

Selecting content from the File > Import command

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Chapter 15: The

Character Wizard
The Character Wizard allows you to quickly and easily
create characters that you can animate in Anime Studio.
It consists of several different tabs that allow you to specify
body proportions, facial features, movement, clothing and
Click the Character Wizard button to open the Character
other styling features.
Wizard

Using the Character Wizard

You can open the Character Wizard by clicking the
Character Wizard button that is located in the upper right
corner of the Anime Studio interface. It appears just to the
left of the Library button.
The Character Wizard consists of a number of different tabs
that help you design your own character. There are also a
few controls that appear from one tab to the next.

The Character Wizard window

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Presets
The Presets drop-Down allows you to choose from a
number of different character types: Boy Spiky, Creature,
and Mannequin. Each of these different humanoid
character types has a different appearance to start with,
varying in proportion, body shape, head shape, and so
on. Some presets are more “human” while other are more Presets available in the Character Wizard
fantasy-like. You can use the other tabs to customize the
appearance of the Preset even further.
Use the + button beside the Preset drop-Down to create Changing the Character Views
your own preset, or the - button to delete a preset that you
have previously saved yourself. Built-in presets cannot be On the right side of the Character Wizard, you will see a
deleted. preview of the current character. Beneath the preview is a
slider, that allows you to view your character in one of eight
The preset will be saved at its current state. If angles. Move the slider to the right or left to change the
you go back and later change the perspective view of the character. The first bar displays the
character’s appearance (such as changing features character in its front view. As you move the slider toward
or colors), the saved preset does not automatically the right, the view changes to reflect 1/8 of a circle (as if
update to reflect those changes. You can resave the character has turned 45 degrees).
the character under its original name to overwrite
the old one, or save a new preset under a different
name.

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Different character views

Changing character views

Exporting Views
After you complete your character in wizard, either with a
preset or by customizing in the other tabs (described in the

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sections that follow) you can click OK to exit the character

wizard and view the character in your Anime Studio
project.
Before clicking the OK button, you should check the status
of the Export All Views option beneath the view slider. With
this option checked, five views of the character will be
exported to your Anime Studio project (Front, Front 3/4,
Back, Back 3/4, and Side). With the option unchecked, only
the currently selected view will appear in your project.

If any of the parts used in the character have

pre-animated movement (such as eyes that
blink), the movement will also be added to your Some random characters
character. The animation will show on the
Movement tab in the Character Wizard, and will be
added as Actions in your Anime Studio project. Body Tab
The Body tab allows you to adjust the proportions of the
Randomizing Characters various parts of the character’s body. Move the sliders
left or right to adjust the proportions as described in the
The lower-right corner of the Character Wizard contains following sections. The preview window will update the
a Randomize button. When you click this button, the character in real time while you make your adjustments.
Character Wizard combines settings from the different tabs
to create a totally unique character. This is a quick and
easy way to generate a customized character or preset as
a starting point that you can later modify yourself.

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• Torso height: Move the slider toward the left to

decrease the height of the area between the
shoulders and hip, or toward the right to increase the
height of this area.

• Leg length: Move the slider toward the left to shorten

the legs, or toward the right to lengthen them. The feet
will remain stationary on the ground.

• Head height: Move the slider toward the left to make

the head smaller, or toward the right to make the
head larger. The height of the character will remain the
same.

• Belly width: Move the slider toward the left to decrease

the width of the waist, or toward the right to increase it.

Character wizard Body tab

Proportions

• Height: Move the slider toward the left to make the

character shorter, or toward the right to make the
character taller.
Proportion options

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Legs

• Hip width: Move the slider toward the left to decrease

the width of the hip, bringing the legs closer together.
Move the slider toward the right to increase the width
of the hip, creating more space between the legs.

• Leg width: Move the slider toward the left to make the
legs and hip thinner, and toward the right to make the
legs and hip wider.
Leg options
• Leg muscles: Move the slider toward the left to make
the legs appear less muscular (and more bony). Move
the slider toward the right to add more muscle to the
legs. Arms
• Foot length: Move the slider toward the left to • Arm length: Move the slider toward the left to shorten
decrease the size of the feet, or toward the right to the arms from the shoulder, and toward the right to
increase the size of the feet. lengthen them.

• Feet: Use the Feet drop-Down menu to select the • Shoulder width: Move the slider toward the left to
appearance of the feet. Choose Generic to create decrease the width of the shoulder (bringing the
a simple representation of a bare foot with no toes. arms closer toward the body), or toward the right to
Other choices include Anime Boy Sneakers, Bare (with increase the width of the shoulder (moving the arms
toes), Bowling Shoes, Female Sandals, Male Sandals, away from the body).
Reference, and Simple.
• Arm width: Move the slider toward the left to decrease
the size of the arms (making them thinner), or toward

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the right to increase the size of the arms (making them

fatter).
Face Tab
The Face Tab of the Character Wizard allows you to select
• Arm muscles: Move the slider toward the left to make
and adjust the facial features, including the head, eyes,
the arms less muscular and bony, or toward the right to
mouth, and nose. Included at the bottom of the various
make them more muscular.
categories are the following sliders:
• Hand length: Move the slider toward the left to
• Horizontal adjustment: Move the slider left or right to
decrease the size of the hands, and toward the right to
position the facial features, if necessary after you adjust
increase the size of the hands.
the head proportions. For example, you can move
the eyes, nose, and mouth closer to the face if they
• Hands: Use the Hands drop-Down menu to select a
appear to be detached from the face. The adjustment
style of hands for the character. Choose Generic to
slider will be disabled in the Front and Back views
create generic hands that have no fingers. Other
where it does not apply.
choices include Anime Boy Mittens, Female Red Nails,
Long Fingers, Simple, Square, and Toon.
• Vertical adjustment: Move the slider left or right to
adjust the height of the facial features, if necessary
after you adjust the head proportions. For example,
in some cases, the profile of the lips will not match up
with the line of the mouth and this control can match it
more closely.

Arm options

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• Neck width: When you are working with a head where

the size of the neck can be adjusted, this dial allows
you to increase or decrease the width of the neck. The
option will be disabled when the character does not
have a resizeable neck.

• Head top: (enabled for Generic head only) Move

the slider toward the left to decrease the width of the
crown, or toward the right to increase the width.

• Head middle: (enabled for Generic head only) Move

the slider toward the left to decrease the width of the
middle head, or toward the right to increase the width.

• Head bottom: (enabled for Generic head only) Move

the slider toward the left to decrease the width of the
lower head, or toward the right to increase the width.
Character wizard Face tab

Head

• Head selector: Click the Head drop-Down list to choose

from a number of preset character heads. Styles range
from human to fantasy and more. Some characters
have hair or hats, while others are bald.
Head options

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Eyes Mouth

• Eye selector: Use the Eyes drop-Down list to select one • Mouth selector: Use the Mouth drop-Down list to select
of several different eye shapes. one of several different mouth shapes.

• Size: Move the slider toward the left to decrease the • Size: Move the slider toward the left to decrease the
size of the eyes, or toward the right to increase the size size of the mouth, or toward the right to increase the
of the eyes. The size will increase or decrease from the size of the mouth.
center point of each eye.
• Height: Move the slider toward the left to lower the
• Height: Move the slider toward the left to lower the mouth, or toward the right to raise the mouth.
eyes, or toward the right to raise the eyes.

• Spacing: Move the slider toward the left to bring the

eyes closer, or toward the right to move the eyes
farther apart.

Mouth options

Nose
Eyes options
• Nose selector: Use the Nose drop-Down list to select
one of several different nose shapes.

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• Size: Move the slider toward the left to decrease the • Size: Move the slider toward the left to decrease the
size of the nose, or toward the right to increase the size size of the head prop, or toward the right to increase
of the nose. its size.

• Height: Move the slider toward the left to lower the • Height: Move the slider toward the left to lower the
nose, or toward the right to raise the nose. head prop, or toward the right to raise it.

Nose options Head Prop options

Head Prop Movement Tab

Head props are only enabled when the Creature is The Movement tab in the Character Wizard allows you to
selected as a character preset. generate a walk cycle for your character, very quickly and
easily, through the use of sliders. As you design the walk
• Prop: Use the Prop drop-Down list to select one of
cycle, it will be applied to all of the character views (front,
several different head props, such as hats, beards,
back, sides, and quarter-views).
curls, and other facial and head features.
The character is not automatically animated by default.
When you add a character to the scene, the actions
will also appear in the Actions palette so that you can
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manually add actions in the timeline where you want them

to occur. For example, you can apply a walk at frame 1,
and then add a jump action at frame 100 and a wave
action at frame 120.

When you export a single view of your

character, it will appear as a bone group
inside your Anime Studio scene. When multiple views
of the character are exported to your Anime Studio
scene, the character will appear as a Switch Layer.
Beneath that switch layer, you will see a bone group
for each of the character views (front, back, and so
on).

You will not initially see the actions appear in

the timeline because the bone groups and
layers are contained within a switch layer. The Character wizard Movement tab
actions that you use in your animation will be
applied to the currently selected view (active switch The following options appear:
layer) of the character. To view the actions in the
timeline, select one of the bone groups beneath the • Actions: Use the Actions drop-Down list to select the
main switch layer. type of action that you want to use or preview.

The Walk cycle is a computer generated action. The others

(Jump, Kick, and Wave) are custom actions that were
created in Anime Studio Pro. These actions can be applied
to any character.

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the slider toward the right to add more bend (adding

more bounce to the walk).

Actions options

• Steps per second: Move the slider toward the left to

make your character walk more slowly, and toward Other settings options
the right to make it walk faster.

• Step distance: Move the slider toward the left to make

your character take shorter steps, and toward the right Clothing Tab
to make your character take longer steps.
The Clothing Tab allows you to change the style and colors
• Step height: Move the slider toward the left to keep of the pants and shirt that the character wears. There are
the steps closer to the ground (less knee bend); and two sections available in this tab.
toward the right to raise the feet more from the ground
(more knee bend).

• Arm swing: Move the slider toward the left to decrease

the arm swing (making it stiffer), and toward the right to
increase the arm swing (making it looser).

• Torso bend: Move the slider toward the left to add less
bend to the torso (making the posture straighter). Move
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Other settings options

Shirt

• Type selector: Choose whether you want your

character to wear a short-sleeved shirt or a long-
sleeved shirt.
Character wizard Clothing tab
• Color: Click the color ship to open the color palette,
where you can select a new color for the shirt.

Pants

• Type selector: Choose whether you want your

character to wear short or long pants.

• Color: Click the color chip to open the color palette,

where you can select a new color for the pants.
Other settings options
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Style Tab
The Style tab allows you to change the skin color, hair color,
and stroke color and width for your character.

Other settings options

• Skin color: Click the color chip to open the color

palette, where you can select a new color for the skin.

When you create body parts for the

character wizard, special colors MUST be
used for the skin and hair. Use Yellow (R 255, G 255, B
Character wizard Style tab
0) for any body part that you want to identify as skin
color, and Cyan (R 0, G 255, B 255) for any part that
The settings you select here are as follows: you want to identify as hair. Any parts that use these
colors will inherit the skin or hair colors that you
identify in the Character wizard.

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• Hair color: Click the color chip to open the color decrease its size, and changes to stroke width will need
palette, and select a new color for the hair. to be made manually.

• Stroke color: Click the color ship to open the color

palette, and select a new color for the character Designing a Character and Walk
outlines.
Cycle
• Stroke width: Sets the stroke width size to use as the
The Walk cycle is a computer generated action. The others
default.
(Jump, Kick, and Wave) are custom actions that were
If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you created in Anime Studio Pro. These actions can be applied
can increase or decrease this value while to any character.
watching the character update in the preview To create a walk for your character, follow these steps:
window
1. Click the Character Wizard button in the upper-right
corner of the Anime Studio interface to open the
• Set as default: Click this button after you change the Character Wizard.
value in the Stroke Width field.
2. Design your character using the Body, Face, Clothing,
• Randomize line width: With this setting on, the line width and Style tabs as outlined in the previous sections. Use
will vary slightly across the character. With the setting the view slider beneath the preview window to view
off, the line width will be uniform. your character from all directions as you design it.

• Scale compensation: When checked, the stroke width

will be proportionally adjusted as the character is
resized. If you make the character smaller, the strokes
will get narrower. If you make the character larger,
the strokes will get wider. When unchecked, the stroke
width will remain the same when you increase or
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Pay attention to the adjustments you make in

height and placement of the facial features.
Use the Horizontal and Vertical adjustment sliders to
position the eyes, nose, and mouth in the side and
quarter-view, and then verify that the changes are
acceptable for each of those views. In other words,
if you use the slider to adjust the position of the nose
and mouth in the side view, also look at how the
changes affect the placement of the facial features
in the Front 3/4 and Back 3/4 views.

3. After you design your character, click the Movement

tab.

Character wizard Movement tab

4. From the Actions drop-down menu, choose Walk (it

should be selected by default).

5. Adjust the Steps per second, Step distance, Step height,

Arm swing, and Torso bend sliders until you are happy
with the walk.

6. The preview window shows a preview of the walk

cycle as it is applied to your character. You can view

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the walk from several angles by moving the slider right

below the preview window. Examine your character
Making Your Character Walk
from all directions and make tweaks as necessary In the previous project you designed a character and
before you export it to your Anime Studio project. You a walk, and saved the preset. When you exited the
will export your character in the next tutorial. Character Wizard, you noticed that the character that
you worked on appeared in the project window. However,
7. Click the + button at the top of the Character Wizard
because you saved the character, you can easily reuse
window. Name your character My First Character and
it at any time in any project you start. We will begin this
click OK to save the preset. Now you will be able to
tutorial with a new project, and you’ll reuse the character
reuse that character preset in any of your projects.
preset that you designed in the previous exercise. In this
tutorial, you will export only one view of the character: the
Side view.
1. Start a new empty project in Anime Studio.

2. Optionally, you can shorten the length of the

animation from its default of 240 frames. To do so, enter
100 in the end frame field in the timeline.

Saving a preset character

8. Click OK to exit the Character Wizard. You will notice

that the character appears in your scene when you do
so. The next two tutorials will explain different ways that
you can export and use the character in your projects.

Decrease the length of the animation to 100 frames.

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3. Click the Character Wizard to open the Character 7. Click OK to exit the Character Wizard. Your character
Wizard. now appears in the scene. Press the Play button and
you will see the character walking in the center of
4. From the Presets menu at the top of the screen, select the scene. Press the Stop button after you view the
the My First Character preset that you created in the animation.
previous exercise. Your custom character appears in
the preview area. 8. Click the Rewind button to move the timeline back to
Frame 0. Then use the Transform Layer tool to move
your character off the screen to the left.

Transform Layer

Choosing a preset character

5. Move the View slider so that you see your character in

the side view.

6. Uncheck the Export All Views option beneath the

preview window. This will export only the current view,
which is now set to the Side view.

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At frame 96, move the character to the right of the screen.

At frame 0, move the character to the left of the screen.

10. Press the Play button to view your character as it walks

9. Advance the timeline to frame 96, and move the across the screen.
character off to the other side.

Rotating Your Character 360

Degrees
In this exercise you’ll make your character spin around in a
full 360 degree circle.
It’s fairly easy to do, if you follow these steps:
1. Start a new empty project in Anime Studio.

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2. Click the Character Wizard to open the Character As a general rule, you will want to select the
Wizard. Switch Layer (the top layer) when you
translate, scale, or rotate your character. This applies
3. From the Presets menu at the top of the screen, select the changes to all views of your character. If you
the My First Character preset that you created in the want your character to face a different direction at
previous exercise. Your custom character appears in a specific point in the timeline, you simply move to a
the preview area. later frame, and make the appropriate switch layer
active. This will be demonstrated in the next few
4. Select the Front view before you export the character.
steps. For more information about switch layers, see
This is the view that will be visible when you initially
“Switch Layer” on page 162.
import the character into your scene.

5. Make sure that the Export All Views option beneath the 8. If you are not already at Frame 0 in the timeline, use
preview window is checked. This step will be necessary, the Rewind button to return there. Your character
because you will be working with all of the exported should be facing toward the front.
views in this project.
9. Now, advance the timeline to Frame 6. Expand the
6. Click OK to exit the Character Wizard. The character character’s switch layer so that you see the various
appears in your project. views, as shown in the following figure. The view that
has the filled-in bone is the layer that is currently in view.
7. The top layer of the character is a Switch layer, and
the various character views appear as bone groups
beneath it. With the character’s switch layer selected
(the topmost layer), use the Transform Layer tool to
resize your character as needed.

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When you export multiple views of the

character, you will see the character appear
as a Switch Layer. Each of the different views of the
character then appear as individual bone groups
beneath that layer, as shown in the following figure.
The view that is currently visible is the layer that you
had selected at the time you exported the
character (in this case, the Front view).

At Frame 6, right-click the Switch layer (shown here as Man)

and select the Front 3/4 view.

11. Now move to Frame 12 (the next keyframe), and right-

click to select the Side view in the Layers window. Your
character will rotate to face the side.

The different views of the character appear as bone groups 12. At Frame 18, switch to the Back 3/4 view.
within the switch layer. The layer that shows a highlighted bone
is the switch layer that is currently visible for the character. 13. At Frame 24, switch to the Back view. At this point, your
character has turned one-half of the circle.
10. At Frame 6, right-click in the Switch layer (shown as
14. Now select the Transform Layer tool. You won’t actually
Man in the above figure), and select the Front 3/4
use this tool, but you will use the Flip Horizontal button
view. Your character should rotate to that view and a
later in this tutorial.
keyframe will appear at Frame 6.

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15. Advance to Frame 30. In the Layers window, right-click

the switch layer, and choose the Back 3/4 view.

16. Next, to make your character continue to spin in the

same direction (rather than return in the same direction
from which it came), you’ll need to click the Flip Layer
Horizontally button in the Transform Layer tool option
bar, as shown below.

At Frame 30, select the Back 3/4 view and then flip it
horizontally.

17. Complete the remaining three frames as follows:

ƒƒ Frame 36: Right-click the switch layer to choose the

Side view.

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ƒƒ Frame 42: Right-click the switch layer to choose the 3. Open one of these projects, and save it into the
Front ¾ view. Character Wizard folder that resides in your custom
Anime Studio Content folder (see “Creating a Content
ƒƒ Frame 48: Right-click the switch layer to choose the
Folder” on page 17). Name the file according to the
Front view.
action that you want to create (twist, dance, Jumping
18. Save the project if you like, and then play back the Jack, etc). This step is important ... if you save the file
animation. You should see your character spin around under its original name and location you will overwrite
in a circle. the original action that is furnished with Anime Studio.

4. The project will consist of five different bone layers that

Designing Your Own Actions animate a mannequin figure: Back, Back 3/4, Side,
Front 3/4, and Front. If you play the animation you will
Advanced Anime Studio users may be interested in notice that all of the views are animated in unison.
creating their own actions for the Character Wizard. The
actions that you create will appear in the Actions selection
menu that appears at the top of the Character Wizard
Movement tab.
The steps to create your own custom actions are briefly as
follows:
1. Use Windows Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) to
locate your Anime Studio installation folder.

2. Navigate from your installation folder to the Resources

> Support > Character Wizard > Actions folder. You will
see three ANME files within that folder: Jump, Kick, and
Wave. These are the three files that are associated with
Five bone layers display a mannequin in different views.
the actions that appear in the Actions selection menu.
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5. Choose the Animation > Clear Animation from

Document command to remove all of the keyframes in
the timeline. They will be removed from all bone groups
in the document.

6. Use the Manipulate Bone tool to modify the movement

of each view so that you again create five different
views of the character that move in unison. Make sure
you make your changes on frames 1 or higher (do not
make changes on Frame 0).

7. Make sure that you adjust the length of your animation

so that the movement is seamless when it is played in a
loop. Add or remove frames as necessary to create a
Edit each view for your figure so that the character moves in
smooth-flowing animation where you cannot tell where
the same manner for each view.
the loop starts or ends.

8. After all five views of your character have been

animated, save the modified file. You should now see
your new action appear in the Actions menu in the
Character Wizard Movement tab.

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that store the ANME files for the Character Wizard content
that you select in the Body and Face tabs.

Character Wizard content folders.

The additional subfolders are as follows. Examine the files

Your new action will appear in the Actions menu in the for some ideas on how you can create your own content:
Character Wizard movement tab. Eyes: Contains the Eyes content that you select from the
Eyes section of the Face tab.

• Feet: Contains the Feet content that you select from

Creating Content for the the Legs section of the Body tab.
Character Wizard
• Hands: Contains the Hands content that you select
Your Anime Studio application installation folder includes from the Arms section of the Body tab.
the Character Wizard subfolder as mentioned previously in
“Designing Your Own Actions” on page 304. In addition
to the Actions folder previously discussed, the Resources >
Support > Character Wizard folder contains other subfolders

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Eyes, Feet, and Hands come in pairs ... you Heads, Head Props, Mouths, and Noses don’t
have a right eye and a left eye, a right foot come in pairs, so you won’t need to add the
and a left foot, and a right hand and a left hand. Right or Left prefix as you do with paired body parts.
When you create content for paired body parts, When you create switch layers for a “single” body
precede the topmost layer (switch layer, bone part, name the switch layer according to the view
group, or image) with a name that starts with Right that you are creating. For example, if you create a
or Left, where Right corresponds to the right part, head for the Front 3/4 view, place the head in a
and Left corresponds to the left part. For example, if switch layer named Front 3/4. Names are case-
you create a set of animated eyes for the front view, sensitive and should be initial-capped.
place the character’s right eye in a switch layer
named Right Front, and the character’s left eye in a Here are some additional notes and tips about creating
switch layer named Left Front. Names are case- content for use in the Character Wizard. Again, we
sensitive and should be initial-capped. Open one of recommend that you study the various ANME files in the
the files in the Eyes, Feet, or Hands folders and Character Wizard subfolders to learn more about how
examine the layers within them to view the naming these features work.
conventions used.
Pay attention to the point of origin for the layer that you
are working on. The point of origin is important for the main
• Head Props: Contains the Prop content that you select folder (the topmost layer for the part - whether it be a
from the Head Prop section of the Face tab. switch group, a bone layer, or an image). For example, if
there are multiple eyes contained in a switch layer to make
• Heads: Contains the Head content that you select an animated eye, you only need to set the point of origin
from the Head section of the Face tab. on the switch layer, instead of on each individual eye layer
within that switch layer. If you only have one layer for a
• Mouths: Contains the Mouth content that you select
body part, set the point of origin on that one layer.
from the Mouth section of the Face tab.
• The points of origin for eyes, mouth, and nose should
• Noses: Contains the Nose content that you select from
generally be set at the center. On the other hand,
the Nose section of the Face tab.
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if you are creating something like a broken nose, • Skin color is also controlled within the Style tab of the
the point of origin might look better being a little bit Character Wizard. When designing your character,
off center. For moving parts (like hands, feet, and assign the color R 255, G 255, B 0 to any parts that you
head) you should set the point of origin at the point of want to replace with the Skin color selected in the Style
rotation. tab.

• Parts can be resized, but only to a limited degree. In • Stroke color is also controlled within the Style tab of the
order to work well within the “normal range”, parts Character Wizard. Any strokes in your Character Wizard
should be designed to the size of the blue output content file that are pure black (R 0, G 0, B 0) will be
rectangle. This rule can be broken ... for example, if you replaced with the Stroke color that is specified in the
intentionally want small, beady eyes you can make Style tab.
them much smaller.

• Examine the heads that are included within the Heads

folder. Some heads have hair that fall in front of facial
features (for an example, see the Spike head, and turn
visibility on and off for the various layers to examine
how they work).

• Hair color is controlled within the Style tab of the

Character Wizard. When designing your character,
assign the color R 0, G 255, B 255 to the objects that
you are using for hair (or eyebrows, moustaches,
and beards). The Character Wizard will replace this
“special” color with the hair color that you choose in
the Style tab.

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Chapter 16: The won’t see a change in the Bone channel until you actually
move a bone.

Timeline Window
The Timeline window is used when animating in Anime
Studio to control the current time, and to control objects’
keyframes.

Animation channels are not displayed in the timeline until you

add them to your project

If you then rotate the layer, you’ll see the Rotation channel
added to the timeline, along with its keyframe.

The Anime Studio timeline

The Timeline window only displays information about the

currently active layer in the project. When you switch to a
new layer, the timeline panel will update its display to show A rotation channel added to the timeline
the new layer’s keyframes.
Changes are not displayed in the timeline until you actually
create a keyframe change in a channel. For example, you
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Consolidating Timeline Channels This option combines all changes on a single layer into one
line in the timeline. The following image shows an example
There is a Preferences option that allows you to consolidate of a layer that has several channel changes (top), and
timeline channels. This option is off by default in Anime what the layer looks like if the Consolidate Timeline
Studio Pro, and on by default in Anime Studio Debut. Channels option is active (bottom).

A timeline that is not consolidated (top), and a consolidated

timeline (bottom)

Uncheck the Consolidate Timeline Channels option before you

delete keyframes

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The consolidated timeline view displays a

keyframe when there is a change in any of
the consolidated layers. If you delete a keyframe,
you may not be sure which type of keyframe you
are deleting , or whether or not there are multiple
keyframes being deleted at that point. Be sure to
uncheck the Consolidate Timeline Channels option
in the Preferences dialog before you remove any
keyframes from your timeline.

Click the Timeline Options widget to condense or expand the

Timeline Options.
Condensing and Expanding the
Timeline Timeline options appear at the top of the timeline. These
options can be hidden or shown with a controller that
A condense/expand timeline options widget appears in appears next to the ruler. If the options are hidden, a
the upper left of the Timeline window. Click the button to dialog displays the applicable options, along with an
access the dialog. option to show the options in the timeline again.

Controlling Time
The top of the Timeline window has controls for setting the
current time. Whenever you modify an object in Anime
Studio, the modification is recorded at the current time. The
process of modifying an object, changing the time, and
modifying it again is how an animation is created in Anime
Studio.

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Time in Anime Studio is expressed in terms of “frames”, length of the animation is defined by the shaded area
where there are x number of frames in a second. By in the time ruler). The step forward and back buttons
default, a new Anime Studio project has 24 frames per advance and back up by one frame. The play button
second, although this value can be adjusted in the Project plays back the animation in the main editing area,
Settings dialog. repeating playback in a loop. Finally, the stop button stops
playback.
The first set of controls for adjusting time is a set of VCR-like
playback buttons. (These are actually at the bottom of the At the top-left of the Timeline window is a text control that
main window, not in the Timeline window itself.) From left to indicates the current frame number. You can change the
right these buttons are: rewind, step back, stop, play, step current frame by typing in a new value here and pressing
forward, and jump to end. enter.
Directly below the frame field is a sort of ruler that measures
time. This time ruler has small tick marks, one per frame, and
has labeled frame numbers at intervals along its length.
The time ruler also displays the current frame with a red
triangular marker above the current frame’s tick mark. The
time ruler is used both as an indicator of the current time,
as well as a control to adjust it. By clicking (or clicking and
dragging) anywhere on the time ruler, you can change the
current frame.
A certain range of frames in the time ruler are shaded with
a darker color. This shaded region indicates the length of
your animation. When you play back your animation in
Playback controls Anime Studio or export it as a movie file, this shaded region
is the part that will play back. You can change the start
and end frames of your animation in the Project Settings
Rewind sets the current frame to 0, while jump to end sets
dialog, or you can Alt-click in the time ruler to set a new
the current frame to the last one in the animation (the
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start and/or end time. Alt-Click with the left mouse button of text that identifies the marker. They can be added for an
to set the start of your animation, and Alt-click with the right entire document, or per layer.
mouse button to set the end.
• To add a timeline marker, go to the frame at which you
want the marker to start. Click the Add Marker button
Navigating the Timeline with the in the timeline.

Mouse
To navigate through the timeline with your mouse, you can
use the following:

• Use the mouse scrollwheel to move the sequencer

vertically (up and down through the layers).

• Press the Alt key while you use the scrollwheel to move
the playhead right and left through time. Add Marker button (circled)

• Right-click and drag to pan left or right through the

timeline. • When the Edit Marker dialog opens, enter a name
for the marker. Check the Document-wide marker
• Use the mouse wheel in Graph mode to zoom in and option if you want the marker to apply to the entire
out of the timeline. document, or leave the option unchecked to add the
marker to the currently selected layer.

Using Timeline Markers

Anime Studio provides an option to add timeline markers
that help you identify where specific events take place in
your project. The Marker dialog allows you to enter a string
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Edit Marker dialog

Timeline marker regions are based on the

keyframe’s hold values.

Edit Marker dialog You can manipulate markers just like any
other keyframe type.

• After you create the marker, a label appears in

the timeline. Hover over the marker to see the text
associated with it. You can also double-click the Choosing an Interpolation
marker indicator to edit the settings for that marker.
Method
You can choose a keyframe interpolation method in one
of two ways:

• To change the interpolation method for existing

keyframes: Select one or more keyframes. Then right-
click a selected keyframe to open the Keyframe menu.
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Select one of the available interpolation methods from provide a real-time preview of the changes as they are
the menu. applied.

Choosing a default Interpolation Method

The interpolation methods are as follows:

Choosing an interpolation method for existing keyframes • Default Interpolation: Uses the interpolation method
that is set by the Interpolation popup.

• To change the interpolation method for keyframes that • Smooth: Takes into account neighboring keyframes,
you will add to the timeline: Immediately to the right of creating a smooth transition from one keyframe to the
the Motion Graph tab you will see a popup menu that next.
allows you to choose a default interpolation method.
The method that you choose here will be applied to
any new keyframes that you create. Anime Studio will

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Smooth interpolation Ease In/Out interpolation

• Linear: Moves an object in a straight line, with no • Ease In: Creates a smooth transition at the beginning.
acceleration or deceleration from one keyframe to the
next.

Ease In interpolation

Linear interpolation
• Ease Out: Creates a smooth transition at the end.

• Ease In/Out: Creates a smooth transition at the

beginning and the end.

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• Step: Holds an object, unmoving, at the previous

keyframe’s position until the next keyframe is reached.
Then it suddenly jumps (or steps) to the new position.

Ease Out interpolation

• Bezier: Allows you to use Bezier handles to shape an Step interpolation

animation curve. Bezier handles in the timeline graph
mode are colored Red, Green,and Blue to match
colors for X, Y, and Z keyframes. • Noisy: Can be used to simulate a handheld camera,
but it can be used to interpolate any value. It adds
jitter to the interpolation process so that the object
appears wobbly from one keyframe to the next.

Noisy interpolation

Bezier interpolation

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• Cycle: Cycles back to a specific frame number • Elastic: Similar to bounce, above, except that the
(absolute cycling), or back by a specified number of effect overshoots the ending value and then curves
frames (relative cycling). back again until it settles down on the ending value.
You have control over the scale of the bounces, and
can also allow the elastic effect to happen in reverse.

Cycle interpolation

• Bounce: Creates a bounce between the start and end

points. Settings include the number of bounces, and Elastic interpolation
the height scale. A setting of 4 for a bounce count and
a scale of .75 would result in an object that bounces • Stagger: Creates a stairstepping effect between
four times, and each bounce would reach 75 percent keyframes, and gives the illusion of an object that is
of its previous height. staggering against weight.

Bounce interpolation Stagger interpolation

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• Copy Previous Key: Uses the setting of the previous key click a selected keyframe to open the Keyframe menu.
as the new default interpolation method for the current Expand the Interval command to select an animation
channel. interval between 1 and 6.

Choosing an Animation Interval

By default, interpolation is calculated for each frame (an
animation interval of 1). There might be cases when you
want your animation to be calculated less frequently.
The greater the animation interval, the less smooth your
animation will be.
The Animation Interval popup menu will allow you to
select an animation interval between 1 and 6 frames. You
can find this popup menu in the Timeline, between the
Interpolation and Onionskins popup menus.
The interpolation level is normally 1, which means that a
change is interpolated for each frame. When you choose
an animation interval other than one, a change will not Choosing an Animation Interval for selected keyframe(s)
occur until after that number of frames is reached. For
example, an interpolation level of 3 would cause the • To change the default animation interval: Use the
selected layer to change at every third frame. This can Animation Interval popup that appears in the Timeline
create motion that looks more staggered, without having window. Click the Animation Interval button to select
to add a lot of keyframes to accomplish the same effect. a default animation interval between 1 and 6. This
default animation interval will be applied to any new
• To change the animation interval for existing
keyframes that you add, until you change the default
keyframes: Select one or more keyframes. Then right-
setting.
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Choosing a default Animation Interval

Onion Skin Options

Onion Skins
The Onionskin options are as follows:
Next, just below the time ruler, is the onionskin controller.
Expand the Onionskins menu to enable this feature and set • Enable onion skins: Onion skins are disabled by default.
additional options. Click the Onion Skins button to turn on the display of
onion skins. This allows you to set onion skin markers in
the timeline. You can also toggle onion skins on/off
with the View > Enable/Disable Onion Skins command.
You will be unable to add onion skin markers unless this
option is turned on. You’ll notice has marks that line
up with the frames in the time ruler. By clicking one of
these tick marks, you can turn on an “onionskin” frame.
Anime Studio can display up to 8 onionskin frames.

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ƒƒ To add an onionskin marker, click in the tickmarks, • Outlines only: Outlines are turned off by default.
beneath the frame number at which you want to With this option unchecked, onion skin frames will be
add an onionskin. displayed at various levels of opacity. Frames that
are farther away from the current frame will be more
ƒƒ To remove an onionskin marker, click the marker
transparent, and frames that are closer will be less
that you want to remove.
transparent. With this option checked. the onion skin
frames will be displayed only in outline form. Onionskins
before the current frame will be colored red in varying
transparencies. Onionskins after the current frame will
be displayed green in varying transparencies.

Onion skin markers placed in the timeline.

If you uncheck this option after you set

onionskin markers, it will remove the existing
markers completely and the onionskin bar will be
inactive. To remove existing markers but keep the With Outlines Only unchecked, onionskins are shown as
bar active, use the Clear All button, described partially transparent versions of the layer.
below.

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unchecked, onionskins will be displayed for all layers in

the scene.

• Draw Behind: This option is enabled by default.

• Clear All: Click this button to remove all existing onion

skin markers. The onion skin bar will remain active so
that you can add new onionskin markers.

Playing a Partial Segment

Sometimes, you may want to play back just a short
segment of the timeline, instead of your entire animation.
With outlines only checked, onionskins are shown as red and For example, you may be working on one small move, and
green outlines of varying transparency. you want to play it back over and over while you make
small changes to see when you’ve got it just right.
• Relative frames: Relative frames are enabled by To set a limited segment of the timeline for playback, hold
default. When this option is checked, you will be down the Ctrl key (Windows) or Cmd key (Mac) while you
able to scrub through the timeline, and the onionskin click in the time ruler. Click with the left mouse button to
markers will move with the current frame, keeping set the beginning of the segment, and click with the right
the same relative distance to each other. When mouse button to set the endpoint. To remove the limited
unchecked, the onion skin frames will remain stationary playback segment, Ctrl-click on the segment endpoints to
as you scrub through the timeline. remove them from the timeline.

• Selected layer only: This option is enabled by

default. When checked, this option will only display
the onionskins for the currently active layer. When

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Animation Channels To help reduce visual clutter, not all animation

channels have to be displayed at once in the
Most of the timeline panel is taken up with animation timeline. For example, you won’t often have to refer
channels, drawn as horizontal bars below the time ruler. to the Layer Shading channel in the timeline. Hidden
Each animation channel displays a certain type of channels are still doing their work behind the scenes,
motion or effect that can take place in an Anime Studio they just aren’t displayed in the timeline. See “Hiding
animation. These animation channels only appear in and Showing Timeline Channels” on page 326 for
the timeline if you have keyframes associated with that more information.
particular animation channel.
Different types of layers have different animation channels
available. For example, vector layers are the only ones Layer Motion Channels
with a point animation channel, and bone layers are the
only ones with bone animation channels. At the left end of Layer Translation

each animation channel is a small icon that indicates what

type of channel it is. Layer Scale

Shown below are the icons for the various types of

Layer Z Rotation
animation channels. Note that the red-colored channel
icons represent animation for the currently selected object.
Layer Y Rotation
(If you’re ever unsure about which channel an channel
icon refers to, just hold your mouse over it momentarily for a Layer X Rotation
tooltip reminder.)
Layer Horizontal Flip

Layer Vertical Flip

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Layer Shear Camera Zoom

Path Following Camera Roll

Camera Pan/Tilt

Layer Effect Channels

Layer Visibility Vector-Only Channels
Layer Blur Point Motion

Layer Opacity Selected Point Motion

Layer Shadow Point Curvature

Layer Shading Selected Point Curvature

Layer Motion Blur Fill Color

Layer Ordering Selected Fill Color

Line Color
Camera Channels
Selected Line Color
Camera Tracking

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Other Bone Lock

Auto Shading Selected Bone Lock

Threshold
Bone End Flip

Perspective Shadow
Selected Bone End Flip

Outline
Bone Side Flip

Layer Color
Selected Bone Side Flip

Bone Target
Bone-Only Channels
Selected Bone Target

Bone Angle *
Bone Parent

Selected Bone Angle Selected Bone Parent

Bone Translation * Bone Dynamics

Selected Bone Dynamics

Selected Bone Translation

Bone Motor Speed

Bone Scale *

Selected Bone Motor Speed

Selected Bone Scale

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* Angle, Translation, and Scale channels are also displayed Physics Nudge
in the timeline for colored bones (appropriately colored
Purple, Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow, and Red). Physics Motor Speed

Physics Force Field

Switch-Only Channels
Switch Layer
Hiding and Showing Timeline
Channels
Particle-Only Channels
The View > Timeline Channels command opens the
Timeline Channels dialog, which allows you to configure
Particles On/Off
the channels that appear in the timeline.

Marker Channels
Document Markers

Layer Markers

Physics Channels
Enable Physics

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• All Auto: Click the All Auto button to set all channels
to Auto. This mode will cause a timeline channel to
appear in the timeline only if it is used in the project,
and is the default selection when you first open the
Timeline Channels dialog.

• You can also select individual channels to on, off,

or auto by clicking the appropriate icon next to the
channel that you want to set.

• After you set your timeline channel display options,

click OK to exit the dialog. You can also click Apply to
assign those that are already configured and remain in
the dialog to make additional changes. Click Cancel
to exit the dialog without saving changes.
Timeline channels dialog

The top of the Timeline Channels dialog shows three Working with Keyframes
buttons:
Keyframes are displayed along the length of an animation
• All: Click the All button to set all channels to display in channel. A keyframe represents a point in time at which
the timeline. The channels will appear in the timeline you, the animator, made a modification to an object. For
whether or not they are used in the project. example, if you set the current time to frame 24, then scale
the layer, a keyframe will appear in the layer scale channel
• None: Click the None button to set all channels off at frame 24.
in the timeline. Channels that are set to off will not
Keyframes appear as small markers on the channels. At
appear in the timeline, even if they are used in the
points in time that lie in between keyframes, Anime Studio
project.

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automatically calculates how to move an object from one

keyframe position to the next.
Keyframes are not just static elements displayed in the
animation channels. They can be moved, deleted, and
copied. Anime Studio remembers what key frames are
selected when you change layers, delete keys, move keys,
and so on.

Editing Keyframe Settings

The Window > Keyframe command opens the Keyframe
window so that you can manage settings for the keyframes
in your project.
1. Select the keyframes that you want to modify.

2. Choose Window > Keyframe or use the shortcut Ctrl/ Keyframe dialog
Command+Alt E to open the Keyframe dialog.
3. Modify the following settings as applicable. Settings are
applied live as you modify them:

ƒƒ Keyframe: Displays the frame number at which

your keyframe selection begins. The plus sign
indicates that the selection extends beyond the
designated frame number.

ƒƒ Interpolation: Use the Interpolation menu to

select the desired interpolation method for the
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keyframe selection. These methods are described

in “Choosing an Interpolation Method” on page
314.

ƒƒ Stagger: Check this option to apply a “stairstep”

effect to the selected interpolation method.

ƒƒ Hold Duration: Enter the number of frames desired

for the hold duration (the number of frames you
want to hold the objects in their current position)
and press Enter to apply the setting. For additional
information, see “Hold Durations” on page 332. Keyframes with a color label applied.

ƒƒ Interval: By default, interpolation is calculated at

every frame. Increasing the setting creates an
animation that is less smooth. Adding Keyframes
ƒƒ Label: Use the Label dropdown to choose a color Keyframes are added automatically when you make a
that later helps you identify keyframes that share change (such as position, rotation, scale, etc) on any
common settings. object in your project.
Use the Animation > Add Keyframe command to add
a new keyframe to any animation that already has
keyframes.
You can also add a keyframe to the current frame at
any time by double-clicking the timeline in any animation
channel. This also works in graph mode.

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Copying and Pasting Keyframes You can also use the Edit > Paste Relative
command to paste keyframes and continue
Another way of creating keyframes is to copy an object’s animation relative to the current position in the
position from another point in time. Keyframes can also be timeline. See “Paste Relative” on page 404 for
copied from one layer to another, or from one document more information.
to another.
To copy keyframes:
Selecting Keyframes
1. Select the keyframes you want to copy.
To modify a keyframe, first it must be selected. This is
2. Press CMD/Ctrl C to copy the keyframes to the
accomplished simply by clicking a keyframe in the timeline
clipboard.
panel. A selected keyframe shows up in a highlighted
3. Select the layer or document to which you want to color.
paste the keyframes. Multiple keyframes may be selected by holding the shift
key while clicking on keyframes. Alternatively, you can click
4. Set the current frame to when you want the copied and drag a rectangular selection box around the group of
keyframe to appear (using the time ruler or the step keyframes you want selected.
forward/back buttons).
You can also right-click a keyframe and then use the Select
5. Press CMD/Ctrl V to place a copy of the keyframes Keys to Right command in the context menu to select all
at the current time. When you paste keyframes, they keyframes that appear in time after the currently selected
become the new selection so that you can move, keyframe. This helps when you need to add space in the
scale, or finetune them. middle of a long animation, because you won’t have to
scroll through to the end of the animation while selecting
keyframes manually.

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it to the right. You can also move selected keyframes

beyond other keyframes.

Coloring Keyframes
You can use color to label the keyframes in your timeline
in ways that are meaningful to you. For example, you
can assign one color to keyframes that pertain to a
particular character in your scene, and another color for
another character. This helps you visually keep track of the
movements associated with a particular object or group of
objects.
Keyframe context menu To add color to keyframes, select the keyframes that you
want to assign color to. Then right-click to display the
Keyframe context menu, and choose Label > followed
Deleting Keyframes by your color choice (Gray, Purple, Blue, Green, Yellow,
Orange, or Red).
To delete selected keyframe(s), press the Delete key.
Deleting a keyframe removes motion from an object.

Moving Keyframes
Keyframes can also be moved by dragging them forward
and back in time. If you want some motion to take less
time, drag its keyframe to the left. To take more time, drag

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Select all the keyframes for that object and use the mouse
to move the object to the new location. Then release the
mouse button to complete the movement.
This works for both layer movement and point movement.
For example, let’s say that you have a circle that squashes
and stretches, but you want to turn it into a petal shape.
You can select all of the keyframes and then reshape the
object on the first keyframe as needed. Then the reshaping
will be applied to all of the keyframes that follow.

Hold Durations
There are times when you need to hold an object in the
same position for a while, before the animation starts. In
cases like this, you can add a hold duration that keeps
Assigning a color label to keyframes the object in place for a set number of frames. Place a
keyframe in the first frame where you want the object to
stay still, and then add a hold duration for the number of
additional frames where you want the object to pause.
Editing Multiple Keyframes
To directly modify the hold duration for a selected
If you have a number of keyframes that you want to edit. keyframe, hold down the ALT/OPTION key while dragging
you can now select multiple keyframes and edit them the keyframe in the timeline. A red pill shape will appear in
at the same time. For example, if you want to move an the frames where the keyframe is held in its set position.
object to a different part of the screen but want to keep
You can also right-click the keyframe in the timeline to
the animation of that object the same, you can select all
display the keyframe context menu, and then enter a hold
the keyframes and translate them all at the same time.
duration (in frames) in the Hold Duration dialog.
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are: smooth (the default), ease in/out (also a smooth

motion, but the object starts off moving kind of slowly and
slows down again as it approaches the next keyframe),
linear (motion is straight from one keyframe to the next,
leading to a somewhat mechanical look to the motion),
step (there is no transition at all - the object just jumps
from one keyframe to the next), noisy (the object moves
in a slightly wobbly motion), and cycle (the value from
this keyframe to the next will be taken from some earlier
section of the timeline).
Hold durations shown in the timeline.

Sequencer
Pill shapes are used to represent switch keys,
layer ordering keys, and keyframes that have The sequencer provides another view of the timeline. It
hold durations. displays each layer as a block of time. Keyframe changes
are not displayed in the sequencer, but you can create
keyframe changes in this view.
Keyframe Transitions
As mentioned before, Anime Studio automatically
calculates what happens in between keyframes. However,
you do have some control over this. By default, Anime
Studio will compute a smooth transition from one keyframe
to the next - most of the time, this is probably what you The Sequencer
want. However, you can change the transition type by
right-clicking a keyframe and choosing a new method
from the popup menu that appears. The transition methods
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The Sequencer allows you to easily move a layer forward

or backward in time. Move the clip toward the left to have
it start sooner, or toward the right to have it start later.
The green arrow in the time ruler, located at the top of
the Sequencer timeline, indicates the frame at which the
currently selected clip will start.

You can also reposition your clips in the

Channels timeline view. Select the channel
you want to move, then right-click in the Time Ruler
to drag the green arrow to the right or left. You’ll
notice the keyframes and arrow relocate with the
mouse.
Select a layer to move it and its sublayers
For example, you can reposition a layer from frame 1 to
frame 38, causing the animation in that layer to start at
a later time. To move a layer and its sublayers, click the
topmost layer and move all of them at the same time. To
move a sublayer, click the desired sublayer to move it on
its own.

You can also move a sublayer by itself

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You can also use the sequencer to show or hide a layer at

any time during the movie. Advance to the frame where
you want the layer to become invisible. Open the Layer
Settings dialog for the layer that you want to hide, uncheck
the Visible checkbox, and close the Layer Settings dialog.
The contents in the layer will disappear in the project
window, and the track in the sequencer will appear as
though it ends at the point where it was hidden.

Check or uncheck the Visible setting in the Layer Settings

dialog to show or hide a layer

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To make the layer reappear later in the timeline, repeat character disappears from the scene. You can place the
the process. Select the layer you want to unhide, open pop in the right place.
the Layer Settings dialog, and check the Visible checkbox.
It works the same way if you import a video layer. For
After you close the Layer Settings dialog the layer will
example, if you want an explosion to happen just before
reappear in the sequencer.
the pop, you can import a video layer and place it just
before the sound effect.

You can precisely place audio and video files in Sequencer

view

Motion Graph
The sequencer shows a break where the layer is hidden
In the Motion Graph in the Timeline window, you can
If you import an audio file, it has a fixed duration in the enable Anime Studio’s graph mode. In graph mode, the
sequencer. You can see where the sound effect will animation channels of the current layer are displayed
happen. Say you want a pop to happen when your graphically, rather than just as points along a line. In the
example below you can see what graph mode looks like:
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Page Up/Page Down, you can move the graph up

and down.

ƒƒ Press the End key, to automatically scale the graph

to accommodate the currently active channel.

The Timeline window in graph mode

The main body of the timeline is now a graph, showing the

value of the animation channels as curves:
Use the scrollwheel on your mouse to increase the vertical
range of the animation curves.
• The horizontal dimension represents time in frames (just
as in the regular timeline mode). To move forward or
backward in time, you can scrub the playhead left or If all animation channels were displayed at once, the
right. graph would become too cluttered to be useful, so it’s
up to you which channels to display at any given time. To
• Depending on the values in your animation channels, turn the display of a channel on and off, click its icon on
the curves on the graph may be too large to view, the left side of the timeline. Channels that are turned on
or too small to work with easily. You can change the become highlighted in the color of their respective curves
vertical scale of the graph in the following ways: in the graph - in the following example, three channels are
turned on: Move (red), Scale (green), and Rotate (olive).
• Scroll the mousewheel to increase or decrease the
vertical scale.

ƒƒ Set the vertical scale numerically in the Scale text

field in the Graph Mode popup.

ƒƒ Press the Page Up/Page Down keys to zoom in and

out vertically. If you hold the Shift key while pressing
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Use the scrollwheel on your mouse to increase the vertical Double-click a channel icon to make it the active channel.
range of the animation curves.
In graph mode, you can still add keyframes (use the popup
To further reduce clutter, only one channel can be active menu through the right mouse button), delete keyframes,
in editing mode at a time. The active channel’s icon on the and move keyframes back and forth. In addition, you can
left is outlined to indicate this - here the Layer Z Rotation move keyframes vertically - that is, change the value of
channel is active. Double-click a channel icon to activate keyframes.
it. The active channel is the only one that has its keyframes
Something that will become apparent in graph mode is
displayed in the graph - the keyframes look the same as in
that some channels have more than one value for every
regular mode.
keyframe. For example, the Layer Translation channel has
separate values for X, Y, and Z translation. These values will
appear as separate colors in the graph: Red for X, Green
for Y, and Blue for Z.

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Different colors are used for X (Red), Y (Green) and Z (Blue)

layer translations.

Another thing you may notice when using animation

cycling: A channel that cycles will have a repeating curve,
without more keyframes after the one that cycles.
For a hands-on example of using the timeline in graph
mode, see “Tutorial 5.4: Animation Curves” on page 193 in
your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.

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Chapter 17: Other • Sync with Timeline Playback: If this box is checked, the
timeline will play back while you record the audio (and

Windows when you play back the audio). This lets you record in
sync with the visuals if you choose to do so.

• Microphone Drop-Down List: Selects the microphone

that you want to use for audio recording.
Audio Recording
• Pitch Shifting: Use the Pitch Shifting slider to raise or
Anime Studio allows you to record audio tracks within the lower the pitch of the recording. Move the slider
application. Select Window > Audio Recording to open the toward the left to lower the pitch, or toward the right to
Audio Recording palette. You will see the following controls raise the pitch. The Reset button returns the recording
and settings: to its original pitch.

• Record Button: Press the Record button to start a • Add to Project: Once you are satisfied with the
recording. After you have recorded the content you recording, click this button to save the recording as
want to record (speech, sound effects, etc.), press the a WAV file. The WAV file also appears in the Layers
same button to stop the recording. window as a new audio layer, and in the timeline of
your current project.
You can start a recording at any selected
frame in the timeline. Simply select the frame
at which you want the recording to begin, and start
your recording at that frame.

• Play Button: After the recording is complete, press the

Play button to hear the recording.

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head turns, walk cycles, etc. The Actions window (as you
may have guessed) is where you create and use actions.
“Tutorial 5.5.1: Animated Layer Ordering” on page 202 in
your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual shows you step-by-step
how to use actions in Anime Studio.
When you start up Anime Studio, the Actions window is
hidden. To bring it up, select “Actions” from the Window
menu. The Actions window looks like this:

Audio Recording Window

Actions Window
In Anime Studio, “actions” are short clips of animation that
can be inserted into the timeline and re-used over and
over again. You might use actions to create little bits of
animation that you don’t want to have to re-create each
and every time you use them - for example, eye blinks, The Actions window

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Across the top of the window are four buttons: New Action, New layers have no actions, just “Mainline”, which
Insert Reference, Insert Copy, Delete Action. represents the main animation timeline.
If you have many actions in your list you might find it
convenient to check the Sort alphabetically option. If this Creating New Actions
option is unchecked the Actions window will display the
actions in the order in which they were created in the layer To create a new action, just click the New Action button.
You can manually reorder the items in the list when the Anime Studio will prompt you to name the action. The new
checkbox is not checked. action is created in the current layer and, if the layer is a
group-type layer, in all of its child layers.
You can also enter a string in the Filter field. Only action
names that contain that string will appears in the list along
with mainline and the current action.
Below the buttons is the actions list, which contains a list of
all actions available for the current layer. You can display
the Actions list in one of four views:

• All: Displays all actions in your project.

• Regular: Displays actions of a general nature, and

which are not configured as morphs or smart bones.

• Morphs: Displays a list of actions that apply to morphs

only. See “Creating Morphs” on page 346 for further
steps.

• Smart Bones: Displays a list of actions that apply only

to Smart Bones. See “Smart Bones” on page 105 for
more information.

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The Blink action in editing mode.

Creating a New Layer

When you’re editing an action, you’ll also notice a couple

things change in the Timeline window. First, the title bar of
Editing Actions the timeline will indicate the active action. Second, the
background of the timeline changes color to remind you
To edit an action, double-click it - this will switch an action
that you’re editing an action, and not the main timeline.
into editing mode. (When you create a new action, it also
starts off in editing mode.) You can tell which action is in As you edit an action, the timeline works like normal,
editing mode by the red arrow to its left, as seen below. but instead of working on your main animation, you’re
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working on a little reusable clip. Actions by themselves do The actions window also allows you to filter
not appear in your final animation - they only appear if the action list to display only the actions
you use them in the main timeline. To switch back to the whose names contain the text you enter. The
main timeline, double-click on the “Mainline” action in the Mainline and current action will also be displayed
actions window. (Mainline is not really an action - it’s just a along with them.
way to refer to the main animation timeline.)
3. Click either the “Insert Reference” or “Insert Copy”
buttons in the Actions window. This is what the Actions
Using Actions window would look like just before inserting the “Step”
When you simply create actions, they won’t appear in the action:
final animation - they need to be used in the main timeline.
To use an action, you just need to insert it into the main
timeline, which is a simple process.
Make sure the “Mainline” action is active (double-click it so
that it has a red arrow next to it).
1. Set the current time to the frame at which you wish to
use the action.

2. Click once on the action you wish to use to highlight it.

You can select multiple items in the actions

list, allowing you to move or delete more than
one at the same time. Undo can reverse accidents.

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other normal keyframes. If you later modify the action, any

changes you make will not appear in the mainline.
If you create actions for objects in your scene you can
assign shortcuts to those actions. You can assign the
shortcut when you create an action, or you can right-click
on an existing action and assign a shortcut.
The shortcuts make it easy to reuse the actions in an
animation. You can press the shortcut keys while an
animation is playing back to insert the action into the
timeline.

Inserting an action.

If you insert an action by reference, Anime Studio will

insert a special keyframe in the Mainline that refers back
to the action you used. Later, if you make changes to the Setting an Action Shortcut.
action, these changes will automatically be reflected in
the mainline. On the other hand, if you insert an action by
copy, Anime Studio will simply copy all of the keyframes
in the action to the mainline, and they will act just like

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Deleting Actions
To delete an action, click once to make sure it is
highlighted, then click the Delete Action button. When you
delete an action, if that action was inserted by reference
into the mainline at any point, those inserted references will
also disappear. If you inserted the action as a copy, those
copies will remain unchanged.

Creating Morphs
Anime Studio allows you to blend several different morph
targets together to create a combination of actions or The Actions window.
effects. For further information on this feature, see “Blend
Morphs” on page 464. To create a new morph, click the New Action button (the
first button in the Actions toolbar). Enter a name for your
To create morph that you can use with the Window > Blend
morph in the Action Name dialog.
Morphs command, choose Window > Actions to open the
Actions window. This window allows you to create little
reusable clips of single-frame animations.

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Assign a name for your morph.

Default state (left) and Happy morph (right).

Then, move some points around in your scene to represent

After you create your new morph, click the Mainline
the morph that you are creating. The following shows
(top) line in the Actions window. The character should
an example of the scene before and after the Happy
return to its default state. Select the Happy action again
changes are made:
in the Actions window, and notice a single-frame action
in the Channels tab of the timeline. Notice that all of the
keyframes are on Frame 1. This is very important when
blending poses. A general action can have as many
keyframes as you like … but if you want to blend poses, the
action can only contain a keyframe at Frame 1.

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Select the Happy morph in the Actions window, and notice the
keyframes in the timeline You can morph any type of value. The Angry morph will
change the color of the face in addition to changing the facial
Continue creating additional actions, such as Angry and features.
Sad, that you want to blend together. Note that your
action can change keyframes for anything. In addition
to moving some points, the Angry action also changes
the color of the face. Now you should have a number
of actions, all with single-frame animations that have
keyframes on frame 1.

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Anime Studio
Menus

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Chapter 18: File Menu

File Menu
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New documents than can be displayed there. Click this

chevron to display a menu of all opened documents.
• Creates a new, empty Anime Studio project using the When you choose a document from the menu, Anime
default project settings (NTSC D1, 720 x 534 pixels). Use Studio will move it to the first tab in the document tab
the Project Settings command (“Project Settings...” on bar.
page 358) to change your project settings if desired.
Anime Studio names the first new document Untitled.anme.
After that, each new document is named Untitled x.anme,
where x is a number that is one higher than the number of
untitled documents that are currently opened.

Multiple Document Support

When you create a new document, it will open in a new
tab and keep the other documents open in their own tabs.
You can drag the tabs left or right to change the order in
which they appear. Anime Studio allows you to have up to
64 documents open at the same time. You will receive an
alert when that number is exceeded. Click the chevron at the far right corner of the document tab
to display a menu of additional opened documents.
Use the View > Show Document Tabs command or the
keyboard shortcut Command/Ctrl Shift J to show and hide
the document tabs in the interface. If the tabs are hidden, • A document tab will display a pencil icon to the right
you can select documents in the following ways: of the document name when that document contains
any unsaved changes.
• A chevron control appears in the far right corner of
the document tab bar when you have opened more

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Document Tab Context Menu

When you right-click one of the document tabs, a context
menu displays four menu options:

• Show in Explorer (Windows)/Show in Finder (Mac):

Reveals the source project file in Windows Explorer
(Windows) or the Finder (Mac).

Unsaved Changes icon. • Close: Closes the document on which you right-
clicked.

• Open documents also appear in a list at the bottom of • Close All Documents: Closes all currently opened
the View menu. Select one of the documents in the list documents.
to bring it to the foreground.
• Close Other Documents: Leaves the current document
• To switch to the next document press Ctrl Tab open but closes all other opened documents.
(Windows) or Alt Tab (Mac).

• To switch to the previous document press Ctrl Shift Tab

(Windows) or Alt Shift Tab (Mac).
Autosave files are generated for all open documents. If the
application doesn’t shut down properly for some reason,
a dialog will give you the opportunity to reopen them the
next time you launch Anime Studio. Viewport settings and Document Tab Context Menu.
tool selections will also be restored.

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New from Template If you open an Anime file that references an

image file that has been renamed, you only
Allows you to create a new project based on a template. need to locate it one time, even if it used multiple
Expand the submenu to see an available list of templates. times in the Anime file.

Templates are standard ANME files that are In Anime Studio 11, the .anme file format has been
saved to the Templates folder within your replaced with a new JSON-based file format, which is
Anime Studio installation folder. For example, if you saved with an .anime extension. This format will make it
want to create a template for use in Anime Studio easier to maintain backward and forward-compatible
Pro, you can save your ANME file to Smith Micro > features as newer versions of Anime Studio are released.
Anime Studio Pro 10 > Templates folder.
The JSON format organizes data in specific, yet flexible,
hierarchies. This file format is a text-based format that is
widely used on the web to communicate data between
Open... web pages and web services. In Anime Studio, the JSON-
based file format will also remove the need to export files
Prompts you to open a Anime Studio project file that was that are version-specific.
previously saved to disk. The Open dialog allows you to
select multiple documents. You can also drag one or more Anime Studio will still read .anme files going
documents from Windows Explorer or Finder to open them back to Anime Studio 6.
in Anime Studio. Each document will open in its own tab.

Anime Studio will display an alert if you try to

open more than 64 documents.

See “Multiple Document Support” on page 351 for more

information.

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The .anme format can be saved with

Metadata in the document. This behavior will
Open Recent
also be deprecated in favor of a “ScriptData” Displays a list of recent files that you can reopen. Files
object that is only used in user scripts. We that have been moved or deleted since saving them will
recommend that you prefix any script data with a automatically be removed from the list.
distinguishing name in order to avoid data collisions
To clear the list of recent files, choose File > Open Recent,
with other user scripts. In addition, we recommend
and click the Clear Menu command at the bottom of the
that this data is no longer intermingled with data
list.
that Anime Studio saves as metadata.

On Macintosh systems you can also open

The .anime format is a compressed JSON-based file format, recent documents by right-clicking the
which is the new default file format used by Anime Studio application icon in the dock, and selecting one of
11. Essentially, it is a ZIP archive with an .anime extension. the recent documents from the popup menu.
We have used a standard compression file format so
that you can expand the archive with standard archive
tools. When you decompress the file you will find a file
named project.animeproj. The archive file may also Close
include a preview.jpg file, which is a preview image of the
Closes the current project. You can also close a document
document. You can choose the desired thumbnail size in
by clicking the X that appears in the left side of the
the Documents tab of the Preferences dialog. Select the
document tab when you hover over the tab.
desired thumbnail size (or choose No Thumbnails) from the
Document preview thumbnail size dropdown list.

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Your Anime Studio project is automatically

saved every 30 seconds while you work, to a
temporary location on your hard drive. If the
application crashes, you will be asked if you want to
reopen the previous project the next time you start
Anime Studio.

Click the X in the tab to close the current document.

Anime Studio documents are now saved with
a preview thumbnail. By default the it
generates a thumbnail that is 128 x 128 pixels. You
Close All can set thumbnail preferences in the Preferences
dialog. See “General Tab” on page 407 for more
Closes all opened documents. You will be prompted to information about thumbnail options.
save unsaved changes befrore the document closes.

You can also right-click on a document tab

and select Close All from a context menu. Save As...
Prompts you for a name and location, then saves the
project to disk.
Save
Saves the current project to disk. Save All
Saves all open documents that have unsaved changes.

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Revert
Revert the current document to its last saved state. This
command is disabled if the active document has not yet
been saved, or if there are no unsaved changes.

Gather Media
When you import something into an Anime Studio project,
such as an image, movie, or audio file, the original
locations of the imported objects are only referenced
within the Anime Studio project. In other words, they are
not actually part of the project file itself, rather the project
file links to the files on your disk(s).
If your project contains many external files, we recommend Gather Media command
that you place them in a common folder. When you do
that, you have a self-contained folder that you can copy, After choosing the command, you are prompted to select
archive, or move the project and the project will still work. or create a folder in which to store the project-related files.
If you haven’t kept your files in a single folder, the File > You then enter a name for the gathered project and click
Gather Media command allows you to create a single Save to save it to the selected folder. When you look in
location for all related project files. This is very useful the folder, you will see the Anime Studio project file, along
if you need to send your project to someone else for with Audio, Images, and/or Movies folders that store the
collaboration or for technical support. collected media associated with it.
A bill of materials.txt file is also included, and lists all files
required by the project. This bill of material also lists switch
layer data as well as items such as fonts, and brushes that
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may not be included when gathering. The Bill of Materials The algorithims that underly blurs (layer blur,
document also lists other Anime documents with layers shadows, shading, depth of field, etc.) and
referenced by the gathered document. Media used by variable width lines changed in Anime Studio 10.
reference layers is gathered, but not the Anime document Exporting them to Version 9 may produce slightly
containing the referenced layer. different results.

Poser scenes will not get gathered, due to the

Any of the following features that are used in an Anime
complex structure of the Poser library folder
Studio 10 project will not be exported when you choose this
hierarchy.
command:

• Bone targets

• Independent bone angles

• Squash and Stretch bones

• Hidden bones

• Shy bones

A Gathered Media folder • Stagger interpolation

• Bounce and Elastic interpolation

Export as Version 9 File • Texture fill effects with transparency option

The File > Export as Version 9 File commands will export a • Threshold effects
project file that is compatible with Anime Studio 9.
• Use of new brushes.

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Export as Version 10 File

The File > Export as Version 10 File commands will export a
project file that is compatible with Anime Studio 9.

Project Settings...
Brings up the project settings dialog. As seen below, the
project settings dialog lets you control the pixel width and
height of the project, as well as the number of frames per
second. You’re free to change these values at any time,
although it’s easiest if you set up the values you want
before you start creating your animation (particularly the
frame rate). Also in this dialog, you can set the start and
end frames of your animation, defining how long the The Project Settings dialog
overall animation will be.

Dimensions

• Dimensions menu: Allows you to set Custom

dimensions, or choose from a wide variety of presets.
Presets include the following:

ƒƒ Custom: Allows you to enter or edit your own

settings.

ƒƒ NTSC D1: 720 x 534 pixels, 24 frames per second

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ƒƒ NTSC D1 Widescreen: 872 x 486 pixels, 24 frames ƒƒ iPhone: 480 x 320 pixels, 24 frames per second
per second
ƒƒ iPhone 4: 960 x 640 pixels, 24 frames per second
ƒƒ PAL D1/DV: 788 x 576 pixels, 24 frames per second
ƒƒ iPhone 5: 1136 x 640 pixels, 24 frames per second
ƒƒ PAL D1/DV Widescreen: 1050 x 576 pixels, 24 frames
ƒƒ iPhone 6: 1334 x 750 pixels, 24 frames per second
per second
ƒƒ iPhone 6+: 1920 x 1080 pixels, 24 frames per second
ƒƒ 480p Widescreen: 852 x 480, 24 frames per second
ƒƒ iPad: 1024 x 768 pixels, 24 frames per second
ƒƒ 720p (HDV/HDTV): 1280 x 720 pixels, 24 frames per
second ƒƒ iPad HD: 1280 x 1024 pixels, 24 frames per second

ƒƒ 1080p (HDV): 1440 x 1080 pixels, 24 frames per ƒƒ Constrain Proportions: This option allows you
second to maintain the aspect ratio of your animation
project. When the option is checked, you can
ƒƒ 1080p (HDTV): 1920 x 1080 pixels, 24 frames per
enter a new width or height, and the other
second
dimension will automatically change to maintain
ƒƒ VGA: 640 x 480 pixels, 24 frames per second the same width-to-height aspect ratio. If you
choose one of the preset configurations from
ƒƒ Web: 320 x 240 pixels, 24 frames per second
the Dimensions drop-down list, it will ignore the
ƒƒ Web Widescreen: 426 x 240 pixels, 24 frames per Constrain Proportions option and resize your
second project to the dimensions specified in the selected
preset.
ƒƒ YouTube: 640x480 pixels, 24 frames per second

ƒƒ YouTube 720p: 1280 x 720 pixels, 24 frames per • When you select a preset, the following settings
second appear below.

ƒƒ YouTube 1080p: 1920 x 1080 pixels, 24 frames per ƒƒ Width: The width, in pixels
second ƒƒ Height: The height, in pixels

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ƒƒ Frame Rate: The number of frames per second in ƒƒ Focus Range: Objects that are within the “focus
the animation. range” distance of this plane will also appear in
focus. For this feature to work correctly, you need
ƒƒ Start Frame: The starting frame of the animation.
to set up multiple layers with different depth values
ƒƒ End Frame: The ending frame of the animation. so that some can be in focus, and others out of
focus. If you move the layers (or the camera)
in your animation, the focus will automatically
Background Color change based on distance from the camera.

• Background Color: Sets a background color for the ƒƒ Max Blur Radius: Sets a maximum value for the
project - just click on the color swatch to select a color blurriness of your scene.
from the Color Picker. You can also click and drag from
Anime Studio makes it easy to define sharp and
the Eyedropper to select a color from the style window
blurry areas when Depth of Field is used. “Tutorial
or from anywhere on your screen.
6:5.2: Crowds, Particles, and Depth of Field” on page
258 in your Anime Studio Tutorial Manual shows how
Depth of Field to use these features.

• Depth of Field: Depth of field simulates a camera,

where a certain range of objects are in focus, while Render Style
closer or more distant objects become blurry
The Render Style section allows you to select the type of
ƒƒ Enabled: Check this option to enable or disable the
rendering that will be performed when you choose the File
Depth of Field feature in your project.
> Preview command, or use the Cmd +R (Mac) or Ctrl R
ƒƒ Focus Distance: The focus distance value is the (Windows) shortcuts.
distance from the camera to the plane of perfect The following settings are included in this section:
focus.

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• Fill Style: Select the fill style that you want to use each
time you render. Choices are Normal, None (same
as turning the Fill option off in the Style window);
Background; Back Transparent; Crayon; Hatched, and
Pen. The preview window updates as you make your
selections.

Global Fill styles

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• Stroke Style: Select the stroke style that you want to

use each time you render. Choices are Normal; None;
Basic Black; Sketchy; Crayon; and Pen. The preview
window updates as you make your selections. In
addition, there is a Chalk style that is designed for use
with a white stroke color on a dark background as
shown below.

The Crayon style is also available as an effect

in the Advanced view of the Style window.

Global Stroke styles.

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Chalk Stroke style.

• Layer Style: Select the layer style that you want to use
each time you render. Choices are Normal, Heavy Global Layer styles.
Outline, and Cutout. The preview window updates as
you make your selections.
• Minimize frame-to-frame randomness: If this option
is not checked, styles like crayon will have lines that
appear different on each frame, which can cause
some distraction unless frame rates are lower and
the effect is intentional. When you turn this option
on, Anime Studio will try to use the same crayon
strokes from frame to frame to reduce the amount of
flickering.
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Other Settings look to the final image. It can also increase the visual
quality in some kinds of movie compression when you
• Sort Layers by Depth: The “Sort layers by depth” generate an animation. If you want to try out noise
checkbox allows top-level layers in Anime Studio to grain, a value of 16 is a good start for a subtle noise
move in front of and behind each other during an effect.
animation. Normally, layers are drawn in the order they
appear in the Layers window. However, with this option • Pixelation: Allows you to create pixellated renders. The
turned on, layers are displayed according to how far amount of pixelation is determined by the value you
they are from the camera. See “Tutorial 5.5: Sorting enter in the Pixelation field. The higher the value (for
Layers by Depth” on page 197 in your Anime Studio example: 2, 4, 8, or 16) the more blocky the render
Tutorial Manual for an example of using this feature. appears.

• Antialiasing: Antialiases the project. Can be used on its • Stereo Rendering: Use the Stereo Rendering drop-Down
own, or combined with pixellation. to select the type of stereo rendering you want to
perform:
• Sort by True Distance: Typically, layers are sorted by
their depth from the camera, but if you’re trying to ƒƒ None: Turns off stereo rendering capabilities.
create a 3D object using multiple Anime Studio layers
3D Rendering settings should be set to None if
(like a cube or pyramid), you may want to turn on “Sort
you do not want to render out in a 3D
by true distance”. This tells Anime Studio to sort layers
format).
by the distance from the camera to the layers’ origins,
rather than by depth. Usually this option will be left
unchecked. ƒƒ Red/Blue Anaglyph: When you render or preview
your project with this setting enabled, you will see
• Noise Grain: With the “Noise grain” field, you can set 3D objects rendered as a red/blue stereo pair. You
up some noise grain for the project. Noise grain is a will need special red/blue stereo 3D glasses to see
subtle film grain-type effect that adds slight variations the object in three dimensional space.
to the pixels in your project and leads to a more natural

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ƒƒ Side By Side (YouTube friendly): Produces two

separate images rendered side by side in the same
image, one for the left eye and one for the right
eye.

ƒƒ Cross-eyed: Looks similar to Side by Side, except

that the left eye image is on the right side, and the
right eye image is on the left side. This is the type of
stereo rendering that YouTube expects.

Choose View > Stereo to see a live preview of

the Red/Blue stereo effects. This makes it
easier to preview and reposition your 3D objects

• Eye Separation: This setting controls how far apart the

right and left eyes are when rendering two images
for a stereo rendering. If the value is too close, the 3D
effect is lost. If the value is too far apart, the 3D effect 3D Stereo view
will cause eye strain or won’t look as effective.

• Extra SWF Frame: Check this option to add an extra • Save as Defaults: When you create a new project in
frame at the end of the video Anime Studio, your animation defaults to 320x240 pixels
at 24 frames per second. If you create most of your
projects at different settings, you can change these
defaults. Just type in new values in this dialog, and
click “Save As Defaults” to make the new settings the
default settings for all new projects.

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• Restore Defaults: Resets the project to the default

values.

Import
Anime Studio can import several kinds of other media files
into an animation project. The commands in this sub-menu
let you import these files.

• General Import: This menu option will allow you to

import any type of file that is supported by Anime
Studio. The Insert Object dialog

• Anime Studio Object: This command will ask you to

Checkboxes appear to the left of each of the items
choose a Anime Studio project file. Once you’ve
in the scene you want to import. Check one or more
chosen a file, a list of layers in the project will show up
of the layers to add it to your own project (a preview
in the dialog. If the imported Anime Studio project file
of the selected layer appears on the right side of the
used Lua scripts, you can import the script as a copy,
dialog. The Uncheck All or Check All buttons can be
import by reference, or ask user.
used to deselect or select all of the items in the project.
Press OK to copy the selected layers into your open
project, including any animation in the layer. This is an
easy way to share objects between project files and
reuse bits of animation here and there.

Several files are included with Anime Studio that

contain scenery, characters, props, etc. You are

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welcome to include these in your own projects by using to combine 2D and 3D elements, or to composite an
this menu command. Anime Studio animation on top of a pre-recorded
video sequence. On Windows, if you have problems
• Anime Studio Styles: Choose this command to importing QuickTime movies, then you probably need
select an .animestyle document or a .anme project to download and install QuickTime (http://www.apple.
containing styles you would like to import into the com/quicktime/). Anime Studio will also import native
current project. If the item you select contains styles not Moho files (files ending with .moho).
already in the current project they will be added to the
project. • Vector File: (Anime Studio Pro only) Asks you to select
an Adobe Illustrator (.ai) file (http://www.adobe.com),
• Image Imports an image file as a new Image layer. The SVG file, or EPS file. Anime Studio will import the bezier
most common type of file to import into Anime Studio is curve shapes in this file into a new Anime Studio vector
images. It doesn’t matter how the images are created, layer. These objects can then be further edited and
so feel free to use pictures from digital cameras, animated in Anime Studio. Anime Studio can import
backgrounds from scanned drawings or painted on vector artwork created in other vector illustration
the computer, textures, computer-generated 3D programs. These files can be in Adobe Illustrator, EPS,
scenery, etc. The image formats supported by Anime or SVG format. If your files are in Illustrator format,
Studio are: JPEG, BMP, Targa, GIF, and PNG. Generally, make sure that you save them as Illustrator 8 (or earlier)
we recommend PNG, since the PNG format provides format.
for variable levels of transparency, allowing you to
create non-rectangular images that can blend in You can open multiple Illustrator files at once.
smoothly with other elements in the scene. Simply drag and drop multiple Illustrator files
into the Anime Studio window.
• Movie: Imports a movie file as a new Image layer.
Anime Studio supports importing QuickTime (Windows
and Mac OS) and AVI (Windows only) movie files. A • Tracing Image: (Anime Studio Pro only) Loads an
movie that you import into Anime Studio will play back image file to be used for tracing purposes. The image
along with the Anime Studio animation, allowing you formats supported by Anime Studio are listed in

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“Appendix A: Product Comparison” on page 474. • Poser Scene: If you already own Poser, you can
The Tracing Image command is the same thing as import Poser scenes directly as discussed in “Poser
“Select Tracing Image” in the View menu. Integration” on page 370.

• Audio File: Loads a sound file to be used as a

soundtrack for the current animation. The audio
formats supported by Anime Studio are listed in
“Appendix A: Product Comparison” on page 474.
Anime Studio uses libsndfile to handle sound files (see
http://www.mega-nerd.com/libsndfile/), so any format
that libsndfile supports is fair game. Generally, it’s best
to stick with uncompressed WAV or AIFF files.

• OBJ 3D Model (Anime Studio Pro only) Imports a

3D model as a new Anime Studio 3D layer. Anime
Studio can import 3D files that are in OBJ format.
More information about 3D layers can be found in
“3D Layers” on page 136. Finally, Anime Studio can
An imported Poser scene
import 3D files created by 3D modeling programs. At
this time Anime Studio can only import OBJ files, but it’s
a quite common format, and most 3D programs can They are also editable in the Style window. You can
export to OBJ. OBJ files can include texture maps, and turn the stroke on or off, and adjust the width of the
if your model uses one, Anime Studio will import and stroke.
use it as well. If you’re new to 3D, and you’re looking
for a program to create 3D models for use with Anime
Studio, we recommend Poser (http://store.smithmicro.
com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=10430).

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Many OBJ files and Poser objects have The lower section of the File > Import menu displays
multiple materials. The multiple materials will several different categories that allow you to open
show up as Shapes in the Style window. Select a content that is furnished with Anime Studio. You will also
material from the Shapes drop-Down (discussed in find these items in the Library (see “Chapter 14: The
“Shape Selection Drop-Down Menu (21)” on page Library Window” on page 270). In the Import menu
241) and change material settings if desired. If you this content is arranged in the following categories: 3D,
select None from the Shapes drop-Down it controls Audio, Characters, Effects, Images, Props, Scenes, and
the default material and stroke. Video.

Real-Time Media Connection

The “live linking” feature allows you to import images,
movies and sound files and then edit them in their native
editors without worry. Any edits you make later in third party
editors will automatically be recognized and updated
within Anime Studio.

When media that is referenced by projects is

changed in the background, Anime Studio
will sync those changes your project. If a large
Materials appear as Shapes in the Style window
number of changes are updated at once, Anime
Studio may not notice the changes until the main
When you are using a 3D layer, you can open window is brought to the foreground, or brought to
the Layers window and go to the 3D Options tab the front after appearing behind a non-floating
to control some additional properties. See “3D window.
Options” on page 231 for more information.

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Real-time media connections, combined with Photoshop

layer support on import, provide an exceptional way to
design characters and other content for your Anime Studio
scenes. For more information on Photoshop support, see
“About Photoshop Layer Support:” on page 376.

Poser Integration
Choose File > Import > OBJ 3D Model. You will be allowed
to choose OBJ files or Poser scenes (PZ3). Locate the file
that you want to import. After a brief wait, the Poser file will
be imported into your scene. It appears as a 3D layer, so
you will be able to control the appearance of the Poser
content by opening the Layer Settings dialog and clicking
the 3D Options tab.
An imported Poser object

Poser must be installed in order for the Poser

integration features to work.

When you rotate the integrated Poser content, the display

of the character switches to Box mode to reduce demand
of your computer resources.
The Poser integration features also import any animation
associated with the Poser scene. The Poser tool, located

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in the Layer section of the tool box, allows you to select After importing the Poser scene, you may
a Poser figure or actor (such as a body part) within the notice a difference in the time length of your
scene, and then modify the parameters of the selected animation after you import into Anime Studio. Poser’s
item. You will be able to edit many of the same parameters default frame rate it 30 frames per second, whereas
as you can in Poser. For example, you can select a Anime Studio’s default frame rate is 24 frames per
body part and then adjust the Bend, Twist, Front-Back, second. To make the time match up to that created
or Side-Side parameter to rotate the body part to a in the Poser program, choose File > Project Settings,
different position. You can also use the Window > Poser and set the frame rate of your Anime Studio project
Parameters command to open the Parameters window to 30 frames per second.
for the selected body part. When you move a body part,
keyframes appear in the timeline.

If the Poser project used a BVH motion

capture file to generate the animation on the
character, you will see keyframes on every frame.
You can select and delete some or all these
keyframes and edit the animation within Anime
Studio if desired. A new keyframe will be added at
any point in the timeline when you make a change
in the Poser Parameters palette.

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Import Notes and Tips

Referenced Files
Please note that Anime Studio references the directory
location of images, OBJ’s, sound files and movies files that
have been imported for use. When exporting into movie
format, Anime Studio continues to reference this directory
location. Moving referenced items from one location
to another will prevent the item from being displayed
or heard. We recommend that all items used in your
animations or artwork accompany it’s native file format
(ANME) and final exported format.

Startup Folder
Use the Poser Parameters window to adjust scale or position of Adding your own .anme file to the “Startup Folder”
body parts. (located in the root directory of your Anime Studio
installation) will always make Anime Studio open this .anme
document first when it’s initially launched. Please make
sure to rename your .anme file to “StartupFile.anme”.

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Moho Files The Library content files (characters, props,

etc.) are installed in a shared documents
Anime Studio will also import native Moho files (files ending location on both Windows and Macintosh. This
with .moho). allows multiple users on the same computer to share
library resources, and to install additional content
that they might download (from Content Paradise,
Library Content for example). On Windows systems in particular, it
can be difficult to add new files to the Program Files
Please read Section 6 of the EULA (End User License
directory when running newer versions of the
Agreement) for rules on using the content that has been
Windows operating system, which is why the shared
supplied with your version of Anime Studio. Please note that
documents location is used.
when importing existing content/movies from the Anime
Studio Content Library using the File > Import option, some
animations/movies exceed the default “End Frame”. This
will prevent you from seeing the full movie. To adjust the Importing 3D OBJ’s (Anime Studio Pro
default “End Frame” settings, please select File > Project only)
Settings and change the field beside “End Frame”. You
can also double click the movie/content file you would Please note that loading 3D OBJ files may take some time.
like to view from within the Content Library. To access the Loading times depend on the complexity of the OBJ file.
Library, select Help > Open Content Library.

Photoshop Tips

Importing Photoshop Files

When you use the File > Import > Image command to
import a Photoshop file into Anime Studio, a dialog will ask

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how you want to handle the layer import within Anime will be able to use the Anime Studio tools to modify or
Studio. animate the layers.

Photoshop images can be imported with individual layers, or

as a composite image.

If Anime Studio detects unsupported layers,

you will be prompted to cancel the import, or
to import the PSD file as a composite image.

The choices are:

Photoshop layers shown in Photoshop.
• Individually: Choose this option if you want to retain
the Photoshop layers when you import your Photoshop
file. Each Photoshop layer will appear in the Layers
window and will be named exactly as they are named
in the original Photoshop file. You will be able to show
and hide the layers individually within Anime Studio
in the same way that you can in Photoshop, and you

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Photoshop layers shown in Anime Studio Pro.

Mouth group in Photoshop (with one mouth layer visible).

Further, you can group layers in Photoshop that can be

interpreted as layers in Anime Studio. For example, you
can create a Photoshop group that contains various
mouth positions. If you make only one of those mouths
visible in the group before you import the Photoshop
file into Anime Studio, the other layers in the group will
be configured as switch layers for the visible mouth
when it appears inside Anime Studio.

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If layers are reordered in the original PSD file,

Anime Studio will maintain its own layer order,
but the PSD layers will still be properly referenced.

The opacity of a Photoshop layer will be

baked in Anime Studio when imported. In
other words, if the opacity of a layer was set to 50%
in Photoshop, Anime Studio will see that as the 100%
value. You will not be able to increase to 100% in
Anime Studio.

• Composite: Choose this option if you want the

Photoshop file to be combined into a single image
Mouth group in Anime Studio Pro (with the same mouth layer
layer in Anime Studio.
visible).

• Select Layers: Click the Select Layers button to choose

There will also be a live connection between Anime specific layers in the Photoshop file for import into
Studio and Photoshop, such that if you make changes Anime Studio. The Insert Object dialog appears and
to the Photoshop file and resave it, the changes will allows you to check or uncheck all of the layers in the
also appear in your Anime Studio project. Photoshop document, or to select or deselect layers
one at a time.
If you add new layers to a PSD file that has
been imported into Anime Studio, the new
layers will automatically be imported into your About Photoshop Layer Support:
project.
When importing a PSD file, you have the option to load
layers individually or load the composite as a single layer.

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The live linking feature between Photoshop • Smart objects and smart filters do work internally to the
and Anime Studio may work unexpectedly in PSD. They store a flat representation of themselves.
certain situations. The live link works as expected
The following Photoshop features are not supported in
when layers are edited and left visible in Photoshop.
Anime Studio:
However, the live link may work unexpectedly after
importing into Anime Studio if you later move, • Layer effects are not imported.
delete, or hide layers in Photoshop and then return
to Anime Studio. • Any layer that has a mask in Photoshop gets skipped.

• 3D layers, text layers, and other kinds of non-basic or

Photoshop has many features, and not all of them are
non-pixel layers cannot be imported.
supported within Anime Studio. In general, standard 8-bit
RGB files with regular pixel layers are the best way to go for
• Layers that have visibility turned off in Photoshop will
compatibility.
have their names grayed out in the Anime Studio
Anime Studio has been tested with several Photoshop Layers palette.
examples, and the following Photoshop features are known
to work within Anime Studio:
Using Anime Studio with Unity
• Blending modes are supported
Anime Studio 11.2 provides a Unity Import script that
• Layer opacity is supported. improves performance of Anime Studio projects in Unity
5.3 or later. When you use the FBX export in Anime Studio
• Layers that are set to invisible will be kept invisible upon in conjunction with a Unity Import script (also provided with
import into Anime Studio. Anime Studio 11.2), you will see improvements in how Unity
displays layering and lighting of your Anime Studio FBX files.
• Groups are supported. Groups where only one child of
the group is visible come in as switch layers.

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FBX files that were exported from Anime Exporting from Photoshop
Studio 11 or Anime Studio 11.1 will have to be
imported into Anime Studio 11.2 or later and then Anime Studio is equipped with a Photoshop export script
re-exported as FBX again in order to work properly that will give you the ability to take your PSD files and
with the steps noted below. export them into .ANME format. The .ANME format is the
native Anime Studio format. This process helps users from
To use Anime Studio projects inside Unity, proceed as having to re-draw or export individual layers as images into
follows: Anime Studio.

1. After your Anime Studio project is complete, choose The PSD to ANME script is named Export Layers To Anime
File > Export > Export FBX. Choose a folder and a file Studio.jsx. To access this script, please make sure you’ve
name for your FBX file and click Save. configured a content location as described in “Creating
a Content Folder” on page 17. The script will be copied
2. Create a new project in Unity. into that folder.

3. From Anime Studio 11.2 or later, choose Help > To use the script within Adobe Photoshop, copy the Export
Open Custom Content Folder to open the Custom Layers To Anime Studio.jsx file to your .../Photoshop/
Content Folder on your hard drive. Select the Presets/Scripts folder. You should then be able to open up
Extra Files > Unity Importer folder, and locate the a Photoshop document, run this script from File > Scripts >
AnimeStudioFBXImporter.cs script. Copy this script into Export Layers to Anime Studio, and it will generate a new
the Assets > Editor folder in your Unity project. (If this Anime Studio file complete with an image layer for each
folder does not exist in your project you will need to original Photoshop layer. Basically, the script converts PSD
create it). formatted files to .ANME files. It exports every layer that
was created originally in Adobe Photoshop and makes it
4. Locate the FBX file that you saved with Anime Studio completely readable when imported into Anime Studio. All
11.2 or later, and import it into the Unity Assets window. versions of Adobe Photoshop since version 7 should support
this script.
5. Preview the content in the Unity preview window to
verify that it appears the same as it did in Anime Studio.
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The script exports the following 2 things: Firstly, it converts

the PSD file into a .ANME file. Secondly, all the individual
Refresh Media
layers of the PSD file are converted into individual PNG files The File > Refresh Media command (or the keyboard
and are placed in a folder of the same name as the .ANME shortcut Command/Ctrl M) causes Anime Studio to
file. The folder with the PNG’s and the newly converted check the modification dates of all of the media that is
.ANME file will be located side by side. It is important referenced in the project, and will reload the media that
to note that whenever you open the .ANME file, it will has changed.
reference the PNG folder. So please keep them side by
side. If the PNG folder and the newly converted .ANME are
not located in the same folder, the layers within your newly Preview
opened .ANME will not work properly in Anime Studio.
Generates a preview image of what your project will look
like. If you’re in the process of animating your project,
Show in Explorer (Windows only) the image will be of the current frame in your animation.
A preview image does not contain all the fill styles, and
The File > Show in Explorer command will reveal the source is of lower quality, but is quicker to generate than a fully
project file for the current document in Windows Explorer rendered image.
when this command is selected.
When the Preview window opens up to display your work,
you can save the preview as a still image, using the popup
Show in Finder (Mac only) menu in the Preview window. By default, the file will be
named with the name of your project, followed by the
The File > Show in Finder (Mac) command will reveal the frame number.
source project file for the current document in the Mac
The following options are available in the Preview window:
Finder when this command is selected.

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The Options tab in the General Preferences

dialog allows you to specify the number of
images stored in your Render Cache. See “General
Tab” on page 407 for more information.

• Save As: Expand the menu to choose the file format

(JPG, BMP, Targa, or PNG). You can also copy the
image to a clipboard and paste it into another
application.

• Zoom: Move the scrollbar left or right to zoom in

and out of the image. You can also use the mouse
scrollwheel to zoom in or out.

Preview window. • Percentage field: Allows you to enter a zoom

percentage value.

• Render Cache: Click to place a preview render in • Restore Defaults: Resets the preview window to the
your render cache. By default you can store up to 100 default zoom level.
preview images in your render cache, which has to be
located in a User Content folder. If you did not set up a
User Content folder during installation, you can choose Preview No Antialiasing
the Help > Set Custom Content Folder to configure one.
Use the File > Preview No Antialiasing command to
See “Set Custom Content Folder” on page 472 for
generate a quick preview of your work. Jagged edges will
more information.
be visible on slanted or curved surfaces.

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animation by holding down the Option key (Mac) or Alt key

(Windows) while clicking the Play button.

Export Animation...
This command brings up a dialog that lets you export an
animated sequence and save it to disk. The Anime Studio
project file is where your work is saved, but to view the
animation as a movie, to put it on the web, or to work with
it in other programs, you have to export the animation.

Antialiasing (top); No antialiasing (bottom).

Preview Animation
The File > Preview Animation command performs a screen
capture of the items on the canvas during playback and
saves it as a movie file. You can also generate a preview
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• End Frame: Enter the end frame for your exported

movie here.

• Entire Animation: Press this button to reset the start and

end frames to include all frames in the movie

• Format: The options in the Export Animation dialog are

described in “Exporting Movies” on page 384:

• Preset: The options in the Preset list are described in

“Exporting Movies” on page 384:

• Enable multi-threaded rendering: With this option

unchecked, only one thread will be used to rendering.
With the option checked, up to four threads will be
used.

• Render at half dimensions: Check this box to render a

smaller version of your movie. The output resolution is
as indicated in the dialog. This makes rendering faster if
you just want a quick preview, and is useful for making
smaller movies for the web.
The Export Animation dialog.
• Render at half frame rate: Check this box to skip every
The options in this dialog are: other frame in the animation. This makes rendering
faster, and results in smaller movie files.
• Start Frame: Enter the start frame for your exported
movie here.

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• Apply shape effects (Anime Studio Pro only): If this box • Use NTSC-safe colors: Automatically limits colors to be
is unchecked, Anime Studio will skip shape effects like NTSC safe. This is only an approximation - you should
shading, texture fills, and gradients. still do some testing to make sure your animation looks
good on a TV monitor.
• Apply layer effects: If this box is unchecked, Anime
Studio will skip layer effects like layer shadows and layer • Variable line widths (SWF) (Anime Studio Pro only):
transparency. Exports variable line widths to SWF. See “What to
Avoid” on page 392 for more information about
• Render layer comp: Check the option and select the variable width lines and Flash.
desired layer comp to render.
• Animated GIF Options: Enabled when Animated GIF is
• Reduced particles (Anime Studio Pro only): Some selected for output format. For additional information,
particle effects require hundreds of particles to see “Exporting Animated GIF Files” on page 387.
achieve their effect. Check this box to render fewer
particles. The effect may not look as good, but will • Render Layer Comp: Check the option to select the
render much faster if all you need is a preview. layer comp that you want to include in the rendered
animation.
• Antialiased edges (Anime Studio Pro only): Normally,
Anime Studio renders your shapes with smoothed • Choose a configuration to apply: Select the desired
edges. Uncheck this box to turn this feature off. render configuration from the chooser. If there are
no custom configurations, the only choice will be
• Extra-smooth images: Renders image layers with a Application Defaults. Choose Edit Configurations to
higher quality level. Exporting takes longer with this create a new configuration, as described in “Render
option on. Option Configurations” on page 399.

• Do not premultiply alpha channel: Useful if you plan When exporting a movie, Anime Studio will include an
to composite your Anime Studio animation with other alpha channel if the codec you’re using supports it. This
elements in a video editing program. makes it possible to composite Anime Studio movies with
other media in a video editing program.
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If you’re using QuickTime, set the color depth

to “Millions of Colors+”. The “+” is QuickTime’s
indication of an alpha channel. The codecs that
support this include Animation, None, PNG, TGA,
and TIFF.

Anime Studio can only export to a maximum

size of 900 pixels x 900 pixels and 3000 frames.
(Anime Studio Pro does not have this limitation.)

Exporting Movies
The Export Animation dialog has several options for
adjusting the output quality of your animation. These
default to the highest quality rendering, but you may
sometimes want to lower the quality to increase rendering
speed or to output animations with smaller file sizes for
streaming over the internet.

Movie Export Formats: Windows.

Supported formats for Windows and Mac, as noted,

include the following:

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• Image Sequence: Supported image formats are JPEG, ƒƒ iPhone 6 Movie: (Windows 7 and higher only).
BMP, Targa, PNG, or PSD. Saves the movie as a 1334 x 750 file in m4v format.

• M4V: When choosing M4V format, the following presets ƒƒ iPhone 6+ Movie: (Windows 7 and higher only).
are available: Saves the movie as a 1920 x 1080 file in m4v format.

ƒƒ Apple M4V (H.264-AAC): Saves the movie in M4V ƒƒ iPad Movie: (Windows 7 and higher only). Saves the
format using H.264 video and AAC audio codecs. movie as a 1024 x 768 file in m4v format.

ƒƒ Apple M4V (JPEG-AAC) (Macintosh Only): ƒƒ iPad HD Movie: (Windows 7 and higher only). Saves
the movie as a 1280 x 1024 file in m4v format.
• MP4: When choosing MP4 format, the following presets
are available: • AVI: The following AVI options appear on Windows XP
or higher systems only:
ƒƒ Apple M4V (H.264-AAC): Saves the movie in mp4
format using an H.264 video and AAC audio ƒƒ AVI (MJPEG):
codec. Windows 7 or higher. ƒƒ AVI Movie (DV): (Windows XP and higher only).
ƒƒ Apple M4V (JPEG-AAC) (Macintosh Only): Saves the movie as a 720 x 480 file in avi format.

ƒƒ AVI Movie (Uncompressed): (Windows XP and

• iOS: The following presets appear for devices running
higher only). Saves the movie in avi format using an
iOS:
uncompressed video codec. Expect these movies
ƒƒ iPhone Movie: (Windows 7 and higher only). Saves to be large compared to a compressed format
the movie as a 480 x 320 file in m4v format. like DV.

ƒƒ iPhone 4 Movie: (Windows 7 and higher only). • AVI (Video for Windows): The following legacy AVI
Saves the movie as a 960 x 640 file in m4v format. format appear in Windows XP or higher systems only:
ƒƒ iPhone 5 Movie: (Windows 7 and higher only).
Saves the movie as a 1136 x 640 file in m4v format.

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ƒƒ AVI Movie: Saves the movie in avi format. In the The Mac App Store prevents the export of
next dialog, the user will be prompted for the video media formats using the QuickTime media
codec of the export. library. Because of this, the QuickTime (PNG-AAC),
iPhone Movie, and QuickTime Movie movie formats
• QuickTime: (Mac and 32-bit version of Anime Studio Pro are not supported. The other QuickTime formats are
for Windows only, not available in Anime Studio Debut supported using the newer AV Foundation media
or 64-bit Windows). Saves the movie in QuickTime library.
(mov) format. In the next dialog, you will be prompted
for the video codec and quality of the export.
• Flash (SWF): One preset appears for Flash movie export:
On Windows, this output format only appears
ƒƒ Flash (SWF): Exports your animation to a Flash SWF
in the 32-bit version of Anime Studio Pro, and
file, using the dimensions of your project.
QuickTime software must be installed.
When choosing a compression format or
• Legacy QuickTime: (Mac and 32-bit version of Anime codec for export, keep in mind that viewers
Studio for Windows only, not available in Anime Studio must also have the same codec available to view
64-bit Windows). Saves the movie in QuickTime (mov) the file. We recommend that you select a basic
format. In the next dialog, you will be prompted for the compression format/codec that is installed with Mac
video codec and quality of the export. OS X.

On Windows, this output format only appears ƒƒ Flash (SWF): Exports your animation to a Flash SWF
in Anime Studio Debut, and the 32-bit version file, using the dimensions of your project. Quality
of Anime Studio Pro. QuickTime software must be choices allow you to choose a range of movie
installed. qualities between Maximum and Minimum, with
the default selection being High quality. The higher
the quality, the larger the file size will be, and the
longer it will take for others to download.

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After you select your format and quality, choose OK to Anime Studio looks at the first frame in your
render the animation. animation to choose the colors that will be
included in the animated GIF. If your first frame is a
solid color, there is a workaround that you can use to
Exporting Animated GIF Files select colors from a frame that is more
representative of the entire animation. See “Notes
Anime Studio allows you to easily create animated GIF
and Tips” on page 388.
files that can be shared on FaceBook, or included in web
pages and emails. Animated GIF files do not contain
sound, and they cannot contain any more than 256 ƒƒ Dithering: Reduces bending by creating
colors. However, they can be read in a wide variety of graduated color transitions.
applications, including being directly embedded into web
If possible, turn off dithering in the Animated
pages.
GIF options - for animations with a lot of solid
To create an animated GIF file, follow these steps: colors this can reduce the resulting file size.
1. Choose File > Export Animation. The Export Animation
dialog appears. ƒƒ Transparency: Renders your animation against a
transparent background.
2. Choose Animated GIF from the Format dropdown
in the Output section. This automatically selects the If using transparency, set the background
Animated GIF preset. color to something close to your expected
background (often white, gray, or black). (This is
3. Click the Animated GIF Options button in the Render because animated GIF transparency is an on/off
Options section. You will be presented with the situation, so some of the background color can still
following options: blend into your artwork.)

ƒƒ Number of colors: Choose 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, or

ƒƒ Frame Difference: Keep this option checked
256. Default is 16 colors.
to create an optimized animation that stores

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only the changes that are made from frame to include all or most of the colors. Render a preview of
frame. Unchecking the option creates a larger file that frame (File > Preview, or the Ctrl/Cmd+R shortcut)
because each frame is stored in its entirety in the and click the Sample GIF Colors button at the bottom
animation. of the Preview window. The sampled colors will be
remembered in the document. When you choose the
4. Choose OK to apply your settings. Anime Studio
File > Export Animation command, Anime Studio will
prompts you to select a folder and enter a name for
remember the sampled colors and will use them to
your animation. After your animation is exported, you
compile the animated GIF.
will find the GIF file in its saved location.

Notes and Tips

• Be careful with pixel dimensions and duration - the

smaller and shorter, the better. You will probably want
to reduce the project dimensions, because the default
settings will create animated GIF files that are very
Click the Sample GIF Colors at the bottom of the preview
large (1280 x 720 pixels).
window to sample colors from a representative frame.
• Flat colors will compress better, and will dither less -
avoid gradients and image textures if possible. • You can choose specific colors to be included in your
animated GIF. To do so, create a separate vector
• Try reducing frames per second to get smaller files.
layer that you can set as invisible or hidden during
• Avoid things that cause the entire screen to update, rendering. This custom color layer can contain simple
like moving the camera. shapes that are filled with the colors you want to
include. For example, you can include various shades
• If the first frame in your animation is not a good of gray which will cause Anime Studio to convert your
representation of the colors that are included in the animated GIF to grayscale. Use the Sample GIF colors
entire animation, advance to a frame that does
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in the Preview window to sample the custom colors as Because Anime Studio is also vector-based, there are
described previously. enough similarities to make it possible for Anime Studio to
export SWF files.

Exporting Flash However, Anime Studio and Flash are not completely
compatible. Therefore, not all the features of Anime Studio
Anime Studio can also export Flash files in SWF format. can be exported successfully to Flash. In addition, because
Flash is a common vector animation format on the Web. Flash is a web format, small file size is important - there are
When exporting Flash, Anime Studio will also include the certain issues to keep in mind when working with Anime
soundtrack (if any), if the soundtrack is in MP3 format. If you Studio if Flash is your intended output format.
plan on exporting Flash files, it is important to read “How to
When exporting SWF files, you may want to use
Create Efficient Flash Files” on page 390.
Macromedia’s Flash authoring tool to combine multiple
If you plan to export your animations to Flash
SWF files, add extra elements, sound, etc. Be aware that
(SWF) format, you will need to use MP3 audio
Anime Studio’s SWF files are compatible with Flash MX and
files instead of WAV audio files. In addition, if you
later - Flash 5 and earlier are not able to load Anime Studio-
plan to render to SWF format, you can only use a
created SWF files.
single audio file in the project.
What Can be Exported

Flash Tips Most common objects in Anime Studio can be exported to

Flash. These include:
Advice for working with Anime Studio and Flash
• Vector layers
Among the other export formats that Anime Studio offers,
you also have the option to output Flash SWF files. SWF is a • Fills/Outlines/Colors
format created by Adobe as a way to deliver animated
vector artwork and interactive applications. Flash • Transparency
animations are very common on the web, and most users
• Gradients
already have the Flash player installed on their computers.
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• Variable-width lines (try to use these sparingly - see • Layer effects (shadows, shading, layer blur, motion blur,
below) etc.)

• Bone warping of vector layers • Image warping or 3D movements in image layers

• Image layers (PNG and JPEG only, and only if they are • Image layers that use progressive JPEG images (Flash
not warped by a bone layer) can’t handle progressive JPEG images)

• Particle layers (careful - a complex particle effect can • Layer masking

easily overwhelm Flash)
• 3D layers
• A soundtrack can be exported if it’s in MP3 format, and
at either 44100 Hz, 22050 Hz, or 11025 Hz sample rate. • Multiple audio tracks, or audio tracks other than MP3
If you want your SWF file to contain audio, make sure format
that your project contains only one audio track, and
How to Create Efficient Flash Files
that the audio track is in MP3 format. In order for Anime
Studio to play MP3 format audio files, you must have When you’re creating an animation with the intent to
QuickTime installed produce an SWF file as output, there are several things
to keep in mind. An important concern with SWF files is
What Can’t be Exported
keeping the file size down. The key way to do this in Anime
On the other hand, some things in Anime Studio are just not Studio is to keep as many layers “optimized” as possible. An
compatible with Flash, and cannot be exported to a SWF optimized layer when exported to SWF will take up much
file. The following list covers the most important of these less space than a non-optimized one. (For other formats,
objects and effects. like QuickTime or AVI, it doesn’t matter.) You can tell which
layers are optimized by looking for a little red dot next to
• Brushes the layer’s icon in the Layers window:

• Fill and line effects (except gradients)

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• 3D layer rotation (X or Y rotation, or perspective

rotation)

• Layer shear

• A group layer that has 3D rotation or shear will cause all

of its sub-layers to be non-optimized

• Uneven scaling in the X and Y directions

• Point animation

• Bone animation is a common cause of non-optimized

layers. What’s happening is that because Flash doesn’t
have a bone system like Anime Studio, Anime Studio
needs to export a lot of extra information for Flash to
be able to produce the same effect. One way to use
bone animation and to stay optimized is to attach a
Notice the red dot by the optimized layer.
vector layer to a single bone, instead of letting the
bones warp all the points in the vector layer. The vector
A new layer is optimized to start with, but depending on layer will then remain optimized. While you can’t do this
the effects you apply, that optimization can go away. The in all cases, sometimes you can break up a character
following things will “de-optimize” a layer. Note: a non- into multiple body parts - some parts will be warped
optimized layer will still export to Flash, it just won’t be nearly with the bones, and some will be attached to a single
as efficient. bone. At least some parts of the character can remain
optimized.
• 3D camera movements (this will de-optimize all layers
in the project, so it should be avoided if possible when Here are some other things to think about when exporting
targeting SWF) to SWF:

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• Consider using a lower frame rate (12 fps, for example) resulting SWF file will be smaller, and will load quicker over
for your animation. Fewer frames means a smaller file. the web.

• If some of your layers can do without any animation • 3D camera moves - no Flash optimization is possible
at all, or just layer translation/scaling/rotation when you’re moving the camera around in 3D. Simple
(background scenery, props, background characters, side-to-side pans and zooms are OK, but when you
etc.), that can save a lot of space. start using camera pan/tilt, Flash efficiency goes down
the drain.
• If most of a layer is stationary, except for one small
object, move that object into its own layer if possible. • Try to use as few control points as possible in your
Example: a character who is waving his arms, but vector artwork.
is otherwise still - move the arms into a separate
layer from the rest of the body. The body will remain • The freehand tool and the insert text dialog can
optimized and take up much less space. generate a lot of points, resulting in a big SWF file.

• If an object sits still for a time with no animation, • Limit the use of variable-width lines. It’s easy to
consider replacing it with a non-animated object for overwhelm Flash with the complexity of variable-
that time period. width lines, making the resulting SWF file play back
unpredictably. Read “Flash Movie Size Limit” at http://
What to Avoid kb2.adobe.com/cps/144/tn_14437.html for more
information. If possible, only use variable-width lines in
If your goal is to create a SWF animation, there are some SWF-optimized layers.
things you should try to avoid. Besides the effects that
just are not possible to export, you should try to avoid the • Avoid compound shapes (two adjacent circles filled as
following effects if possible. These are all things that can be one, shapes with holes, or figure 8’s).
exported - it’s just that they make for a less efficient SWF file.
Of course, you won’t want to avoid all of these things all
of the time. However, if you plan your animation carefully,
and use as few of the following effects as possible, the
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Exporting Still Images Export OBJ

Finally, you can export an animation as a sequence of If your scene contains 3D objects, including those that
numbered still images. This option is not used very often, but you have converted from 2D to 3D with Anime Studio’s
sometimes for certain post-processing tasks, you may prefer 3D Conversion feature (see “3D Options” on page 231),
to work with a sequence of separate still image files. You you can use the File > Export OBJ command to save the
can choose between JPEG, BMP, PSD, Targa, or PNG. objects to WaveFront OBJ format. You will be prompted to
enter a file name and choose a location for the exported
OBJ file.
Export FBX
If you import an OBJ file that has been
The File > Export FBX command exports your Anime Studio exported from Anime Studio into your 3D
project in FBX format so that you can import it into other software, and some or all of the faces appear to be
2D or 3D applications that support the FBX file format. No missing, it may be due to inverted normals. Select
export options are provided. After choosing this command, the missing faces and invert the normals in your
you will be prompted to specify a folder and filename for modeler.
the export.

Many Anime Studio commands (point

binding, curvatures, bone stretching, etc.) Export POV
that are not supported in FBX format. When
designing files for FBX export, we recommend that You can use the File > Export POV command to export
you use the View > FBX Preview command to 3D objects from Anime Studio to POV format, which is
preview your project before export. For additional compatible with POV-Ray, a free raytracing application
information on how to address unsupported that produces high quality 3D renderings. For more
features, see “FBX Preview Mode” on page 461 information about POV-Ray, see http://www.povray.org/.

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Export Styles Upload to Facebook®

Choose the File > Export Styles command to save an The File > Upload to Facebook command allows you
Anime Styles Document. This command allows you to save to upload your Anime Studio animation to your page
all the styles from the current project, or only the styles used on Facebook. After choosing the command you are
in the selected layer(s) in the current project. The styles will prompted to locate the animation that you want to
be saved with an .animestyle extension. upload.

You can also simply open a styles document Before using this features, you will need to sign
to export styles to the current project. in to your Facebook account and authorize
Anime Studio as an application that can upload to
your Facebook account.
If your current document contains styles, but
there are no styles used by the layer(s) that
After logging in to your Facebook account and choosing
you select for a selected layers-only export, an
the Upload to Facebook command, your browser will
empty styles document will be created.
display a screen that prompts you to allow the Smith Micro
Software Video Uploader to upload files to your Facebook
account. Click the Allow button to enable this feature, and
Upload to YouTube then the upload will continue. You should only need to
authorize the uploader the first time you use it
The File > Upload to YouTube command allows you to
upload your Anime Studio animation to YouTube. After
choosing the command you are prompted to locate the Batch Export... (Anime Studio Pro
animation that you want to upload.
only)
Anime Studio’s batch export window lets you line up
several Anime Studio project files to be exported. When

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you choose File > Batch Export, the paths to all open saved When you right-click in the batch export list, a contextual
documents (those that have no unsaved changes) are menu provides three options:
passed to the exporter. These documents will be included
in the list of items to export. • Show in Explorer: Right-click the item in the batch
export list to display the file in Windows Explorer or the
This is very convenient when you’re working on a large
Mac Finder window.
project with separate project files for different scenes, and
you want to render them all at once (like during lunch • Remove: Removes the item from the batch export list.
maybe):
• Duplicate: Adds a duplicate of the item to the batch
export list.

Batch Export Commands

The Batch Export Window has the following menu
commands in its own File menu:

The Batch Export window.

The Batch Export window.

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• Add: Choose this command to select the files that you add files by dragging and dropping from the Windows
want to add to the batch export list. Previously saved Explorer or Mac Finder into the file list.
Batch Export profiles (.animeexport files) can also be
added to the list.

• Open Profile: Opens a previously saved Batch Export

profile that you have saved to your hard disk.

• Open Recent Profile: Provides a list of the most recently

saved Batch Export profiles that you can open from The Add Files button.
this list.

• Save Profile: Saves the current list of items in the Batch You can remove a file from the queue by
Export list as a profile. The profiles can be saved to selecting it and pressing the Backspace or
a location of your choice and are saved with an Delete keys (this will not delete the file from your
.animeexport extension. system, just remove it from batch export).

• Quit: Exits the Batch Export window.

You can change rendering options by
selecting a file and then changing the
Adding Files options at the top of the window. The options that
are set before you queue up any files will apply to all
Four icons appear beneath the file list. These buttons are as the files as you add them. The output file format you
follows: select will be the same for all files in the batch.

• Add Files: To queue up files for batch export, click the

Add Files button to select files on your system, or drag • Remove: Removes the selected file or files from the
the Anime Studio files into the file list window. They will batch export list.
appear in the list view at the bottom. You can also

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• Duplicate selected item in the list: Click this button to display the progress of each file as it is exported. When a
add a duplicate of the selected item in the batch file is finished and disappears from the list, you can find the
export list. rendered result in the same folder as the Anime Studio file
itself.
• Split selected item by layer comp: This option becomes
enabled if you select a list item that contains layer
comps. If you choose this option, the selected item Setting Batch Export Options
will be split out into separate items (one for each
The batch export window has many of the same controls
layer comp in the project). Each item will render to a
as the Export Animation dialog. The options are as follows:
different layer comp. You can apply individual render
options to each layer comp as desired.
• Path: Displays the file system path to the selected item.
You can right-click an item in the Batch Export list to display
a context menu that allows you to show the highlighted • Export entire animation: Check this option to set the
item in Windows Explorer or Mac Finder, to remove the start and end frame to the entire animation. The Start
highlighted item, or to duplicate the highlighted item. Frame and End Frame fields are disabled when this
option is checked.

• Start Frame/End Frame: Enter the start and end frames

of the range that you want to render. These settings
are applied for each item in the item list.

• Format: Select one of the supported movie formats

from the Format chooser.
The Add Files button.
• Preset: Choose the desired preset for your renders.
When all your files have been added and the options These are described in “Exporting Movies” on page
set, press the Start button in the lower right corner of the 384.
Batch Export dialog to begin batch export. The window will

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• Quality: When the preset allows for a quality option, but will render much faster if all you need is a
select the desired quality from the chooser. preview.

• Render Options: The options in this section are similar to ƒƒ Antialiased edges: Normally, Anime Studio renders
those found in the Render Options dialog: your shapes with smoothed edges. Uncheck this
box to turn this feature off.
ƒƒ Enable Multi-Threaded Rendering: Check this
option to enable multi-threaded rendering of your ƒƒ Extra-smooth images: Renders image layers with a
projects. higher quality level. Exporting takes longer with this
option on.
ƒƒ Render at half dimensions: Check this box to
render a smaller version of your movie. This makes ƒƒ Do not premultiply alpha: Useful if you plan to
rendering faster if you just want a quick preview, composite your Anime Studio animation with other
and is useful for making smaller movies for the web. elements in a video editing program.

ƒƒ Render at half frame rate: Check this box to skip ƒƒ Use NTSC-safe colors: Automatically limits colors
every other frame in the animation. This makes to be NTSC safe. This is only an approximation -
rendering faster, and results in smaller movie files. you should still do some testing to make sure your
animation looks good on a TV monitor.
ƒƒ Apply shape effects: If this box is unchecked,
Anime Studio will skip shape effects like shading, ƒƒ Variable line widths (SWF) (Anime Studio Pro only):
texture fills, and gradients. Exports variable line widths to SWF. See “What to
Avoid” on page 392 for more information about
ƒƒ Apply layer effects: If this box is unchecked, Anime variable width lines and Flash.
Studio will skip layer effects like layer shadows and
layer transparency. ƒƒ Animated GIF Options: This option is enabled after
you choose Animated GIF from the Format menu
ƒƒ Reduced particles (Anime Studio Pro only): Some described above. Click this option to choose
particle effects require hundreds of particles to the number of colors in the animated GIF, and
achieve their effect. Check this box to render
fewer particles. The effect may not look as good,
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to choose Dithering, Transparency, and Frame Render Option Configurations

differencing options.
Click the Edit Configurations button in the Batch Export
ƒƒ Overwrite existing files: Check this option to
window to open the Render Option Configurations
overwrite existing files if desired. If you choose
dialog, where you can create or edit your own render
not to overwrite existing files, a number will be
configurations.
appended to name of the new file to prevent
overwriting the existing version.

ƒƒ Render layer comp: When you batch export layer

comps, the name of the layer comp will be added
to the name of the output file. Check the option
and select the layer comp you want to render.

• Apply settings to selected item: See “Render Option Edit Configurations.

Configurations” on page 399 for information on
configuring and editing render options.
If no configurations have yet been created, the only
• Destination: Options in this section determine where available option will be the Application Defaults
your renders will be saved: configuration. The options in the Render Options
Configurations dialog will be disabled until you create a
ƒƒ Export files into the same folder as the project file: new configuration or select a previously saved custom
Check this option to render your projects to the configuration.
same folder as the original project file.
To create a new configuration, expand the Configuration
ƒƒ Export all files to a selected folder: Allows you to menu and choose Edit Configurations to open the Render
select or create a folder in which to export all of Options Configurations dialog. From there, choose Make
the files. New Configuration.

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Configuration dialog are similar to those already described

in the Batch Export dialog:

Creating a new configuration.

You will be prompted to enter a name for the new

configuration in a separate dialog. After you assign the
name, click OK.

Naming a new configuration.

After you create or select a custom configuration, the

options in the Render Options Configuration dialog should The Render Options Configurations dialog.
be enabled so that you can choose the settings for your
new configuration. The options in the Render Options

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• Configuration: Choose the configuration file that you ƒƒ Render at half frame rate: Check this box to skip
want to edit or delete from the Configuration menu. every other frame in the animation. This makes
If you select Factory Default, the other options will rendering faster, and results in smaller movie files.
become disabled.
ƒƒ Apply shape effects: If this box is unchecked,
• Delete: Click to delete the currently selected Anime Studio will skip shape effects like shading,
configuration. texture fills, and gradients.

ƒƒ Apply layer effects: If this box is unchecked, Anime

You cannot edit or delete the Factory Default
Studio will skip layer effects like layer shadows and
configuration.
layer transparency.

ƒƒ Reduced particles (Anime Studio Pro only): Some

• Render Options:
particle effects require hundreds of particles to
ƒƒ Name: Displays the name for the currently selected achieve their effect. Check this box to render
configuration file. You can enter a new name to fewer particles. The effect may not look as good,
rename the current selection. but will render much faster if all you need is a
preview.
ƒƒ Enable multi-thread rendering: This enables multi-
threaded rendering that only applies to Export ƒƒ Overwrite existing files (Batch Export Only): Check
Animation. Multi-threaded rendering is always this option to overwrite existing files if desired. If you
allowed for Batch Export, regardless of this setting. choose not to overwrite existing files, a number will
be appended to name of the new file to prevent
ƒƒ Render at half dimensions: Check this box to
overwriting the existing version.
render a smaller version of your movie. This makes
rendering faster if you just want a quick preview, ƒƒ Export entire animation: Check this option to set
and is useful for making smaller movies for the web. the start and end frame to the entire animation.
The Start Frame and End Frame fields are disabled
when this option is checked.

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ƒƒ Antialiased edges: Normally, Anime Studio renders • OK: Click to save the new or edited render
your shapes with smoothed edges. Uncheck this configuration.
box to turn this feature off.

ƒƒ Extra-smooth images: Renders image layers with a Relaunch in (x)-bit Mode

higher quality level. Exporting takes longer with this
option on. The Universal installer allows you to install Anime Studio Pro
in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The File > Relaunch in
ƒƒ Do not premultiply alpha: Useful if you plan to
32-bit Mode and File > Relaunch in 64-bit Mode commands
composite your Anime Studio animation with other
allow you to switch between modes.
elements in a video editing program.

ƒƒ Use NTSC-safe colors: Automatically limits colors

to be NTSC safe. This is only an approximation - Quit
you should still do some testing to make sure your
animation looks good on a TV monitor. Quits Anime Studio. Anime Studio will prompt you to save
any unsaved projects before closing.
ƒƒ Variable line widths (SWF) (Anime Studio Pro only):
Exports variable line widths to SWF. See “What to
Avoid” on page 392 for more information about
variable width lines and Flash.

• These options are only applied if selected:

ƒƒ Preset: Select a preset from the chooser.

ƒƒ Render all layer comps (Batch Export Only):

Renders all layer comps that are applicable to
Batch Export only.

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Chapter 19: Edit Menu You will not receive a warning when you undo an
operation. You will be able to undo the operation by using
the Edit > Redo command.

Redo
This command will redo the last operation that you “un-
did” with the Undo command.

Cut, Copy, Paste

These are the traditional clipboard commands. They can
be used together with the Draw editing tools for vector
layers, and operate on the currently selected group of
points or keyframes.
When pasting keyframes, the Edit > Paste command pastes
an exact copy of the keyframes. For example, if you copy
Edit Menu
keyframes that translate an object from a start point to an
end point, and then move to a later frame and paste the
keyframes in, the object will move back to the start point
Undo and repeat the same action.

Choose this command to undo the last operation. You

may undo up to 8 of your most recent editing operations in
Anime Studio.

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Paste Relative Paste Layer

When using the Edit > Paste Relative command to paste After using the Edit > Copy Layer command, select the
keyframes that are copied into the clipboard, the pasted layer above which you want to paste the copied layer.
keyframes will continue animating the object from the Then choose Edit > Paste Layer to paste the layer in the
last keyframe that was copied. In other words, if you copy clipboard above the selected layer.
keyframes that translate an object from a start point to an
end point and then use the Paste Relative command to
paste them later in the timeline, the object will continue Normalize Layer Scale
from wherever it is at that point.
There is a feature in Anime Studio called Scale
Compensation, which you can enable or disable in the
Clear General tab of the Layer Settings dialog (see “General
Tab” on page 198). When scale compensation is
This command is the same as pressing the backspace or enabled, strokes get thinner as an object is scaled down,
delete key: the currently selected object in the working and bigger as you scale the object up.
area will be deleted from the project.
There are times when you need to scale portions of a
character down. For example, you have two eyes in a
Copy Layer character, and you need to scale the larger eye down.

Places a copy of the selected layer into the clipboard so

that you can paste it into the current document or another
opened document.

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Though you can turn off scale compensation, this may not
be desireable for your workflow. You also have the option
to change the stroke width in the Style window, but if you
have many cases where strokes are not uniform, it can be
time consuming to manually enter numbers to make all the
stroke widths uniform.
The Normalize Layer Scale command allows you to quickly
adjust the scale of the line widths. Select the layer or layers
that have line widths that are out of sync, and then choose
Edit > Normalize Layer Scale. The line width of the selected
Two eyes of different sizes layers will automatically adjust to match the other layers.

However, when you scale the eye down, the stroke that
surrounds the eye is much more narrow than the strokes
used on the rest of the character.

After the layer scale is normalized

The larger eye is rescaled

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Reset Layer Scale Normalization like a character’s head, just select a few points on it, then
choose this command: if all the points on the head are
Choose Edit > Reset Layer Scale Normalization to revert the somehow connected together, the whole head will now
selected layer(s) to their original scale before you applied be selected.
the Normalize Layer Scale command. Strokes immediately
revert back to their original scale.
Preferences...
Select All Mac users will find the Preferences command
in the Anime Studio menu category.
Selects all the points in the active vector layer.
Brings up a dialog that lets you customize some aspects of

Select None Anime Studio, such as the display colors used in the working
area of the Anime Studio window. Some of these features
De-selects all the points in the active vector layer. including Edit Colors and GUI Colors are only available in
Anime Studio Pro.

Select Inverse
Selects the opposite points in the active vector layer.
Selected points will become de-selected, and de-selected
points will become selected.

Select Connected
Selects all points that are connected to any other currently
selected points. For example, if you have a complex shape
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General Tab • Use large fonts (must restart Anime to take effect):
Check this option to use larger fonts in the Anime
Studio interface.

• Enable GPU: Check this option to enable GPU

acceleration if it is supported by your hardware.

• Enable export/import hardware acceleration:

(Windows Only). If a media codec (such as H.264)
supports hardware acceleration you can speed up
the exporting process by turning GPU acceleration on
if your hardware supports it. Turn this option off if your
card does not support hardware acceleration.

• Enable touch support: Turn this option on if you want to

use Anime Studio with a Wacom touch-enabled tablet.

• Invert zoom wheel direction: By default, zoom wheel

is configured so that scrollwheel down zooms in
(closer), and scrollwheel up zooms out (farther away).
General Tab Check this option to invert this behavior with mouse
scrollwheel, or with trackpad gestures.

• Automatically check for updates: When this option is • Allow sending analytics information to Smith Micro:
checked, Anime Studio will automatically check for When this option is checked, Anime Studio will send
updates upon startup. Uncheck this option if you prefer hardware information and feature usage statistics to
to manually check for updates. Smith Micro. Analytics will not be sent until after the
application has been properly activated/serialized.

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• Startup File: Allows you to start Anime Studio with a Documents Tab
default startup file, an empty document, or a specified
project file.

• Max Render Cache Size: Enter the number of renders

that you want to store your Anime Studio render
cache. The default setting is 100 images. In order to
store these images, you must create a user content
folder. If you did not do this during setup, see “Set
Custom Content Folder” on page 472.

• Poser Location: Allows you to specify the location of

the Poser executable.

• Language (restart required): Allows you to choose

between English, German, and Spanish. If you change
from the present setting, the changes will not take
affect until after you restart the application.

Documents Tab

• Auto save for crash recovery: When turned on, Anime

Studio will automatically save your work every thirty
seconds to a temporary file. If the application crashes,
you can recover your work the next time you start the
application. In the event that you are working on very
large files and your workflow is slowed down by saving
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every thirty seconds, you can turn this option off to at different times, it may be preferable to uncheck the
improve performance. option.

• Open and switch to new file after gather: If you gather • Save and restore viewport settings in document: When
a document when this option is checked, Anime Studio checked, documents are saved with viewport state
will close the current document (the document that on. When this setting is enabled, if a saved document
you gathered) and open the gathered document. contains this information the viewport settings will be
If the preference has not yet been set, Anime Studio restored when the document is reopened.
will give you the opportunity to select the default
preference the first time you gather a document. • Document Preview Thumbnail Size: Anime Studio can
automatically generate thumbnails when you save
• Confirm before reverting document: When checked, your documents. The default maximum size for the
Anime Studio will ask for verification before a thumbnails is 128x128 pixels. Other options are None
document is reverted to the last saved version. (will not automatically generate a thumbnail), 256x256,
512x512, and 1024x1024.
• Warn when file references change on document open:
Allows you to enable or disable warnings that appear
when project files have changed location. Uncheck
the option to disable the warnings.

• Warn when a document is converted to the new file

format: Allows you to enable or disable notification
that older project files will be converted to new Anime
Studio 11 file format.

• Save onion skin settings in document: Check this option

if you want to save onion skin settings with your project
file. If multiple users are working with the same scene

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Layers/Objects Tab noticeable if you have moved the camera (for

example, if you are looking 90 degrees to the left). If
this option is unchecked in such a case, new layers
will be centered at 0,0,0 and will be off-camera. If
this option is checked in such a case, the new layers
will appear centered in front of the current camera
position.

• Show paths for new layers: Determines whether the

paths (previously called construction curves) are
displayed for new layers. They’re always shown for the
selected layer, but usually hidden otherwise.

• Legacy curves for new layers: When checked, uses the

old style curves, rather than the smoother curves found
in Anime Studio 8 and later.

• Nearest neighbor sampling for new image layers:

When an image is scaled up larger than its original
size, Anime Studio will try to smooth out the areas in
Layers/Objects Tab between pixels to create a smoother image. Turn this
option off if you want the enlarged image to appear
blocky.
• Inline Layer Naming: Allows you to name the layer in
the Layers panel when you create a new layer. • Auto-assist with bone locking keyframes: Adds an
extra keyframe when bones are locked or unlocked to
• Auto Center New Layers: If the camera is in its default
prevent them from “drifting”.
position (such as it would be in a new document) this
option won’t do anything. The option will become
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• Auto-name new shapes: Shapes can be named by • Default Stroke: Choose the default stroke color that
the user. If this is turned on, all bones and shapes get appears in the Style window.
names like “1”, “2”, etc.
• Default Stroke Width: Choose the default stroke width
Anime Studio names bones automatically as that appears in the Style window.
you create them. For more information, see
“Add Bone” on page 91.
Timeline Tab
• Auto-scale imported vectors: Makes it easier to import
multiple Illustrator files (for example, multiple body parts
in a character). The imported files will all be in scale
with each other when this option is checked. When this
option is turned off, you may need to press the Esc key
to automatically zoom in to the selected points after
you import the files.

• Scale compensation for new layers: When a layer is

scaled up (or down), its lines get thicker (or thinner)
to match. If you don’t want this behavior, turn off this
option. You can also control this on a per-layer basis in
the Layer Settings dialog. This option controls it for any
new layers you create.

• Enable note layer scaling: Allows note layers to scale

along with other selected content.

• Default Fill: Choose the default fill color that appears in

Timeline Tab
the Style window.
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• Consolidate timeline channels: Instead of showing Tools Tab

separate channels (point animation, bone animation,
layer translation, layer rotation, etc.), this option groups
all channels into one in the timeline palette. This is on
by default in Debut, and off in Pro.

• Highlight frame 0: If on, a red box is drawn on the

canvas if the current time is set to 0. This can be helpful
to remind you when you’re working on frame 0 (the
setup frame) vs. some other frame.

• Use SMPTE timecode: Shows time in the timeline using

SMPTE timecode instead of frame numbers. SMPTE
timecode looks like this: 00:02:34:07 That would be 0
hours, 2 minutes, 34 seconds, and 7 frames.

• Show angles in degrees in timeline: Angle values

(like layer rotation or bone rotation) are shown in
radians in the timeline’s Motion Graph. This is because
angle values in radians are smaller numerically and
fit in better with other values in the graph. But if the
Tools Tab
user chooses to, they can display these curves using
degrees with this option.
• Status bar at top of window: Shows the status bar at the
top of the window, rather than the bottom. The status
bar is where tools show their descriptions, like what
modifiers keys do what, etc.

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• Zoom with drag box: When this option is on, allows you the Escape key will be used to deselect all objects, and
to draw a box around the area that you want to zoom the Spacebar will always be used to toggle playback.
into, rather than using a continuous zoom. For a more detailed list, see “Classic vs New Shortcut
Bindings” on page 490.
• Enable drawing tools only on frame 0: Creation tools
(Add Point, Freehand, Draw Shape, Add Bone) are • Allow custom tool cursors: Turning on this option will
only available on frame 0 if this option is on. Otherwise, just use the standard system arrow cursor, regardless of
they can be used at any time. what tool is active on the canvas.

In Anime Studio, there are certain tasks that • Enable audio feedback: When welding points, you
can only be performed on Frame 0, many of hear a “clicking” sound in Anime Studio. Turning this
which pertain to rigging. Beginning with Anime option off will disable the click
Studio 10, when you move to Frame 0 in your
project, each layer will go to its own “Frame 0,”
regardless of where it starts in the project timeline. If
Tool Layout Tab
a layer starts before Frame 0, you will now be able to
The Tool Layout tab allows you to arrange the tools in the
make edits to that layer without moving it back into
Anime Studio tool palettes to your liking. In order to make
the project timeline.
changes to the default configuration, you must enable
the Automatically update tools list when defaults change
• Classic point editing keyboard shortcuts: Added a option located at the bottom of the Tool Layout tab. After
preference to switch the shortcuts for point binding enabling the option, the other options in the tab will be
and deselection. When this option is checked, the enabled.
spacebar is used for welding and creating shapes, and
Enter is used to deselect all objects. The spacebar is
also used in some cases to toggle playback. When this
option is not checked, new shortcuts will be used. The
Enter key will be used for welding and creating shapes,

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Groups contain tools that are relevant to the

current context, and appear on the Tool
palette in the order that they appear in your tool
preferences.

• Rename: Click this button to rename the selected item

to the new name entered in the text field.

• Add Spacer: Click this button to add a spacer in the

tool list. This creates a blank square where a tool would
normally appear in the list.

• Add Color: A color marker sets the background color

behind the tools and groups that follow the color
marker. The color will continue until another color
marker is encountered in the list.

• Remove: Click this button to remove the selected item

from the list.
Tool Layout Tab
• Move Up: Moves the selected item up in the tool list.

• Installed Tools: Click this button to add installed tools to The first item in the list must always be a
the list. group.

• Add Group: Click this button to add tool groups to the

list. • Move Down: Moves the selected item down in the tool
list.

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If you move a group, all of the tools in that

tool group move with the group item.

• Restore Factory Defaults: Click this button to reload the

factory default tool configuration. You will be asked to
confirm before the factory defaults are restored.

• Automatically update tools list when defaults change:

When this option is checked, Anime Studio will
automatically integrate tool changes when your
settings get out of date. Uncheck the option to update
the _tool_list.txt file manually. The tool settings will be
updated to add missing default groups and any tools
that are missing from their default groups. Obsoleted
default tools will be removed from the list. Anime Studio
will not use an outdated custom_tool_list.txt file.

Editor Colors
Editor Colors
Allows you to change the color scheme for the editor
window, including various options for background and
object colors. Press the Reset button to return to default
application colors. The Default Stroke Width option allows
you to specify the default Stroke Width setting that appears
in the Style window.

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• Click the Color Theme button at the top of the GUI

Colors tab to choose from one of several different
color schemes. You can then modify the color scheme
further if desired.

• Press the Reset button to set the color scheme back to

the default settings.

• Check the Use Large Fonts option to increase the size

of the fonts used in the application.

Editor Colors

GUI Colors
Allows you to change the color scheme for the application,
including various options for background, text, and widget
colors. A preview of your changes appears in the Sample
Widget area as changes are made.

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By default, the Anime Studio resource images are stored

within the application folder. For example, for Anime Studio
Pro, they are located in the following Windows folders:

• C:\Program Files\Smith Micro\Anime Studio Pro 11\

Resources

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Smith Micro\Anime Studio Pro

11\Resources

GUI Colors

Using Custom Resource Images Application Resource folders

The Custom Content folder now includes a subfolder If you want to use custom resource images, we
named Shared Resources, where you can store your own recommend that you do not replace the images that are
custom resource images. located in the application folders. Instead, create your

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custom resource images, using the same filenames, formats

(GIF, PNG, JPG, PSD, etc.) and dimensions as the originals
in the application resource folders. Then place your
custom images in the Shared Resources folder, located in
your Custom Content folder, using similarly-named folder
hierarchies. If the original application resource resides in
a subfolder (such as ContentLibrary, Support, etc) in the
application folder(s), you will need to create identically-
named subfolders in your Custom Content folder and
place the appropriate custom images there.

Create similarly-named subfolders in the Shared Resources

folder in your Custom Content folder to store custom resource
images

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Application image resource formats and

dimensions may change over time. If the
resource images in the application change in format
or dimensions, you will need to update your custom
images to remain compatible.

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Chapter 20: Draw

Menu

Draw Menu

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Insert Text... You can use the Randomize button to randomize the
transitions between minimum and maximum percentages.
Choose Draw > Insert Text or use the keyboard shortcut
Command/Ctrl T to open the Insert Text dialog, which is
described in “Inserting Text and Word Balloons” on page
152.

Snap to Grid
If the grid is turned on in the working area, then this
command can be used to snap all selected points to the
nearest grid intersection.

Random Line Width dialog.

Reset Line Width
Using the Line Width tool, you can adjust the width of a line
at any point. Choosing this menu command will reset your Peak
custom line widths at any selected points.
This command creates a peaked (or hard) transition
between the curves at the point that you click.
Random Line Width
Use this command to randomize the width of the line(s) Smooth
through the currently selected points. You will be asked
to specify the minimum and maximum width, and Anime This command smooths the transitions between the curves
Studio will assign random line widths within that range. at the point that you click.

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Raise Shape Press the Down arrow key on your keyboard

to move the selected shape(s) one level
Select this menu item to raise a shape in the stacking toward the back.
order. This will move it in front of the next higher shape. The
stacking order only applies to shapes within the same layer
- all shapes in a layer will appear above any lower layers
Raise to Front
and behind any upper ones, regardless of stacking order.
Note that if there is no shape overlapping the selected Works like Raise Shape, but raises the shape above all
one, you may not see any change when this item is others in its layer.
selected, even though the shape gets moved higher.
Shift Up arrow will move the selected shape(s)
Press the Up arrow key on your keyboard to to the top.
move the selected shape(s) one level toward
the top.

Lower to Back
Anime Studio 11 allows you to animate shape
ordering on the timeline. Double-click the Works like Lower Shape, but lowers the shape below all
layer that contains the shapes you want to animate, others in its layer.
and then enable the Animated Shape Order option
in the Vectors tab of the Layer Settings dialog. See Shift Down arrow will move the selected
“Vectors Tab” on page 220 for more information. shape(s) to the bottom.

Lower Shape Trace Image

Select this menu item to lower a shape in the stacking Anime Studio has always allowed you to import black
order. and white or color bitmap images and work with them.
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However, they are not as flexible as vector objects for

several reasons. You can’t zoom in an infinite amount, you
can’t bend them quite as much, and you can’t edit them.
Anime Studio includes Automatic Image Tracing, which
allows you to convert a black and white or color bitmap
image to a vector object.
For this feature to work its best, you should choose drawing
that have bold lines, such as those created with a felt pen.
Pencil sketches will be more difficult to trace.
After you import your drawing into an Image layer, you
can use the Draw > Trace Image command to display the
Trace Image dialog. The Trace Image dialog contains the
following settings.

Trace Image dialog.

• Conversion type selection: Choose one of the following

radio buttons, based on the type of image you are
importing:

ƒƒ Black and white: Check this option if your source

image is black and white, or if you want to create
a black and white vector image.

ƒƒ Color: Check this option if your source image is

color and you want to create a vector image that
is also color.

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ƒƒ Photo Edges: Check this option if your source

image is a line drawing and you only want to
convert it to strokes; or if you want Anime Studio to
only draw strokes where one color meets another
color.

Tracing Black and White

You can convert either a color or a black and white image
to a black and white vector layer. When you choose a
Black and White conversion, the following settings are
available:

• Threshold: Adjusting the Threshold value can help

remove unwanted gray from the black and white Low threshold (left); high threshold (right).
conversion. Move the slider toward the left to allow less
gray, or toward the right to allow more gray.
• Detail reduction: Move the slider toward the left to add
more detail to the vector layer. This will increase the
number of points in the object and make it harder to
edit, but it will look more like the original image.

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Default lines (left); thickened lines (right)

Maximum detail (left); reduced detail (right).

• Fatten Lines: When Black and White is selected as an

image type, this option controls the width of the lines in
the black and white drawing. Move the slider toward
the left to decrease the width, and toward the right to
increase the width.

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The Automatic Image Tracing feature

remembers your last settings. If you are not
quite happy with the results that you get, you can
return to the Trace Image dialog and tweak your
settings.

Tracing Color
When you choose a Color conversion, the following settings
are available:

• Number of Colors: Move the slider toward the left to

reduce the number of colors in the traced result. Move
the slider toward the right to increase the number of
colors. As you move the slider, the number of colors
that will appear in the traced result will display above
the slider.

A close-up of the traced result

After you click OK, Anime Studio traces the image and
adds a new vector layer to the Layers palette. The image
layer that contains the original bitmap image is turned off.

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4 colors (left); 5 colors (right). Maximum detail (left); reduced detail (right).

• Detail reduction: Move the slider toward the left to add • Outlines: When converting to a Color vector layer, you
more detail to the vector layer. This will increase the can check this option to also convert outlines in the
number of points in the object and make it harder to drawing, or uncheck the option to omit the outlines.
edit, but it will look more like the original image.

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• Threshold: Move the slider toward the left to accept

less outline, or toward the right to accept more outline.

Hide Selected Points

Sometimes when projects are complex and you have a lot
of points and bones, you only want to work on one object
or reshape it. When scenes are complex you sometimes
select points in the group.
Select the object you want to work on, then choose Edit
> Select Inverse to select all the points you want to hide.
Then choose Draw > Hide Points to hide the selected
points. The shapes are still there, but the points are hidden
and you can’t accidentally select them.
A close-up of the traced result

After you click OK, Anime Studio traces the image and Show All Points
adds a new vector layer to the Layers palette. The image
layer that contains the original bitmap image is turned off. Choose Draw > Show All Points to unhide the points that
were previously hidden with the Hide Selected Points
command.
Tracing Photo Edges
To create a vector image that only contains the outlines in Hide Shape
your original bitmap, check the Photo Edges option at the
top of the Trace Image dialog. You are presented with the Hides the currently selected shape
following settings:

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Show All Shapes Reset All Points

Shows all shapes that have previously been hidden. Same as above, but moves all points in the layer back to
their original positions, not just the selected ones.

Freeze Points
After selecting points, choose this command to freeze all
points so that they cannot be edited.

Freeze Selected Points

Adds a keyframe at the current time for all selected points.

Freeze Visible Points

Adds a keyframe at the current frame for all points that are
currently visible.

Reset Points
Moves the selected points back to their original positions,
adding a new keyframe for them at the current time.

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Chapter 21: Bone

Menu

Bone Menu

Bone Menu

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Release Points influenced by all the bones in the parent bone layer,
depending on the strength and region of influence of each
This command detaches the selected points from any bone. This results in more of a “squishy” type of motion
bones they may be bound to. when the skeleton is animated.

Flexi-Bind Points Release Layer And Points

This command binds the selected points to bones in such a Detaches selected points and layer from any bones that
way that they will influenced by all the bones in the parent they are bound to.
bone layer, depending on the strength and region of
influence of each bone. This results in more of a “squishy”
type of motion when the skeleton is animated. This is the Use Selected Bones for Flexi-
default behavior for all drawings in Anime Studio, so you Binding
usually won’t have to use this menu command - the points
are probably already flexi-bound. Assigns the selected bones to the currently-selected layer
in the Layers palette. For more information, see “Tutorial 3.5:
Flexi-Binding” on page 143 in your Anime Studio Tutorial
Release Layer Manual.

This command detaches the current layer from any bone it

may be bound to. Create Smooth Joint for Bone Pair
This command works on a pair of selected bones (for
Flexi-Bind Layer example, bones for the upper and lower arms, or upper
and lower legs). The two bones also have to have a
This command binds the current layer to the bones in parent-child relationship, and start out in close to a straight
the parent layer in such a way that the child layer will line.

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For more information about using bone pairs

and smooth bending, see “Tutorial 3.6: New
Bone Features” on page 146 in your Anime Studio
Tutorial Manual.

Before applying Elbow binding, the joint collapses when it is

bent.

If you are using vector shapes, the collapsing can be

Two bones (a parent and its child) are arranged in a straight remedied, in part, by using Smart Bones (discussed in
line. “Smart Bones” on page 105). However, Smart Bones
only work on vector shapes. Elbow binding, on the other
Applying this command on a pair of selected bones helps hand, works with either vector shapes (, or with scanned or
prevent a bend from collapsing when the child bone imported images.
is bent. It is ideal for use with elbow or knee bends in a To use this command, go to the Layers palette and select
character. the layer that is controlled by the two bones. Then use the
Select Bones tool to select two bones (the upper and lower
arm bones in the case of this example). Next, select the

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layer that is controlled by the bone, and choose Bone >

Create Smooth Joint for Bone Pair.
After you apply the command, you will notice an
improvement in the elbow joint when you rotate the lower
arm bone. There is a nice smooth bend around the joint,
and it pinches together on the inside.

You can offset the bone from the artwork to amplify the bend
effect.

Use All Bones for Flexi-Binding

Reassigns the selected layer in the Layers palette so that it
After you apply Elbow binding, the joint bends more smoothly. is controlled by all bones in the bone group, rather than by
selected bones that were previously assigned with the Use
If you offset the bone and place it to the side of the object, Selected Bones for Flexi-Binding command.
the bend will be amplified. This is an easy way to create
cartoon characters with rubbery arms.

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Hide Selected Bones Show All Bones

Select the bone or bones that you want to hide, and Use the Bone > Show All Bones command to redisplay
choose Bone > Hide Selected Bones. The bones and their bones that have previously been hidden with the Hide
associated keyframes will be hidden. Selected Bones command.

Hide/Show Shy Bones Track Bone to Video

The Select Bones tool provides an option to identify a Allows you to link a bone to the tracking points that you
bone as a “shy bone.” Shy bones can be displayed or defined with the Video Tracking tool. For a description of
hidden as needed to reduce workspace clutter. Toggle how to use this tool, see “Video Tracking” on page 165.
this command on or off to show or hide all bones marked
as “shy.” For more information, see “Select Bone” on page
85. Make Smart Bone Dial
The Create Smart Bone Dial command is an easier and
Hide Controlled Bones more convenient way to set up smart bones. Smart bone
creation involves several steps. You create a bone, give
Hides any bones that are set up to have their angle or it a name, and set up actions and restraints for it. This
position controlled by another bone. These types of bones command simplifies the process.
are often not animated by the user (their animation is
When you want to use the Create Smart Bone dial to set up
“automatic” through the control feature), and hiding them
your smart bones, the process is as follows:
can clear up some of the clutter in the workspace. This
function is not available when the time is set to frame 0. 1. Create the bone that you want to use as your smart
bone control dial.

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example, you can enter a value of -90 to create

an expression that looks less angry, or happy).

ƒƒ Maximum Angle: Enter the value that represents

the maximum setting of the bone. For example,
you can enter a value of 90 to represent the
maximum strength of the Angry expression.

ƒƒ Duration (Frames): Enter the number of frames over

which you want the smart bone to travel from its
minimum to maximum values. A higher number of
frames creates a smoother range of motion.

ƒƒ Separate actions for positive and negative angles:

Create your control bone. When this option is checked, Anime Studio creates
a smart bone dial that works in both positive and
2. Choose Bone > Make Smart Bone Dial. negative angles. The neutral position will be “zero.”
Uncheck this option to create a smart bone dial
3. The Create Smart Dial dialog appears, with the that works only in positive angles.
following settings:

ƒƒ Name: Assign a name that is descriptive of what

the dial controls. For example, if you are creating a
dial that gives your character an angry expression,
name the bone Angry.

ƒƒ Minimum Angle: Enter the value that represents

the minimum setting of the bone. You can use
negative values to create the opposite state (for

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Enter your settings in the Create Smart Dial dialog.

4. Click OK. A bone appears on the screen, labeled The control dial and the associated action appear in the
with the name that you assigned in the Create Smart window.
Dial dialog. The Actions window opens to display the
associated action. The rest of the process is similar to that described in “Smart
Bones” on page 105. Scrub the timeline to the minimum
setting and change the scene to the way you want it to
appear when the bone is at its minimum value. Then scrub
the timeline to the maximum setting (90) and change the
scene to the way you want it to appear when the bone is
at its maximum value.

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right foot to move up from frame 24 through 36, and not

from frame 0 through 36.
To accomplish this, you choose the Bone > Freeze Pose
command at Frame 24. This sets a keyframe for every
part in your animated character or object so that you are
assured that the pose you want to use is correct for that
portion of your animation. Then you set the keyframe that
moves the right foot up at frame 36, and down again at
frame 48.

Modify the scene for the minimum and maximum dial settings.

Freeze Pose
Keyframing can be tricky sometimes for new users of
Freezing a pose
Anime Studio, or for those who are new to animation. For
example, let’s say you move a left foot up on frame 12,
and then down again at frame 24. At frame 36, you want
the right foot to move up, and then down again at frame Freeze Selected Bones
48.
Sets a keyframe for all currently selected bones.
The problem is, the right foot will start to move up at frame
0, and then be fully up at frame 36. In reality, you want the

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Freeze Visible Bones

Sets a keyframe for all bones that are currently visible in the
project.

Reset Bone
Moves the selected bone back to its original position,
adding a new keyframe for it at the current time.

Reset All Bones

Same as above, but moves all bones in the layer back to
their original positions, not just the selected one.

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Chapter 22: Animation

Menu

Animation Menu

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Allow Frame Skipping For more information about bone dynamics, refer to
“Tutorial 3.3: Bone Dynamics” on page 126 in your Anime
Normally when playing back an animation, Anime Studio Studio Tutorial Manual.
will display each frame one at a time. Depending on the
complexity of your animation, the display quality settings,
and the speed of your computer, the animation may play Reset All Layer Channels
back slower than its specified speed. Select this command
Resets all channels in the current layer to their initial values,
to force the animation to play back at actual speed.
adding a new keyframe at the current time.
In order to accomplish this, Anime Studio may have to
skip some frames to keep up to speed, so the animation
will play back at the correct overall speed, but may not Consolidate Layer Channels
appear as smooth. The best way to see the animation
at final speed and quality is of course to use the Export This command corresponds to the Consolidate timeline
Animation command in the File menu. channels preference (see “General Tab” on page 407).
Choose this command to consolidate timeline layers into a
single track in the timeline.
Enable Bone Dynamics
Use the Animation > Enable Bone Dynamics command to
preview bone dynamics on the canvas. Playback of bone
dynamics is much more accurate in Anime Studio 10.1 and
later, but it can also cause animations to run slower as the
more accurate dynamics are calculated.
When this option is unchecked, animation playback is
faster, but will not preview the automatic bone dynamics
animation. The dynamics will still appear in final renderings.

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Select All Keyframes

Selects all the keyframes in the current layer. This is useful if
you want to move all the animation in a layer forward or
backward.

Rescale Keyframes...
With this command you can rescale a group of keyframes
so that a portion of your animation takes more or less time.

Timeline layer channels can be unconsolidated (top) or

consolidated (bottom).

Set Layer Start Time

Offsets the start of an animation within a layer to the
current selected frame.

Align Layer with Camera

Allows you to rotate the selected layer to face the camera.

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• End Frame: Enter the existing frame number at which to

end the scaling.

• New Start Frame: Enter the new target frame number

for the start of the scaling.

• New End Frame: Enter the new target frame for the
end of the scaling.

• Rescale the following channels: Check or uncheck the

channels that you want to include or exclude from the
scaling operation. The icons representing the various
animation channels are described in the Timeline
Window section.
Examples:

• To reduce the amount of time the animation takes (in

other words, to speed it up), you could set the start
frame (and new start frame) to 30, the end frame to
The Rescale Keyframes dialog. 60, and the new end frame to 45. (45 - 30 = 15, which is
half as long as 60 - 30 = 30)

Options included in this dialog are: • You can shift a section of your animation by changing
the start time. For example, to shift the range of
• Rescale entire document: Check this option to rescale
keyframes between 30 and 60, you could set the start
all frames in the document.
frame to 30, the end frame to 60, the new start frame
• Start Frame: Enter the existing frame number at which to 90, and the new end frame to 120. The duration will
to start scaling. be the same (120 - 90 = 60 - 30), but the animation will

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take place between frames 90 and 120, instead of 30

and You can rescale a portion of the entire document
by clicking the “Rescale entire document” checkbox.

• To rescale the current layer, select the animation

channels that you want to be affected. For example,
you may want to rescale the bone animation, but
leave the layer rotation alone.

Copy Current Frame...

With this command you can copy values from the current
frame in the timeline to any other frame in your animation.
For example, if you position some objects in a way that
you really like at frame 243, you can use this command to
copy that position back to frame 0, to make it the starting
position as well.

The Copy Current Frame dialog.

Add Keyframe
This command adds a keyframe for all channels in your
project, at the currently selected frame.

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Clear Animation • From Document After Current Frame: Clears keyframes

from the entire document, beginning with the frame
Several commands allow you to clear keyframes from a after the currently selected frame and including all
single layer, or from all the layers in your project. Use the keyframes to the end.
Animation > Clear Animation commands as follows:
• From Document Before Current Frame: Clears
• From Layer: Clears all animation keyframes from the keyframes from the entire document, beginning with
current layer. A warning appears to notify you that the frame before the currently selected frame and
animation will also be deleted from sublayers and including all keyframes to the beginning.
asks if you want to continue. Choose Yes to clear the
• From Document At Current Frame: Clears the
sublayers, No to keep keyframes in the sublayers, or
keyframes in the entire document, only at the current
Cancel to exit the dialog without making changes.
frame.
• From Layer After Current Frame: Clears keyframes from
the currently selected layer, beginning with the frame
after the currently selected frame and including all Track Layer to Video
keyframes to the end.
This command allows you to link a layer to tracking points
• From Layer Before Current Frame: Clears keyframes that have been set up with the video tracking tool. For
from the currently selected layer, beginning with a complete description of the process, refer to “Video
the frame before the currently selected frame and Tracking” on page 165.
including all keyframes to the beginning.

• From Layer At Current Frame: Clears the keyframes on Nudge Physics Object
the currently selected layer, only at the current frame.
A nudge is an instantaneous force that affects a physics
• From Document: Clears all animation keyframes from object in small or large amounts, depending on the setting
the entire document. in the Physics Nudge dialog. It can be a large force, but
after the nudge keyframe, the object will start falling, or
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bouncing, or whatever the situation requires. It won’t keep

going in the nudge direction forever.
Restart Audio Track
Starts the audio track in the selected track over again from
the beginning. This allows you to add repeats in the audio
track.

Audio Level
Opens a dialog that allows you to enter a numerical value
for the audio level.
The Physics Nudge dialog.

For example, assume that when you play your animation Restart Movie
back you see a red ball roll down and bounce to a stop
against a block. You can position the timeline shortly after Starts the video in the selected track over again from the
it stops, and then apply a large nudge (such as 10) that beginning, allowing you to add repeats in the video track.
causes the ball to fly off again to the left. Smaller nudge
values cause objects to wobble.

Mute Audio
Mutes the soundtrack when playing back your project
in Anime Studio, but the soundtrack is still a part of the
project. Just un-mute it to hear it again.

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Chapter 23: Scripts for a variety of different tasks, and you can also download
more scripts written by other Anime Studio users. These

Menu scripts are all written in the Lua programming language - if

you’re interested in creating your own scripts, feel free to
examine the scripts in the scripts/menu sub-folder in the
Anime Studio program folder.
The scripts in this menu are divided into several sub-menus,
according to their function:

3D
The scripts in this menu are used to create or manipulate
3D models.

Auto-Scale
When you import a 3D OBJ file into your scene, it may
be way out of scale with the Anime Studio scene. For
example, a building may be so large that the Anime Studio
camera is inside it, or off to one side, and you don’t really
see anything on import. This script centers the object and
scales it to an appropriate size for the default Anime Studio
Scripts Menu
camera.

The Scripts menu contains commands that are provided by

script files or plug-ins. Anime Studio includes several scripts

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Cube Torus
Creates a new 3D layer that contains a simple cube. The Creates a new 3D layer that contains a simple torus
color of the cube is determined by the current fill and line (donut). The color of the torus is determined by the current
colors. fill and line colors.

Rotate X Camera
Rotates the current 3D layer 90 degrees around the X These scripts are used to move the camera around and to
axis. This can be useful when importing a 3D model if the create camera-related effects.
model’s “up” direction is not the same as Anime Studio’s -
just use this command (and the other rotate commands) to
align the model properly. Handheld Camera
Adds noisy interpolation to the camera animation channels
Rotate Y to simulate a handheld camera.

Rotates the current 3D layer 90 degrees around the Y axis.

Orbit Camera...
Rotate Z Adds animation to the camera to cause it to rotate around
the current scene. You can specify how long this should
Rotates the current 3D layer 90 degrees around the Z axis. take, how far out the camera should be, and the direction
of rotation.

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Draw Gear
These scripts can be used to create vector objects in Automatically generates gear shapes. You can specify the
Anime Studio. number of cogs and the inner radius. You can also create
tapered or non-tapered cogs, and choose an option to
create the gear in a new layer.
Animated Strokes
Animates the existing stroke around an object, along a Polygon...
specified number of frames.
Draws a polygon shape in either the current vector layer, or
a new layer. Uses the current fill and line colors to color the
Apply Sketchy Effect polygon.

Applies a sketchy effect to the outline of the shape.

Random Point Colors
Auto Weld Assigns random points colors to all vector objects.

Finds vector points that are near each other and welds
them together. Only operates on selected points. This can Remove Bad Fills
be useful if you have accidental gaps in a drawing, or
sometimes when working with imported Adobe Illustrator This script fixes “leaky” fill shapes.
files.

Simplify Curve
Erase All Vectors in Group
Reduces the number of points in a curve by removing
Erases the contents of all vector layers in a selected group. points which are calculated to be “unnecessary” to

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maintain the shape of the object. This makes it easier to

edit your shapes later.
Image
These scripts can be used to process image layers.

Split Curve
Fisheye
Automatically inserts points into selected curve segments,
allowing you to modify existing shapes. Turns a fisheye image into a curved, wide-angle surface
that can be panned around with the camera tools.

Star...
Import Image Sequence...
Draws a star shape in either the current vector layer, or a
new layer. Uses the current fill and line colors to color the Imports a numbered sequence of images. Each image is
star. imported as its own layer, and the entire group is enclosed
in a switch group. The image files should be named using a
numerical sequence. For example, “file0001.jpg”, “file0002.
Toggle Legacy Curves
jpg”, “file0003.jpg”, etc.
Turns on old style curves, which are less smooth than the
new curve style. However, this is beneficial for use with files
Spherical Panorama
created in older versions of Anime Studio.
Converts a spherical panorama image into a 3D sphere
that can be viewed from any angle with the camera tools.
Zig Zag
Creates zig-zagged shading between two selected curves.
You can control the number of spikes, curviness, and
Layer Effects
randomness.
These scripts can be used to generate special layer effects.

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Layer Trail... and to name layers according to group names or shape

names. This script is very useful when working with physics.
Creates an animated trail effect that follows the origin
point of the current layer.
Particle Effects
Magic Lines These scripts can be used to create particle effects like
smoke, fire, or rain. Many of these effects can be time-
Allows you to create a number of curves and apply this consuming to render, so be aware of that if you plan to use
script to create an effect. For example, you can use the several of them in a single animation. Also, even though
Freehand tool to draw several curves that represent smoke they can be exported to Flash, these effects can be too
or swirly magic lines, and then run the script to create a complex for the Flash player to play at full speed. Plus,
smoky or magical effect. without the blur effects these scripts use, they won’t look
very good in Flash. These effects are really useful only if you
plan to export to a movie or still image format, not Flash.
Perspective Shadow...
Automatically creates a pseudo-3D shadow effect for the
Energy Cloud...
current layer.
Creates a blobby glowing cloud effect.
RT: Break Apart Shapes
Explosion...
Offers a number of different options in how you can break
apart the shapes on a layer. You can put each shape in Creates an explosion effect. The explosion starts at the
its own layer and group them together or put all shapes current frame, and will fade to a smoke cloud over time.
in one layer creating separate geometry for each shape.
Additional options allow you to select filled shapes only,

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Rain Alert Test

Inserts a falling rain effect. Demonstrates how a script can use an alert box to provide
some information to the user.

Smoke...
Automation Test
Inserts a plume or cloud of smoke.
Shows how you can write a script that will open or save
a document, create a new document, and render a
Snow document. The script opens all documents in a given
directory and renders a frame for each one.
Creates a falling snow effect.

Sparkles... Error Test

This script intentionally creates a runtime error. The purpose
Inserts a cluster of spiraling sparkles. This effect is very
is to show how the Lua Console appears to display the
effective if you bind it to another moving object - for
error. When you write your own scripts, the console window
example, the end of a magic wand.
will be very helpful when tracking down errors.

Script Writing List Channels

This menu contain utility scripts that can be used as
Shows how a script can iterate through all of the animation
examples for writing your own scripts. If you don’t plan
channels in a layer. You can access every animateable
to write your own scripts, you can completely ignore this
parameter in the layer.
menu.

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Load Data File... The _tool_list.txt factory default file now begins with a
line that is similar to this:
This script is a demonstration of how a Lua script can read
data from an external file. It doesn’t do anything useful
/* anime_version 9010000 (9.1.0
itself, but it could be used as a starting point if you wanted
rev 0) */
to write a script to import some kind of custom data.

If you have a _tool_list.txt file in the user scripts/tools

Print Anime Studio API location that begins with this line, and the version
number is the same or higher than the factory
Prints out all functions, constants, and global variables that
default version, your user _tool_list.txt will be used
Anime Studio provides through its scripting interface. This
instead of the factory file.
is not meant to be the documentation for Anime Studio’s
scripting interface, but some script writers may find it useful.
The Resources > Support > Extra Files folder in your If the version is missing or lesser than the factory
Anime Studio Pro installation folder contains Lua scripting default, the factory default will be used and a copy
documentation that you might find useful. of the factory default will be saved to the user folder
with the name _reference_tool_list.txt.
Anime Studio merges user scripts and factory
scripts internally at runtime. If you name a user
The _reference_tool_list.txt file is not for
script in the same corresponding folder (tools, utility,
editing. It is a reference to use when updating
etc) with the same name as a factory script in the
your custom _tool_list.txt for the current version. This
corresponding location, the user script will be
allows new tools and other changes to be
preferred over the factory script. User scripts that do
accounted for when you make your customizations.
not replace factory scripts are loaded after factory
When the factory defaults version changes, a new
scripts, as previously supported, unless a different
copy of this file will be saved for you to reference.
order is specified in the active _tool_list.txt file for tool
scripts.
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Print Globals Layer Audio Wiggle...

Prints out all global variables currently defined in Lua. Use this script to make a layer move in sync with a sound.

Print Test Text

A simple example that shows how you can print output Allows you to add credits or spinning text to your projects.
in a Lua script. The printed output will appear in the Lua
Console window. Printing data in the console window is
not generally useful when your script is delivered to regular Credits
Anime Studio users, but can be very helpful when writing a
Allows you to select a text file that contains your credits.
script to track down bugs.
You can specify font, duration for each screen, delay
between screens, and number of frames for fade.
Sound
The scripts in this menu use sound to control some part of
Number Sequence
an animation.
Adds a sequence of numbers based on the number of
frames in your animation.
Bone Audio Wiggle...
This script uses the volume of a sound file that you select to
Spinning Text
animate the angle of the currently selected bone. Use this
Creates 2D or 3D spining text. Several settings provide
script to make a character or object move in sync with a
control over length, rotation, translation, opacity, and
sound.
scale. Some presets are provided.

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Tiling Unroll Shapes

These two scripts allow you to create a repeating texture If you have a vector layer that contains several shapes,
pattern to fill the workspace. These tiled surfaces can be you can run this script to “unroll” or expand the shapes
animated. out from nothing in a cascade. Unroll Shapes can also be
used in combination with Elastic or Bounce interpolation for
interesting effects.
Visibility
These scripts affect the visibility of a layer - for example, Wavy Fade...
causing it to fade in and out.
This script combines the Fade effect above with the Wavy
effect below. It can only be used with vector layers.
Collapse Layers
Allows you to animate the collapsing or uncollapsing of Warp
layers contained in a group layer.
This set of scripts is used to distort the contents of a vector
layer, applying various animated warping effects.
Fade...
Causes the current layer to fade in or out over a specified Black Hole...
number of frames. If you want a layer to appear or
disappear suddenly, it is better to change the value of Causes the selected points in a vector layer to swirl around
the layer’s visibility channel. However, this script should be in an inward spiral motion towards the origin point of the
used when you want a layer to appear or disappear more layer.
gradually.

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Wavy... The items in the folder should reflect the

location in the scripts folder (found in your
Causes the selected points in a vector layer to move in a user content folder). Script writers should adapt their
wavy or underwater style. script distribution to this hierarchy so that the script
will install through this feature.

Other Popular Scripts

If you replace an existing item with the Install
Opens your web browser to www. animestudioscripts.com, Script command, the existing items will be
where you can download popular scripts written by other moved to a scripts subfolder named Uninstalled
members of the Anime Studio user community. Items x-x-x where x is the date. If you perform
multiple installations that replace existing items on
the same day, each of the uninstalled items folders
Scripting Documentation generated after the first will also have a number
appended to the folder name, starting at 1 and
Opens your web browser to www.animestudioscripting. incrementing per folder.
com, where you can view the latest scripting
documentation.

Install Script
The Install Script command can be used to automatically
install user scripts. The script folder must be laid out with the
following hierarchy in order to install:
My Script Folder
menu
tool
ScriptResources
utility

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Chapter 24: View

Menu

View Menu

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Reset Zoom Out

Resets the view of the working area to the starting pan and Use the View > Zoom Out command, or the keyboard
zoom values. Use this command when you want to jump shortcut Command/Ctrl - (minus sign) to zoom out farther
back to the original view of the project. from the elements in your scene.

Zoom In Direction
Use the View > Zoom In command, or the keyboard This sub-menu lets you select a direction to view your scene
shortcut Command/Ctrl = (equal sign) to zoom in closer to from. The default view is through the camera - however,
the elements in your scene. sometimes when you’re working on a scene with a 3D
layout, you may want to view the scene from a different
point of view. Options are Camera, Front, Top, Right, Back,
Zoom to Layer Bottom, and Left.

Zooms the workspace view to fit all contents of the current

layer. The existing Shift+Home shortcut will continue to work Enable Grid
independently of this menu item.
Toggles display of the grid on and off. A checkmark
appears beside the command when the grid is displayed.
Zoom to Selection
Zooms the workspace view to fit selected items. The existing Grid Settings
Alt+Home shortcut will continue to work independently of
this menu item. Displays the Grid Settings dialog, which allows you to set
the number of pixels between each grid space. Default is
20 pixels.

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Enable Grid Snapping Show Rule Of Thirds

When the grid is turned on, control points will snap to the This command will toggle a change in the display to show
nearest grid intersection as you draw them and move the output area split into thirds.
them around. Check this menu command to enable grid
snapping. When unchecked, you can use the grid as a
visual guide, without it interfering in your drawing. Show Output Only
This command will hide all artwork that lies outside the final
Show 3D Axes output rectangle. This makes it easy to visualize the final
staging for your shot. Of course, it’s hard to edit what you
Toggles the display of the 3D Axes on and off in the can’t see, so be sure to turn this option off when you need
document window. to edit an object that lies outside the visible area of the
project.

Video Safe Zones Open documents also appear as a list at the bottom of the
View menu. Select a document in the list at it will appear in
This command turns on the display of NTSC “safe zones”. the view port area.
When creating output for video, it is important to keep The following shortcuts allow you to cycle through open
important action and titles within the safe zones, because documents:
most televisions cut off some portion of the outside of the
picture. (The inner rectangle is the safe zone for titles, and • To switch to the next open document, press Ctrl Tab
the outer one for important action.) (Windows) or Alt Tab (Mac).

• To switch to the previous open document, press Ctrl

Shift Tab (Windows) or Alt Shift Tab (Mac).

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Show Play & View Controls

Toggles the display of the play controls and other toolbar
settings that appear above the timeline.

Show Timeline Options

Toggles the display of the timeline options toolbar (the area
Enable Onion Skins
between the Play and View controls and the timeline ruler).

Timeline Channels Select Tracing Image

Reintroduced the timeline channel dialog for giving users Use this command to select a tracing image to display in
control over which channels to show in the timeline. Anime Studio’s editing view. This image will not appear in
your final output - it’s just used as a tracing guide to help
you draw your artwork in Anime Studio.
Enable Onion Skins
Choose this command to toggle the visibility of onion skins.
Alternatively, you can click the Enable Onion Skins button
Show Tracing Image
in the timeline toolbar. Use this command to show or hide the tracing image that
you have added to the scene using the Select Tracing
Image command.

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Show Curves Selected & Active Switch Layer

Use this command to globally show or hide the curves in When this command is enabled, Anime Studio will display
your scene. both the active child as well as the selected layer in a
switch group.

Auto Hide Curves You can Alt-click the child of a switch layer in
the Layers palette to activate it.
When checked, Anime Studio will automatically hide
curves when you use drawing tools that do not affect
curves. This helps reduce onscreen clutter while you draw.
Uncheck this option if you prefer to display curves at all Design Mode
times.
Returns the project to Frame 0, where you can add new
layers, draw vector shapes, change bone rigging, and
Fade Unselected Layers so on. Anime Studio will remember the frame that you
were previously on before choosing the command. If you
This option allows you to easily identify the layers and choose the command again after adding the desired
objects that you are working on, without having to turn elements at Frame 0, you will return to the frame that was
other layers off. When this option is off, all layers in the current before you applied the command the first time.
current project will be displayed normally. When this option
is turned on, any layers or children of layers that are not
selected will be grayed out. Return to Mainline
If you have the Actions window closed, allows you to return
to the mainline faster.

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FBX Preview Mode • Vector layers will be exported as though they are
images.
The View > FBX Preview Mode command allows you to
• Remember that when designing a project for FBX
preview your Anime Studio project before you use the
output, everything is about flexi-binding. Other binding
File > FBX Export command to export to another 2D or 3D
methods will produce undesirable results in FBX format.
application that supports the FBX format (such as Unity or
Autodesk products).
• Characters that use features like point binding, point
It is important to note that the FBX file format does not bending, curvatures, and other similar features will not
support all of the features found in Anime Studio, such move in the same way when exported as an FBX file
as point animation, curvatures, point bindings, and other and imported into another application. You will need
similar features. Any features that are supported in Anime to modify the characters using some of the following
Studio but not supported in FBX format will not be exported. recommendations.

While working in FBX Preview mode, you can play back or • If a character uses point binding methods to link bones
scrub through your project to view the animation as it will to vector layers, use the Bone > Use Selected Bones for
appear in other applications that support FBX file format. Flexi-Binding command to remove the point binding.
You may notice that some parts are left behind when the Select only the bones that you want to use to animate
character animates, or that things are not bending and a selected body part, and then apply the command.
stretching as they should. This gives you the opportunity to Repeat this for any body part that uses point binding.
make modifications that will help improve performance in Make sure to preview again in FBX Preview Mode to
other applications. When you turn FBX Preview mode off see the result of the change.
after making changes (such as changing point binding to
flexi-binding), the project will play back using the original • Use the Bone Strength tool to verify bone strengths
methods, but the changes that you made while working in for each of the body parts to make sure they are not
FBX preview mode will be carried over. being under- or over-affected. Adjust bone strengths
The following general comments address Anime Studio as needed before exporting the project.
features that are not compatible with FBX format:

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462 Anime Studio Pro 11
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• Bone scaling and stretching is not supported in FBX

format.

Stereo
If Enable Stereo (Red/Blue)Rendering is enabled in the
Project Settings dialog (see “Project Settings...” on page
358), this command makes it easier to preview and
reposition your 3D objects for stereo rendering.

Show Document Tabs

Open documents appear as tabs in the main window.
You can show or hide the document tabs with the View >
Show Document Tabs command, or by using the shortcut
Command/Ctrl Shift J.

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463 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Chapter 25: Window Layers

Menu Shows/hides the Layers window. The Layers window
is shown by default when you start Anime Studio. See
“Chapter 11: Layers Window” on page 189.

Timeline
Shows/hides the Timeline window. The Timeline window
is shown by default when you start Anime Studio. See
“Chapter 16: The Timeline Window” on page 309.

Style
Shows/hides the Style window. The Style window is shown
by default when you start Anime Studio. See “Chapter 13:
Style Window” on page 238.
Window Menu

Docking
Tools Use the Window > Docking commands, or their equivalent
shortcuts, to dock or undock the Tools, Layer, Timeline, or
Shows/hides the Tools window. The Tools window is shown Style windows. When undocked, you can move them to
by default when you start Anime Studio. Tools are discussed another location or to a second monitor.
in the section beginning with “Anime Studio Tools” on
page 31.
Chapter 25: Window Menu
464 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

Actions scene. For more information, see “Chapter 8: Special

Tools” on page 160.
Shows/hides the Actions window. The Actions window
is hidden by default when you start Anime Studio. See
“Actions Window” on page 341. Blend Morphs
You can use the Window > Blend Morphs command
Library to blend poses (or morph targets) together to create a
combination pose or morph. This feature in Anime Studio is
Displays the Library window, which is discussed in “Chapter very easy to use.
14: The Library Window” on page 270.
Anime Studio Pro allows you to both create
and blend poses. See “Creating Morphs” on
Audio Recording page 346.

Displays the Audio Recording window, which is discussed in To blend your morphs, begin by moving to the frame at
“Audio Recording” on page 340. which you want the new morph to appear.
Next, choose the Window > Blend Morphs command. The
Character Wizard Blend Morphs dialog appears. The sliders in this dialog are
named the same as the morphs you created in the Actions
Displays the Character Wizard, described in “Chapter 15: window. Adjust the sliders until you get a combination of
The Character Wizard” on page 282. the morphs that you want to keep. Then click OK to set the
new combination.

Poser Parameters The Default slider is associated with the

default state of the object at Frame 0. To
Opens the Poser Parameters dialog, which allows you to blend the other morphs with this default state, check
rotate or scale Poser objects that are imported into your the Relative Blend option.
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465 Anime Studio Pro 11
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You can select which animation channels to copy to a

new frame, or you can copy everything in the document
by selecting the “Copy entire document” checkbox.
There doesn’t need to be a keyframe at the current
frame in order to copy the current value. This command
will copy the current value, whether it is a keyframe or an
interpolated in-between value.

An important note about bones: if you

position a skeleton system during your
animation, and try to copy that pose back to frame
0, the bones themselves will take on that pose at
frame 0, but anything bound to the bones (points in
vector layers, warped images, other sub-layers) will
not take on that pose. This is because frame 0 is a
setup frame - bones are set up at frame 0, but they
have no influence over other objects at frame 0. If
you’re trying to copy a pose back to frame 0 in
Use the Blend Morphs dialog to combine your morphs together order to set up an initial pose, consider copying it
in any combination of values. back to frame 1 instead - frame 1 is actually the
beginning of the animation, and the bones will
You can then advance to other frames in your timeline, influence other objects starting at frame 1.
and use the Blend Morphs command to create new
combinations throughout the timeline. As you scrub
through the timeline, you should then see morphs blend
from one to the other.

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466 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Layer Settings
Opens the Layer Settings dialog, discussed in “Chapter 12:
Layer Settings” on page 196.

Keyframe
Use the Window > Keyframe command to apply changes
to a selected group of keyframes. For more information
about the Keyframe dialog, see “Editing Keyframe
Settings” on page 328.

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467 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Chapter 26: Help Menu Help

Opens this document, the Anime Studio User’s Manual.

Tutorials
Opens the PDF version of the Anime Studio Tutorial Manual,
which is installed on your hard disk.

Online Tutorials
Opens a web browser with Anime Studio online tutorials.
Internet connection will be required.

Community Forums
Opens your web browser to the Lost Marble forum, where
you can communicate with your peers and ask for help
on any topic related to Anime Studio and animation. The
forum is extremely large with over ten thousand registered
members.

Help Menu

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468 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Technical Support Check For Updates

Opens your web browser to the Smith Micro website where Check to see if there are any updates for Anime Studio.
you can access FAQ’s, see answers to common issues, get Internet connection will be required.
help from a customer service representative etc.

Deactivate License
Online Video Gallery
Choose this command to deactivate the license before
Opens your browser to a page that displays some of the you uninstall Anime Studio, or if you want to activate the
animations that have been created with Anime Studio. This license on another computer.
is a great place to get inspired and see what others have
created with Anime Studio.
License Manager
Download Bonus Content Pack Opens your browser to a page where you can manage
your Anime Studio and other Smith Micro product
Navigates to the Bonus Content Pack page on Content activations.
Paradise. You will need a Content Paradise account and a
valid Anime Studio serial number to obtain the content.
Register Your Product
Buy Content Register your product to receive information on updates
and upgrades. Internet connection will be required.
Help speed up your animation workflow with ready to
use content. Buy content from Content Paradise. Internet
connection will be required. Welcome Screen
Opens the Welcome Screen.
Chapter 26: Help Menu
469 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Edit Keyboard Shortcuts categories: Menus, Tools, and Windows. Simply start typing
a command or action name to scroll it into view and select
The Help > Edit Keyboard Shortcuts command opens the it.
Keyboard Shortcuts dialog shown in the following figure. You cannot edit the default configuration. In order to
create your own shortcut configurations, you’ll need to
create a custom settings file.
The following options appear in the dialog:

• Current Settings: Displays the name of the shortcut

configuration that is currently in use.

• New: Allows you to assign a name to a new shortcut

configuration. Anime Studio will notify you if the
filename is too long. After you assign a name choose
OK. Your new custom file will appear in the Current
Settings list, and you can begin to assign your custom
shortcuts.

• Delete: Select a custom shortcut configuration from the

Current Settings list, and then click this button to delete
it. You cannot delete the Default configuration file.

• Restore Defaults: Restores all keyboard shortcuts to

the default values assigned with the Anime Studio
The Keyboard Shortcuts Editor.
installation.

By default, the shortcuts that are built-in to Anime Studio

are displayed in their default configuration, in three
Chapter 26: Help Menu
470 Anime Studio Pro 11
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• Action Filter: Enter the name of the action that you Adding Shortcuts
want to search for in the field provided. This will filter the
list to show actions that contain the text that you enter. To create a custom keyboard shortcut file, follow these
steps:
• Shortcut List: Displays all shortcuts by category: Menu,
Tools, and Windows. You can use the scrollbar at the If a user content folder is defined, Anime will
right side of the shortcut list to scroll further down the list. save custom keyboard shortcuts files to a
The left side of the list displays a menu command, tool Keyboard Shortcuts folder in the user content folder.
name, or window; and the right side of the list displays If names conflict with custom files saved to the
the associated shortcut if one is configured. default location, the user location will supercede the
default location.
• Scroll To: Jumps to a specific shortcut category. The
categories are named in the order in which they
1. Choose Help > Keyboard Shortcut Editor to open the
appear in the shortcut list. Select the desired category
Keyboard Shortcut window.
to jump to that location. The group will be scrolled as
close to the top of the list as possible. 2. If a custom configuration file has not yet been
created, click the New button to assign a name for a
• Shortcut Suggestions: Click this button to have Anime
new configuration file. Otherwise, select the custom
Studio suggest an unused keyboard shortcut.
configuration that you want to edit from the Current
Settings dropdown list.
• Done: Click the Done button when you are finished
editing your shortcuts.
3. Scroll through the keyboard shortcut list until you find
the menu command, tool, or window item that you
If the shortcut list is edited outside of Anime
want to modify. Click inside the shortcut field to edit it.
Studio, the settings in the external file will be
loaded from disk. If you are in the shortcut editor at
4. With the shortcut field selected, press the associated
the time, you will receive an alert before you reload
keys on your keyboard that you want to assign for the
them that the settings have been modified outside
command.
of the application.
Chapter 26: Help Menu
471 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Customized shortcuts will override default Actions whose shortcuts are already used by
shortcuts unless there is a conflict with a other actions will appear with a red number
default. If a conflict with a default shortcut exists, the that indicates how many actions already use that
default shortcut will take precedence over the shortcut. Hover over the number to display a list of
custom shortcut. actions that use that shortcut. The number and
tooltip only appear when editing custom shortcuts,
and not when viewing default shortcuts.
It is possible to create duplicate shortcuts. The
editor will warn you when multiple actions
have the same shortcut when you assign a shortcut After you are finished with your keyboard shortcuts,
that is already used by another action. When click Done to save the configuration file.
multiple actions use the same shortcut, the first
enabled action found will be triggered.
If you change your locale, there may be
localized shortcuts that conflict with your
custom shortcuts. Your settings will be updated to
eliminate conflicts.

Switching from 32-bit to 64-bit or vice versa

could potentially alter the shortcuts available
and may lead to a conflict between default settings
and custom settings. Your settings will be updated to
You will receive a warning when the keyboard shortcut that eliminate conflicts.
you enter is already in use.
If shortcuts have changed in the application since the last
time you updated, a dialog will prompt you to update your
custom shortcut list accordingly, or to use the new defaults.

Chapter 26: Help Menu

472 Anime Studio Pro 11
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About Scripts
Displays some information about all the scripts currently
loaded by Anime Studio. All of Anime Studio tools, and
all the entries in the Scripts menu are implemented
in a scripting language called Lua. Although some
programming/scripting experience is required, Anime
Studio users are welcome to write their own scripts to
Update Shortcuts dialog. extend Anime Studio’s built-in features.

Set Custom Content Folder

Prompts you to create a content folder, as described in
“Creating a Content Folder” on page 17.

Open Custom Content Folder

Opens your custom content folder in Explorer (Windows) or
Finder (Mac)

About Anime Studio Pro

Displays some information about Anime Studio, including
which version of Anime Studio you’re running.

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Appendix

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Appendix A: Product Morph targets Read Only Read and

create

Comparison Automatic image tracing

Particles
Black and white only

Read only
Black and white,
color, and edges

Read and
Create

The differences between Anime Studio Debut and Pro Import Photoshop Files Yes (1) Yes (2)

Real-time media connection No Yes

Feature Comparisons Patch Layers Read only Read and

create

3D Video rendering No Yes

Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Global Rendering Styles No Yes
Debut Pro
Scripting No Yes
Bone Rigging Yes Yes
Layer Outline Yes Yes
Smart Bones No Yes
64-bit Architecture No Yes
Frame-by-Frame Animation No Yes
GPU Acceleration No Yes
Animation Length 2 minutes (3000 Unlimited
frames)
Wacom Multi-Touch Support Yes Yes
Motion Tracking 3 points Unlimited
Character Wizard Yes Yes
Audio Tracks 2 tracks Unlimited
Render Cache Yes Yes
Video Tracks 1 track Unlimited
Separate Batch Export Process No Yes
Physics No Yes
Separate Render Process No Yes
Poser scene import No Yes
Preview Animation No Yes
Layers Yes Yes
Multiple Document Support (Tabs) Yes Yes
3D layer and object support No Yes
Keyboard Shortcut Editor Yes Yes
Layer Referencing No Yes
Automatic Update Checking Yes Yes
Animated Shape Ordering No Yes

Appendix A: Product Comparison

475 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Activation, Serialization, and License

Management
Yes Yes Vector Drawing Features
(1) Layered using Anime Studio script Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Debut Pro
(2) Import directly through File menu.
Text X X

Select Points X X

Window Menu Transform Points (Translate, Scale, and

Rotate)
X X

Add Point X X
Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Debut Pro Hide/Show Points X X

Tools X X Delete Edge X X

Beginner Mode Tools X Curvature X X

Layers X X Freehand X X

Timeline X X Color Points X X

Style X X Multi-brushes X X

Actions X Blob Brush X X

Library X X Eraser X X

Audio Recording X X Point Reduction X X

Poser Parameters X Rectangle X X

Character Wizard X X (1) Oval X X

Arrow X X
(1) Character Wizard in Pro lets you use and create
reusable actions that can be applied to any character Shear Points X X

created with the Wizard. Shear Points Y X

Perspective Points H X

Perspective Points V X

Appendix A: Product Comparison

476 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Bend Points H X Create Shape X X

Bend Points V X Paint Bucket X X

Noise X Delete Shape X X

Magnet X Line Width X X

Snap to Grid X Hide Edge X X

Reset Line Width X Stroke Exposure X

Random Line Width X Curve Profile X

Variable Width Curve X X Texture Transparency X

Vector Modifiers Fill Modifiers

Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Debut Pro Debut Pro

Peak X X Lower Shape X X

Smooth X X Raise Shape X X

Flip Points Horizontally X X Color Points X X

Flip Points Vertically X X

Bone Features
Fill Features
Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Debut Pro
Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Debut Pro Select Bone X X

Select Shape X X Transform Bone Tool (Translate, Scale, X X

and Rotate)
Select Multiple Shapes X X
Add Bone X X

Appendix A: Product Comparison

477 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Hide/Show Bones X X Rotate Layer X X

Reparent Bone X X Rotate Layer Y X

Bone Strength X X Shear Layer X X

Manipulate Bones X X Shear Layer Y X

Bind Layer X X Particle Layer X

Bind Points X X Follow Path X X

Offset Bone X X Poser X (1)

Bone Physics X Image Masking X X

Bone Constraints X Video Tracking X (2) X

Smart Bones X Audio Layers X (3) X

Smart Bones Setup X Vector Shape Selector X X

Color Bones X X Undo/Redo Layers X X

Bone Labels X Layer Comps X

Nested Layer Controls X X Layer Colors X X

Animated Bone Targets X Flexi Binding X X

Animated Bone Parenting X Depth Shifting X

Bone Flipping X Fade Unselected Layers X

Multiple Layer Editing X X

Layer Features
Colorize Layer X X

Frame-By-Frame Animation X
Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Debut Pro Layer Referencing X

Set Origin X X Animated Shape Ordering X

Transform Layer X X Group with Selection Layers X

Switch Layer X X

Appendix A: Product Comparison

478 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Normalize Layer Scale X 3D X

Physics (Layer property) X

(1) Requires Poser 7 or newer
Note X

(2) Limited to 3 tracking points Audio X X

(3) Limited to 2 audio layers 2D to 3D Layer Conversion X

Patch X

Layer Modifiers
Text X X

Feature Anime Studio

Debut
Anime Studio
Pro
Camera Features
Flip Layer Horizontally X X
Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Flip Layer Vertically X X Debut Pro

Track Camera X X

Layer Types
Zoom Camera X X

Roll Camera X X

Pan/Tilt Camera X
Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Debut Pro Orbit Workspace X

Vector X X Depth of Field X

Image X X

Workspace Features
Bone X X

Switch X X

Group X
Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Group with Selection X Debut Pro

Particle X Pan Workspace X X

Appendix A: Product Comparison

479 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

Zoom Workspace X X Sequencer X X

Rotate Workspace X Keyframe Hold Duration X X

Orbit Workspace X Colored Keyframes X X

Timeline Features Action Features

Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Debut Pro Debut Pro

Keyframes X X Store Reusable Animation X

Playback Controls X X Edit Reusable Animation X

Animation Channels X X Delete Reusable Animation X

Hide/Show Channels X X

Style Features
Ruler X X

Onionskins X

Graph Mode X
Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Smooth Interpolation X Debut Pro

Linear Interpolation X Save Style X

Ease In/Out Interpolation X Pattern Brush X (1) X

Bezier Interpolation X Blur X X

Step Interpolation X Threshold X X

Noisy Interpolation X (1) Pro version contains more brushes

Bounce Interpolation X

Elastic Interpolation X

Stagger Interpolation X

Appendix A: Product Comparison

480 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Preferences Content
Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Debut Pro Debut Pro

Options X X Built in Content X X

Editor Colors X X Third Party Content X X

GUI Colors X X 3D Object X

GUI Color Themes X X Character Wizard X X

Project Settings Scripts

Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Debut Pro Debut Pro

Save Project Settings X X 3D X

Edit Dimensions X X Camera X

Background Color X X Draw X

Depth of Field X Image Sequences X

3D Camera X Layer Effects X

Stereo Rendering X Particle Effects X

Sort Layers by Depth X X Sound X

Sort by True Distance X X Warp X

Noise Grain X Visibility X

Up to 120 Frames/Second Maximum X X Script Writing X

Maximum export size (pixels) 900 x 900 9000 x 9000

Maximum number of frames 3000 Unlimited

Appendix A: Product Comparison

481 Anime Studio Pro 11
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View OBJ X

Poser Files and Scenes (Poser 7 and X

newer)
Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio
Debut Pro SOUND FORMATS
Grid X WAV (Windows & Mac) X X

Adjust Grid Size X AIFF (Windows & Mac) X X

Side by Side View X MP3 (Windows & Mac) X X

Over Under View X M4A (MPEG-4) X X

Four-Way View X MOVIE FORMATS

Display Quality X MOV (Mac and Windows) X X

Advanced Current Layer View X AVI (3) X X

MP4 Video X X

Import MOHO FORMAT

MOHO File Format X X

Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio JSON-Based File Format X X

Debut Pro
MotionArtist File Support X X
2D FORMATS
(1) Layered using Anime Studio script.
JPEG X X

BMP X X
(2) Directly through File menu.
PSD X (1) X (2) (3) AVI Import works on Windows, and on Macintosh
PNG X X systems depending on codecs. If you can play the AVI file
TGA X X in QuickTime on a Mac, you should be able to import it into
EPS, AI, Tracing Image X
Anime Studio.

3D FORMATS

Appendix A: Product Comparison

482 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Export Formats PAL X X

HD movies X

Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio

Debut Pro (1) SWF: Vector animations only; image layers can be used
IMAGE FORMATS
as long as they are not warped by bones. See “Exporting
Flash” on page 389 for more information.
JPEG X X

BMP X X (2) MOV: If you are using a 64-bit Windows operating

PSD (Layered) X
system, you will need to use the 32-bit version of Anime
Studio Pro to export in MOV format.
PNG X X

TGA X X

Batch Image Export X Upload Features

MOVIE FORMATS

SWF (1) X X Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio

Debut Pro
MOV (Macintosh and Windows) (2) X X
Upload to Facebook® X X
AVI (Windows) X X
Upload to YouTube™ X X
MP4 X X

Sequential JPEG X

Sequential BMP X Optimization Features

Sequential PSD X

Sequential PNG X Feature Anime Studio Anime Studio

Debut Pro
Sequential TGA X
Document Gathering X
Batch Movie Export X
64-bit Architecture X
TV FORMATS
GPU Acceleration X
NTSC Format X X
Render Cache X X

Appendix A: Product Comparison

483 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Separate Batch Export Process X

Separate Render Process X

Preview Animation X

Multiple Document Support (Tabs) X X

Keyboard Shortcut Editor X X

Automatic Update Checking X X

Activation, Serialization, and License X X

Management

Appendix A: Product Comparison

484 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

Appendix B: Technical information and a variety of tutorials. We plan to keep this

updated with questions and answers and new sample files.

Support To view in-depth product descriptions, online video gallery,

and more, visit http://anime.smithmicro.com.

User Manual Anime Studio Discussion Forum

The first source of help when using Anime Studio is the Share tips and tricks with other Anime Studio users on the
manual that you are reading now. We have also included online discussion forum: http://www.lostmarble.com/
a Tutorial Manual that you can view by choosing Help > forum/. Smith Micro staff members also participate in this
Tutorials from the Anime Studio menus. If you’re just getting online group, and are happy to share techniques and
started and need some basic tips on how to use Anime answer questions. News about the latest Anime Studio
Studio, begin with “Quick Start” on page 3 in your updates is first posted to the online forum.
Anime Studio Tutorial Manual.
For more in-depth instructions on using Anime Studio, the Email Support
sections “Anime Studio Windows” on page 181 and
“Anime Studio Menus” on page 349 go into great detail You can also get your questions answered by email. If you
about performing specific tasks in Anime Studio and what have a question, feature request, or would like to report a
all the user interface elements are used for, respectively. bug, contact us at cs@smithmicro.com. Please provide us
with as much detail about your problem as possible, so that
we can understand exactly what’s happening and more
Anime Studio on the Web quickly come up with a solution for you.

Another good source is the Smith Micro web site at http://

anime.smithmicro.com. There you will find product

Appendix B: Technical Support

485 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

Appendix C: Content Development

Victor Paredes Charles Kenway

Acknowledgements Teyon Alexander

Creative Services
Diego Nargoli Vladimir Osmjanski

Anime Studio Development Team Technical Support

John Csaky Matt Ko

Development
Mike Clifton
Erik Martin
Eric Long
Mitch Jones
Technology and Content
David Swan
The following companies and individuals provided
Product Management technology or content used in Anime Studio.
Fahim Niaz Ulrich Klumpp
Michi Catanese • Víctor Paredes (Studio: Taza Triste): https://www.
youtube.com/tazatriste
Quality Assurance
Jason Cozy Gerard Espinoza • Charles Kenway (Studio: Square Brush): http://
James Feathers Vukasin Vlajic
Colin Gerbode Brian Romero squarebrush.com/

Documentation • DK Toons http://www.contentparadise.com/Search.

Denise Tyler J. Wesley Fowler aspx?searchText=DKToons

• ToonProps http://www.toonprops.com

• Vernon Zehr http://www.hubumedia.com

Appendix C: Acknowledgements
486 Anime Studio Pro 11
Users Manual

• Alexander Roach (Rudiger): http:// • Lua http://www.lua.org Copyright © 2004 Tecgraf,

www.contentparadise.com/Search. PUC-Rio.
aspx?searchText=Rudiger
• Ming ming.sourceforge.net Copyright © Opaque
• David Sandberg: http://www.animestudioscripts.com Industries

• Cartoon Solutions http://www.cartoonsolutions.com • PortAudio http://www.portaudio.com Copyright ©

1999-2000 Ross Bencina and Phil Burk
• Anti-Grain Geometry http://www.antigrain.com
Copyright © 2002-2004 Maxim Shemanarev (McSeem). • zlib http://www.zlib.net Copyright © 1995-2002 Jean-
loup Gailly and Mark Adler.
• FreeType http://www.freetype.org Portions of this
software are copyright © 1996-2002 The FreeType • DiracLE http://blogs.zynaptiq.com/bernsee/ Copyright
Project. All rights reserved. © 2005-2009 The DSP Dimension.

• libjpeg http://www.ijg.org This software is based in • SoundTouch http://www.surina.net/soundtouch/

part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group. Copyright © 2001-2011 Olli Parviainen
Copyright © 1991-1998, Thomas G. Lane.
• libvorbis http://www.vorbis.com/ Copyright © 2002-
• libogg http://www.xiph.org/ogg/ Copyright © 2002, 2008 Xiph.org Foundation
Xiph.org Foundation
• libxml2 http://xmlsoft.org Copyright © 1998-2003 Daniel
• libpng http://www.libpng.org Copyright © 1998, 1999, Veillard. All Rights Reserved.
2000 Glenn Randers-Pehrson.
• libcurl http://curl.haxx.se/libcurl/ Copyright © 1996-2007
• libsndfile http://www.mega-nerd.com/libsndfile/ Daniel Stenberg, <daniel@haxx.se>.
Copyright © 1999-2005 Erik de Castro Lopo.
• Sparkle http://sparkle-project.org/ Copyright © 2006
Andy Matuschak

Appendix C: Acknowledgements
487 Anime Studio Pro 11
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• WinSparkle http://winsparkle.org Copyright © 2009-2013

Vaclav Slavik

Appendix C: Acknowledgements
488 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Appendix D: Anime
Ctrl Shift R Shift Cmd R File > Preview Animation
Ctrl E Cmd E File > Export Animation
Ctrl B Cmd B File > Batch Export

Studio Shortcuts
Ctrl Q Cmd Q File > Quit

Edit Menu
Windows Mac Command

How to Work Quickly in Anime

Ctrl Z Cmd Z Edit > Undo
Shift Ctrl Z Shift Cmd Z Edit > Redo
Ctrl X Cmd X Edit > Cut
Studio Ctrl C
Ctrl V
Cmd C
Cmd V
Edit > Copy
Edit > Paste
Ctrl A Cmd A Edit > Select All
Once you’ve been using Anime Studio for a while, you’ll Ctrl I Cmd I Edit > Select Inverse

probably want to find ways to speed up certain operations.

Luckily, Anime Studio provides several shortcuts for Draw Menu
common operations, such as activating tools, navigating
Windows Mac Command
the workspace, and entering data. Ctrl T Cmd T Draw > Insert Text
Ctrl Alt L Cmd Alt L Draw > Reset Line Width
Ctrl D Cmd D Draw > Random Line Width
Ctrl P Cmd P Draw > Peak
Menu Shortcuts Ctrl M
Shift Ctrl H
Cmd M
Shift Cmd H
Draw > Smooth
Draw > Hide Shape
Shift Ctrl U Shift Cmd U Draw > Show All Shapes
Ctrl F Cmd F Draw > Freeze Points

File Menu
Windows Mac Command Bone Menu
Ctrl N Cmd N File > New
Ctrl O Cmd O File > Open Windows Mac Command
Ctrl W Cmd W File > Close Ctrl Shift F Shift Cmd F Bone > Use Selected Bones
Ctrl S Cmd S File > Save for Flexi-Binding
Ctrl Shift S Shift Cmd S File > Save As Ctrl F Cmd F Bone > Freeze Pose
Ctrl Alt Shift S Alt Shift_Cmd S File > Save All
Shift Ctrl P Shift Cmd P File > Project Settings
Shift Ctrl M Shift Cmd M File > Refresh Media
Ctrl R Cmd R File > Preview

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Animation Menu Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows Mac Command
Ctrl Shift N Shift Cmd N Animation > Nudge Physics Object Many tools and features in Anime Studio can be accessed
quickly by pressing a single key. These shortcuts make
View Menu working with Anime Studio much faster than the regular
method of moving the mouse to a toolbar and clicking
Ctrl Alt 9 Cmd = View > Zoom In
Ctrl Alt 8 Cmd - View > Zoom Out a button, and are worth learning to reduce your drawing
Ctrl G Cmd G View > Enable Grid and animation time. However, all these features are
Shift Ctrl G Shift Cmd G View > Grid Settings
Shift Ctrl V Shift Cmd V View > Video Safe Zones also available through standard user interface elements
Ctrl J Cmd J View > Show Output Only
Ctrl L Cmd L View > Enable Onion Skins
(buttons and menus), so learning these shortcuts isn’t a
Ctrl Y Cmd Y View > Select Tracing Image requirement to using Anime Studio.
Ctrl U Cmd U View > Show Tracing Image
Shift Ctrl C Shift Cmd C View > Show Curves
Shift Ctrl A Shift Cmd A View > Fade Unselected Layers These shortcuts are not the same as “menu
Shift Ctrl D Shift Cmd D View > Design Mode
Shift Ctrl 2 Shift Cmd 2 View > Stereo
shortcuts” listed above.
Shift Ctrl J Shift Cmd J View > Show Document Tabs

Window Menu Main Window

Ctrl Shift E Shift Cmd E Window > Tools Windows Mac Action
Ctrl Shift K Shift Cmd K Window > Layers Alt Shift Ctrl E Alt Shift Cmd E Open/Close Tools Palette
Ctrl [ Cmd [ Window > Timeline Alt Shift Ctrl K Alt Shift Cmd K Open/Close Layers Palette
Ctrl ] Cmd ] Window > Style Alt Ctrl [ Alt Cmd [ Open/Close Timeline
Ctrl K Cmd K Window > Actions Alt Ctrl ] Alt Cmd ] Open/Close Style Window
Shift Ctrl L Shift Cmd L Window > Library Alt Shift Ctrl L Alt Shift Cmd L Reload Tools and Brushes
Shift Ctrl B Shift Cmd B Window > Blend Morphs Shift Z Shift Z Activate Previous Tool
Shift Ctrl I Shift Cmd I Window > Layer Settings F5 F5 New Frame
Ctrl Alt E Cmd Alt E Window > Keyframe F6 F6 Duplicate Frame
Alt Shift Ctrl E Alt Shift Cmd E Window > Docking > Tools Shift F5 Shift F5 Delete Frame
Alt Shift Ctrl K Alt Shift Cmd K Window > Docking > Layers
Alt Shift Ctrl T Alt Shift Cmd T Window > Docking > Timeline
Alt Shift Ctrl Y Alt Shift Cmd Y Window > Docking > Style
Main/Current Editing View
Windows Mac Action

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Alt Shift { Alt Shift { Rotate View Left Depending on your setting, the following shortcuts will be
Alt Shift } Alt Shift } Rotate View Right
affected:
Classic Binding New Binding Operation

Style Window Spacebar

Spacebar
Enter/Return
Enter/Return
Weld Points
Create Shape
Spacebar Enter/Return Bind Points to Bone
Windows Mac Action
Enter/Return Escape Deselect points/bones/keyframes
] ] Decrease Line Width
Spacebar Spacebar Toggle Playback*
[ [ Increase Line Width
Home/Esc Home Reset View*
Home/Esc+Shift Home+Shift Zoom to Layer Contents*
Home/Esc+Alt Home+Alt Zoom to Selected Points*
Timeline Shortcuts Tab Tab
Hold spacebar while dragging mouse
Select Connected Points*
Pan workspace*
Windows Mac Action
Ctrl 1 Cmd 1 Set Interpolation Linear
Ctrl 2 Cmd 2 Set Interpolation Smooth
Ctrl 3
Ctrl 4
Cmd 3
Cmd 4
Set Interpolation Ease In/Out
Set Interpolation Ease In
Tool Shortcuts
Ctrl 5 Cmd 5 Set Interpolation Ease Out
Ctrl 6 Cmd 6 Set Interpolation Bezier Many of the keyboard shortcuts in Anime Studio are used
Ctrl 7 Cmd 7 Set Interpolation Step
Ctrl 8 Cmd 8 Set Interpolation Noisy to activate a tool in a toolbar. If you want to know whether
Ctrl 9 Cmd 9 Set Interpolation Cycle
Shift { Shift { Previous Selected Key
a tool has a shortcut, hold the mouse over the tool, and
Shift } Shift } Next Selected Key watch the tooltip that appears. If the tooltip has a single
Alt Shift +(plus) Alt Shift +(plus) Zoom In
Alt Shift _ Alt Shift _ Zoom Out letter at the end (ex: “Transform Points (T)”), then that key
Alt Shift A Alt Shift = Pan Up can be used as a shortcut to activate the tool.
Alt Shift Z Alt Shift - Pan Down
Alt Shift X Shift ~ Auto Zoom
The keyboard shortcut of Shift-Z toggles
between the currently selected tool and the
Classic vs New Shortcut Bindings previous tool selection.

There is a preference in the Tools tab of the Preferences

dialog that allows you to choose between classic key
binding or new key binding. For further information on this
setting, see “Tools Tab” on page 412.

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Anime Studio auto-reverts to the previous tool Q Select Shape

U Create Shape
selection when a shortcut for a different tool is P Paint Bucket
selected and held for two or more seconds, or if held W Line Width
H Hide Edge
and a mouse click occurs on the canvas before the K Color Points
shortcut is released.
Special Tools
Tool Shortcut Tool
C Crop
A Video Tracking

Bone Tools
Tool Shortcut Tool
B Select Bone
T Transform Bone
A Add Bone
P Reparent Bone
Press the T key to activate the Transform Points tool. S Bone Strength
Z Manipulate Bones
I Bind Points
Draw Tools
Layer Tools
Tool Shortcut Tool
G Select Points Tool Shortcut Tool
T Transform Points M Transform Layer
A Add Point O Set Origin
F Freehand L Eyedropper
J Blob Brush
S
E
Draw Shape
Eraser
Camera Tools
R Point Reduction Tool Shortcut Tool
D Delete Edge 4 Track Camera
C Curvature 5 Zoom Camera
X Magnet 6 Roll Camera
N Noise 7 Pan/Tilt Camera

Fill Tools
Tool Shortcut Tool

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Workspace Tools Delete/Backspace

Spacebar
Delete the currently selected points
Weld two points together - usually used with
Tool Shortcut Tool the Translate or Add Point tools
8 Rotate Workspace
9 Orbit Workpace Working with Fill Tools
Keyboard Shortcut Function

Common Shortcuts Delete/Backspace

Spacebar
Delete the selected shape
Define a shape based on current selection
Up Arrow Raise selected shape up one level - hold shift
to raise to top
Some keyboard shortcuts work all the time, and some Down Arrow Lower selected shape down one level - hold
only apply in while using certain tools in Anime Studio: the shift to lower to bottom

sections below lists all the shortcuts and when they can be
Working with Bone Tools
used.
Keyboard Shortcut Function
The following keyboard shortcuts can be used at any time: Delete/Backspace Delete the selected bone (and any child
bones)
Spacebar Bind points to selected bone
Keyboard Shortcut Function
Up Arrow Select parent of current bone
Escape Automatically adjust the view to see
Down Arrow Select child of current bone (only works if
everything in the active layer - hold the shift
current bone has just one child)
key to zoom in on the currently selected
points
Home Reset the view to see the overall project Working with the Timeline Window
Enter/Return De-select all points
Tab Select all points that are connected to the Keyboard Shortcut Function
current selection Alt/Option+Left Arrow Previous Keyframe
Left Arrow Step back one frame in the timeline - hold Alt/Option+Right Arrow Next Keyframe
shift to rewind Alt/Option+Backspace Delete the selected keyframe(s)
Right Arrow Step forward one frame in the timeline - hold Alt/Option+C Copy the selected keyframe(s)
shift to advance to end of animation Alt/Option+V Paste the previously copied keyframe(s)
[ (left bracket) Decreases the line width setting in the Style Spacebar Play/stop the animation
window Page Up When in graph mode, zoom in on the timeline
] (right bracket) Increases the line width setting in the Style - hold shift to move the graph up
window Page Down When in graph mode, zoom out from the
timline - hold shift to move the graph down
End When in graph mode, auto-zoom the
timeline, based on the active animation
Working with Vector Layers channel
Ctrl/Cmd+Mouse Scroll wheel Zooms in/out from timeline
Keyboard Shortcut Function

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Working in the Layers WIndow • To zoom the workspace, hold the shift key while
Keyboard Shortcut Function
dragging left or right with the right mouse button. You
Alt Click Alt-Click the child of a switch layer to can also zoom the workspace by rolling the mouse
activate it.
Alt+D When a switch layer is selected, this shortcut wheel back and forth over the workspace.
activates the previous switch layer.
Alt+C When a switch layer is selected, this shortcut
activates the next switch layer.
• To rotate the workspace, hold down the control key
while dragging with the right mouse button.

Mouse Shortcuts • To fit the view to a selected layer, select the layer that
you want to view in the Layers window. Then press the
There are a few shortcuts that take advantage of the Esc key to fit the selected layer into the view.
mouse, making work in Anime Studio more convenient
once you learn them.
Timeline Scrubbing
Workspace Navigation To scrub the timeline in small increments, press Alt and roll
the mouse wheel back and forth.
The right mouse button can be used to navigate the main
Anime Studio workspace.
Numeric Fields and Angle Knobs
To pan the workspace, click and drag with the right mouse
button. An easy way to make small adjustments in numeric text
fields and angle knobs is to hold the mouse over the control
If you hold down the spacebar while you and spin the mouse wheel back and forth. Of course, you
click and drag any tool with the mouse, it will can still enter values into a text field by typing them, but
let you pan the workspace. This is similar to the this method lets you make small adjustments and view the
panning navigation in Photoshop and other changes immediately.
graphics applications.

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• On a Windows PC, when using the mouse wheel

to modify the value in a text field, holding the Ctrl
Multi-touch Support
key halves the increment, holding Shift doubles the Certain tools support Wacom multi-touch tablets and allow
increment. you to use multi-touch gestures to perform tasks in Anime
Studio. Red screen dots on screen identify the location
• On a Macintosh, when using the mouse wheel to
of your fingers on the tablet. The following general notes
modify the value in a text field, holding the Cmd
apply to multi-touch features:
key halves the increment, holding Alt doubles the
increment. Use the Multitouch checkbox (located above
This feature may seem cute but unimportant. However, the Timeline on the left side) to enable or
it’s actually very useful when working with the tool info disable Multitouch support.
panels in Anime Studio. By using the mouse wheel, you can
see your changes take effect immediately. If you enter If you experience problems accessing
the number by hand, the change won’t take effect until Wacom touch support, you should make sure
you press tab or enter. An especially helpful place to use you have the latest drivers installed, and restart
this feature is when setting bone angle constraints - these Anime Studio or your computer if needed.
numbers can be tricky to figure out, but spinning the mouse
wheel you can see exactly what’s happening.
If the currently selected tool does not support multi-
Finally, you can adjust the value of a text field by dragging
touch, then the multi-touch events will be used to
in it side-to-side with the right mouse button. With a regular
navigate the workspace.
mouse, the mouse wheel is probably more convenient, but
this feature was added specifically for animators working
with tablets. A drawing pen usually has no mouse wheel, so • Multi-touch events can be used for workspace
right-dragging allows you to adjust the value of a text field navigation, regardless of whether or not the current
without having to switch back to the keyboard. tool supports multi-touch events. Hold down the
spacebar while using the multi-touch tablet to use it for
workspace navigation.
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• Multi-touch support is accessible through scripting, Camera Tools

allowing users to write their own multi-touch scripts.
Camera tools that support multi-touch actions are Track
• Smoothing and zooming support has been enhanced Camera, Roll Camera, Zoom Camera, and Pan Camera.
to support multi-touch actions, and should also work
better with the touch ring on Wacom tablets. Multi-touch Action Function
One-finger gesture Tracks or Pans/Tilts camera
The following tables outline the tools that offer this support. Two-finger gesture Rooms or zooms camera
More than two fingers Behaves similarly to two-finger gesture
Draw Tools

Draw tools that support multi-touch actions are Transform Workspace Tools
Points, Transform Points, Transform Points, Select Points,
Freehand, and Draw Shape. Workspace tools that support multi-touch actions are Pan
canvas, Scale canvas, and Rotate canvas.
Multi-touch Action Function
One-finger gesture Translates selected points
Two-finger gesture Scales or rotates selected points Multi-touch Action Function
More than two fingers Behaves similarly to two-finger gestures One-finger gesture Pans the canvas
Two-finger gesture Scales or rotates the canvas
More than two fingers Behaves similarly to two-finger gestures
Layer Tools Five fingers down on tablet Resets the canvas

The Transform Layer tool supports multi-touch actions.

Other Actions
Multi-touch Action Function Multi-touch Action Function
One-finger gesture Translates selected layer Two-finger double-tap Resets whatever property you are currently
Two-finger gesture Scales or rotates selected layer editing
More than two fingers Behaves similarly to two-finger gestures
Four-finger drag Allows you to rotate an object in 3D

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Appendix E: Media AVI

(Windows
Only)
AVI (MJPEG)

Support
AVI Movie (DV) 720x 480

AVI Movie
(Uncompressed)
AVI (Video AVI Movie
for Windows)
Format Preset Video Audio Resolution Comments (Windows
Codec Codec Only)
Image JPEG n/a n/a n/a QuickTime QuickTime (H.264-
Sequence (Macintosh AAC)
BMP n/a n/a n/a Only)
QuickTime (H.264-
PCM)
Targa n/a n/a n/a
QuickTime (JPEG-
AAC)
PNG n/a n/a n/a
QuickTime (ProRes
PSD n/a n/a n/a 422-AAC)
QuickTime (ProRes Supports
iOS iPhone Movie (480 480 x 320 4444-AAC) exporting of
x 320) frames that
have Alpha
iPhone 4 Movie 960 x 640 Pro Only channels
(960 x 640)
QuickTime (ProRes Supports
iPhone 5 Movie 1136 x 640 Pro Only 4444-ALAC) exporting of
(1136 x 640) frames that
iPhone 6 Movie 1334 x 750 Pro Only have Alpha
(1334 x 750) channels

iPhone 6+ Movie 1920 x 1080 Pro Only QuickTime (PNG- Supports

(1920 x 1080) AAC) exporting of
frames that
iPad Movie (1024 1024 x 768 Pro Only have Alpha
x 768) channels
iPad HD Movie 1280 x 1024 Pro Only Legacy QuickTime Movie
(1280 x 1024) QuickTime
M4V Apple M4V (H-264- H.264 AAC Flash Flash (SWF)
AAC)
MP4 MP4 (H.264-AAC) H.264 AAC

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Writing Your Own Presets Preset files are XML files that define the output format,
video codec, and audio codec of the output. The
Some third-party video editing and playing software installs supported values for format and codec are dependent on
codecs that are not furnished with Windows. Anime Studio the media library for the platform. While AV Foundation on
does not prompt you to choose a third-party codec when the Mac may support exporting to the QuickTime ProRes
you choose AVI as an output format. codec, Media Foundation and DirectShow on Windows
cannot. See online documentation for those media libraries
When you create a User Content folder, a Media Preset
to get an understanding of what export formats and
folder is created within it, based on the plugins that are
codecs are possible.
supported for your product/platform. You can locate your
own custom preset XML files in this folder to add them to The preset files are in the same format the application uses
the application. for presets. You can see example preset files by navigating
to where Anime Studio is installed and opening the files
New to Anime Studio 11.1, the user has the ability to add
in a text editor. That is probably the best way to get an
their own presets in the <User Content Library>\Media
understanding of how preset files work. On Windows, the
Presets folder. Depending on the platform there should be
application preset files are locate here:
two subfolders within the Media Presets folder. Those folders
are used to differentiate the media libraries that are used • <Install Folder>\Media Plugins\P1_MPMediaFoundation
to create video exports. On Windows the two folders are
named: • <Install Folder>\Media Plugins\P2_MPQuickTime
On Mac, you would need to open the application bundle
• P1_MPMediaFoundation
(Show Package Contents) and navigate to one of these
• P2_MPDirectShow two folder locations:

On Mac the folders are: • Anime Studio Pro.app\Contents\PlugIns\P1_

MPAVFoundation.pmp\Contents\Resources
• P1_MPAVFoundation

• P2_MPQuickTime
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• Anime Studio Pro.app\Contents\PlugIns\P2_ Please don’t ever directly modify the preset
MPQuickTime.pmp\Contents\Resources files in the install folder or application bundle.
Use the user content library location. There are a
You can view the XML files in your favorite text editor. To
couple reasons for this. The preset files will get wiped
get your feet wet, what you may want to do is copy one
out if the software is ever upgraded. On Mac,
of the preset files from the install folder or application
modifying the files will break code signing of the
bundle into the similar folder in the User Content Library
application and will cause internal application issues
folder. So for example if the preset file is named MP4.
with the Content Library.
xml in the P1_MPMediaFoundation folder, you’ll want
to name it something like My MP4.xml in the analogous
<User Content Library>\Media Presets\P1_ The attributes for the MediaPlugin element in the XML file
MPMediaFoundation folder. In the Export Animation or are as follows:
Batch Export dialog, you’ll now see a menu item in the
• name: The name of the preset as you want it to appear
Format dropdown that says My MP4 with the same presets
on the Format menu in the Movie Settings dialog (as
that are in the MP4 format. You can than tailor the presets
shown in the following figure).
to how you like.
One thing to keep in mind if you do keep a name of the • extensions: The file extension(s) that are used with the
XML the same as an existing preset file name (including preset.
application preset names), any presets that are defined
• showUI: Displays the UI available for the codec.
there will be grouped with those same presets in the user
interface. As an example, let’s say you create a My MP4.
• video element: Describes the parameters that will
xml file in the P1_MPMediaFoundation folder and than
apply to the output video. It has the following optional
create a My MP4.xml file with different configured
attributes.
presets in the P2_MPDirectShow folder. In the Export
Animation or Batch Export dialogs, all the presets across ƒƒ codec: The name of the video codec that will be
both media libraries will be grouped in the My MP4 Format used to compress the video
drop down item.

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ƒƒ framerate: The number of frames per second, of

the video you will create.

• audio element: Describes the parameters that will

apply to the output audio. It has the following optional
attributes:

ƒƒ codec: The name of the audio codec that will be

used to compress the audio

ƒƒ samplerate: The sample rate for the audio (higher

sample rates are higher quality) Additional presets added in the Movie Settings dialog.

ƒƒ channels: The number of channels in the audio file

(1 for mono, 2 for stereo)
To create your own media presets, you will need to use
a text or web page editor to create a file with an XML
extension. The format of the XML file should be similar to the
following:
<?xml version=”1.0” encoding=”utf-8”?>
<Presets>
<MediaPreset name=”AVI (LAGS)” extensions=”avi” showUI=”true”>
<video codec=”Lagarith Lossless Codec” framerate=”30”/>
<audio codec=”pcm” samplerate=”44100” channels=”2”/>
</MediaPreset>
<MediaPreset name=”AVI (MS Video1)” extensions=”avi”>
<video codec=”MSVC” framerate=”30”/>
<audio codec=”pcm” samplerate=”44100” channels=”2”/>
</MediaPreset>
<MediaPreset name=”AVI (XVID)” extensions=”avi”>
<video codec=”XVID” framerate=”30”/>
<audio codec=”pcm” samplerate=”44100” channels=”2”/>
</MediaPreset>
</Presets>

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Appendix F: Command Explanation:

Line Renderer The command tells Anime Studio to render the file
MyScene.anime and to produce a rendered output file in
the same folder as the project file (more on that below). It
can be used directly from a Windows Command Prompt,
OS X Terminal, or integrated into whatever scripting
Introduction environment you choose (eg. Poser, Ruby, Bash).
Starting in 5.1, Anime Studio Pro (previously Moho)
Windows and Mac OS X have some specific
introduced a command-line interface to its rendering
quirks when using Anime Studio from the
engine. This interface is different than the Export Animation
command-line. Be sure to read “Platform Notes” on
or Batch Export renderers in that users can launch renders
page 510 to learn about your particular platform.
without needing to interact with application windows or
buttons. It is a perfect environment for users who would like
to automate the rendering of their Anime Studio projects
without the need to do repetitive work of setting up Main Options
application dialogs.
The following are the main options for the renderer:

-r or -render
Usage
To use Anime Studio for command-line rendering, here is an Syntax:
example of the simplest command:
-r <anime project file> or -render <anime project file>

Syntax:

Anime Studio Pro x64.exe -r MyScene.anime

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Explanation: • PSD

This is the only required option. It tells Anime Studio to • QT

render the given project file and then quit. The Anime
• MP4 (H.264-AAC)
project file can be a .anime project or on of the legacy
document formats (.anme, or .moho) back to version 4 of • Animated GIF
the format.
• SWF (Flash)
-f <format>
The video, Animated GIF, and SWF formats generate a
single output file, while the other formats create numbered
Syntax:
sequences of still images. If you don’t specify a format on
-f <format> the command-line, the default format used will be “MP4
(H.264-AAC)”.
Explanation:
-o or -output
This tells Anime Studio what format to render the output as.
Valid formats are any of the presets specified in the Export Syntax:
Animation dialog. Here are the some examples that work
on both Mac and Windows: -o <output> or -output <output>

• JPEG Explanation:

• TGA Specifies an output file or folder. The output file should

include the file extension of the desired output format. If
• BMP the output format is PNG the output should be named
something like MyScene.png.
• PNG

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If you skip this option, the output file will automatically have Explanation:
the same name as the input file, but with an extension
matching the format you choose. For example, if you are Specifies the last frame to render. If omitted, Anime Studio
rendering a file named MyScene.anime to a format of will render up through the last frame of the document.
“MP4 (H.264-AAC)”, the output will be placed in the same
folder as the document file with the name MyScene.mp4. -v or -verbose
If a folder is specified instead of a file name, the output
Syntax:
will be placed within the folder with a name matching the
document file and the appropriate output extension. -v or -verbose

-start <frame number> Explanation:

Syntax: Runs the rendering job in “verbose” mode. In this mode,

Anime Studio will print out the render option values along
-start <frame number> with messages about its status. This includes an estimate of
Explanation:
the time remaining in the rendering job.

-q or -quiet
Specifies the starting frame to render. If omitted, Anime
Studio will start rendering at the document’s start frame
Syntax:
(usually 1).
-q or -quiet
-end <frame number>
Explanation:
Syntax:
Runs the renderer in “quiet” mode. “quiet” mode disables
-end <frame number> all command-line output, both information and errors.

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“quiet” mode overrides “verbose” mode. This option was -multithread or -multithreaded
introduced in Anime Studio Pro 9.5.
Syntax:
-log <logfile>
-multithread <yes|no> or -multithreaded <yes|no>
Syntax:
Explanation:
-log <logfile>
Used to turn on or off multithreaded rendering. If multi-
Explanation:
threaded rendering is on, the render will use up to 5 threads
(4 image frame threads + 1 movie encoding thread) to
Specifies a log file for the render. Information and errors render your output files. Set this option to no if you wish to
that are normally shown as command-line output are increase the system’s performance while a render is taking
instead logged to the log file. This option was introduced in place. The default is yes.
Anime Studio Pro 9.5.
-halfsize
Render Options
Syntax:
The following options control rendering options, just like you
-halfsize <yes|no>
see in the Export Animation or Batch Export dialog in Anime
Studio Pro. Most of the options can be turned on or off with Explanation:
a value of yes or no. If an option is not specified, the render
will perform the default. Render the output at half size. If the project dimensions
of the document is set to 720p (1280x720), the output
dimensions of the render would be 640x360 when using
this option. This option is useful if you want to get a quick
overview of your scene as it will dramatically reduce the
time it takes to render. The default is no.
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-halffps Explanation:

Syntax: Render layer effects. The default is yes.

-halffps <yes|no> -fewparticles

Explanation:
Syntax:

Render at half frame rate. If the project frame rate is set to -fewparticles <yes|no>
30 FPS, the output format would be 15 FPS when using this
Explanation:
option. The default is no.

-shapefx Use reduced particles. The default is no.

-layercomp
Syntax:

-shapefx <yes|no> Syntax:

Explanation: -layercomp <comp name>

Explanation:
Render shape effects. The default is yes.

-layerfx Render a specific layer comp defined within the

document.
Syntax: If AllComps or AllLayerComps is specified as the
comp name, all layer comps will be exported during
-layerfx <yes|no>
one run of the renderer. It is highly recommended
that you use either -addlayercompsuffix OR
-createfolderforlayercomp when specifying these
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comp names, otherwise multiple layer comp exports could Explanation:

overwrite each other.
Extra-smooth images. The default is no.
In previous versions of Anime Studio Pro, you
could also specify a layer comp of All to -premultiply
render all layer comps. While this still works for
documents that don’t have a layer comp named Syntax:
“All”, the new recommended way to render all layer
comps in Anime Studio 11.2 and later is AllComps or -premultiply <yes|no>

AllLayerComps). Explanation:

This option was introduced in Anime Studio Pro 10.0. Premultiply alpha. The default is yes.

-aa -ntscsafe

Syntax: Syntax:
-aa <yes|no> -ntscsafe <yes|no>

Explanation: Explanation:

Antialiased edges. The default is yes. NTSC safe colors. The default is no.

-extrasmooth -variablewidths

Syntax: Syntax:
-extrasmooth <yes|no> -variablewidths <yes|no>

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Explanation: Explanation:

Variable line widths (only applies to SWF format). The The command above renders a single frame of the file
default is no. “MyScene.anime”, frame 124 (the start and end frames
are the same. The result is in PNG format. Since no output
file is specified, the output file will be same as the input file,
Examples but with an appropriate extension for the format chosen -
in this case the output file would be automatically named
Here are a couple of examples exports using the render
“MyScene.png”.
options:
Regarding QuickTime: When rendering from the command
Syntax: line, Anime Studio will use the codec and codec settings
Anime\ Studio\ Pro\ x64.exe -r MyScene.anime -o C:\output\
that you last used in Anime Studio’s Export Animation or
preview.mp4 -f “MP4 (H.264-AAC)” -start 12 -aa no -halfsize Batch Export dialog. So, to change the QuickTime settings
yes
used by the command line mode, you need to render a
Explanation: QuickTime movie (even a short, tiny one) in those dialogs,
entering the settings you wish to use.
Reading the options left-to-right, the command above will
render (on Windows) the file “MyScene.anime”, creating Other Options
the result “C:\output\preview.mp4”, in MP4 format,
starting at frame 12 (and continuing to the document’s Most of the following options are not directly exposed
end frame), with no antialiasing and at half the file’s normal within the user interface of Anime Studio, but can help
pixel dimensions. organize or change the quality of your renderered output:

Syntax:

Anime\ Studio\ Pro\ x64.exe -r MyScene.anime -start 124

-end 124 -f PNG

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-addformatsuffix -createfolderforlayercomps

Syntax: Syntax:

-addformatsuffix <yes|no> -createfolderforlayercomps <yes|no>

Explanation: Explanation:

Append the format name to the file name of the output If -layercomp is specified, the rendered file(s) will be
path. This option is not new. It was available in 9.5. I just created in a subfolder of the output path (-output) or
wanted to point it out here. An example of this is if you output folder (-outfolder). The subfolder’s name will be the
specified a format of “MP4 (H.264-AAC)”, the output file layer comp name (e.g. C:\output\LayerCompName\
would be named: MyAnimation-MP4 (H.264-AAC). MyScene.mp4). The default is no. This option was
mp4. The default is no. This option was introduced in Anime introduced in Anime Studio Pro 11.2.
Studio Pro 10.0.
-videocodec
-addlayercompsuffix
Syntax:
Syntax:
-videocodec <number>
-addlayercompsuffix <yes|no>
Explanation:
Explanation:
The number is the fourcc value for the QuickTime codec.
If -layercomp is specified, adds a layer comp suffix to the This option ONLY works with a format of quicktime (aka qt
rendered file name(s) (e.g. MyScene-LayerCompName. or mov). Here is a list of FOURCC codes, not all work with
mp4). The default is no. This option was introduced in Anime QuickTime:
Studio Pro 11.2.
http://www.fourcc.org/codecs.php

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The FOURCC code must be converted to a 32-bit integer 3 = High Quality

before being passed to the command-line. I’ll try and
4 = Max Quality
come back to this post and add the common values
for the FOURCC codes that QuickTime supports. Also in 5 = Lossless Quality
10.1, we will see about making -videocodec more user
Specifying -quality does not work with the
friendly so that you can specify something like “H.264” or
“QuickTime” presets on Mac. (e.g.
“Animation” instead of this ugly integer number.
“QuickTime (H.264-AAC)”)
Specifying -videocodec does not work with
the “QuickTime” presets on Mac. (e.g.
-depth
“QuickTime (H.264-AAC)”)

Syntax:
-quality
-depth <number>

Syntax: Explanation:

-quality <number>
The pixel depth of the export. This option ONLY works with
Explanation: a format of quicktime (aka qt or mov). The value defaults
to 24, but for some codecs like Animation that support an
The quality of the export. This option ONLY works with a alpha channel, you can specify a depth of 32.
format of quicktime (aka qt or mov). Quality is a number
Specifying -depth does not work with the
between 0 and 5. The default is 3.
“QuickTime” presets on Mac. (e.g.
0 = Minimum Quality “QuickTime (H.264-AAC)”)
1 = Low Quality
2 = Normal Quality

Appendix F: Command Line Renderer

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Examples Explanation:

Here are a few examples using these options: Again, all defined layer comps will be rendered, but
instead of separate folders, a suffix will be added to the
Syntax: output files to prevent a name collision. The output paths
Anime\ Studio\ Pro\ x64.exe -r MyScene.anime -layercomp
would be named this:
“AllComps” -createfolderforlayercomp yes
MyScene-Background.mp4
Explanation: MyScene-Character 1.mp4
MyScene-Character 2.mp4
All defined layer comps in the project file MyScene.anime
will be rendered in one pass of the renderer. If the layer And simply:
comps were named Background, Character 1, Character
2, the output paths will be named this: Syntax:

Background\MyScene.mp4 Anime\ Studio\ Pro\ x64.exe -r MyScene.anime -layercomp

“Character 1”
Character 1\MyScene.mp4
Explanation:
Character 2\MyScene.mp4
An alternative to -createfolderforlayercomp is Only the “Character 1” layer comp will be rendered.
-addlayercompsuffix: The name of the output file will be MyScene.mp4 as
-addlayercompsuffix and -createfolderforlayercomp was
Syntax: not specified.
Anime\ Studio\ Pro\ x64.exe -r MyScene.anime -layercomp
“AllComps” -addlayercompsuffix yes

Appendix F: Command Line Renderer

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Platform Notes Anime\ Studio\ Pro\ x64.exe -r file.anime

You need to use this command:
Anime\ Studio\ Pro.app/Contents/MacOS/Anime\
Windows Notes Studio\ Pro -r MyScene.anime
On Windows, the Anime Studio executable is named Or, if the Anime Studio folder is not in your path, use this
Anime Studio Pro x64.exe or Anime Studio Pro Win32. command (the full path to Anime Studio):
exe, but you can type in either “Anime\ Studio\ Pro\
/Applications/Anime\ Studio\ Pro.app/
x64”, “Anime\ Studio\ Pro\ Win32”, “Anime\
Contents/MacOS/Anime\ Studio\ Pro -r
Studio\ Pro\ x64.exe” or “Anime\ Studio\ Pro\
MyScene.anime
x64.exe”.
Other than that, Anime Studio runs very nicely in
Also, Windows GUI programs are normally unable to print
command-line mode on the Mac.
output to the command line. So, when running Anime
Studio in command-line rendering mode, you will need to
use the -log option
If you prefer a UNIX-style command line, try out the free
Cygwin tools, which include a bash shell for Windows:
http://www.cygwin.com/

Mac Notes
On Mac OS, GUI applications are wrapped up in
“bundles”. The Anime Studio application you see in the
Finder is actually a folder containing lots of little files. What
this means is that to run it from the command-line, you
need to do things a little differently. Instead of this:
Appendix F: Command Line Renderer
511 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Index
Allow Frame Skipping 440 Bind Points Tool 102
Audio Level 445 Bone Constraints 87
Blend Morphs 464 Bone flipping 87
Clear Animation 444 Bone Layers 124
Consolidate Layer Channels 440 Bone Menu Commands 430
Copy Current Frame 443 Flexi-Bind Layer 431
Symbols Enable Bone Dynamics 440 Flexi-Bind Points 431
Mute Audio 445 Freeze Pose 437
3D Axes Nudge Physics Object 444 Freeze Selected Bones 437
Showing and hiding 458 Rescale Keyframes 441 Freeze Visible Bones 438
3D Conversion Thickness 266 Reset All Layer Channels 440, 441 Hide Controlled Bones 434
3D Layers 135, 136 Restart Audio Track 445 Hide/Show Shy Bones 434
3D Shadows 211 Restart Movie 445 Make Smart Bone Dial 434
Select All Keyframes 441 Release Layer 431
A Set Layer Start Time
Track Layer to Video
441
444
Release Points
Reset All Bones
431
438
Acknowledgements485 Animations Reset Bone 438
Actions Exporting381 Track Bone to Video 434
Creating new 342 Anime Studio Discussion Forum 484 Bone-Only Channels 325
Deleting346 Anime Studio Web Support 484 Bone Physics Tool 102
Editing343 Applied Styles 265 Bone Strength Tool 99
Using344 Arc IK Solver 90 Bone Tools 85
Actions Window 341 Arrows49 Bonus Content 16
Activation Audio Layers 136 Downloading468
Automatic8 Audio Recording 340 Brush angle drift 256
Logging15 Audio Sync Sources 230 Brushes
Manual9 Audio Tab 229 Saving258
Add Bone Tool 91 Auto shading 201 Brush Tool 52
Add Point Tool 40
Ambient occlusion
Analytics information
201
407
B C
Animated Shape Order 222 Background color 360 Camera Channels 324
Animated Strokes 448 Batch Export Camera movements
Animation channels 323 Render Option Configurations 399 Layers immune to 206
Animation Menu Commands 439 Bend Points Tool 60 Camera Tools 176
Add Keyframe 443 Bind Layer Tool 101 Character Wizard 282
Align Layer with Camera 441

Index
512 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Arms287
Body Tab 285
-fewparticles504
-halffps504
D
Changing character views 283 -halfsize503 Deactivation
Clothing Tab 293 -layercomp504 Automatic13
Creating content for 306 -layerfx504 Manual14
Designing actions 304 -log503 Delete Edge Tool 50
Exporting views 284 -multithread503 Delete Shape Tool 72
Eyes290 -multithreaded503 Depth of field 360
Face Tab 288 -ntscsafe505 Layers immune to 206
Head289 -o501 Display Quality 185
Head props 291 -output501 Draw Menu Commands 420
Legs287 -premultiply505 Freeze Points 429
Making a character walk 298 -q502 Freeze Selected Points 429
Mouth290 -quality508 Freeze Visible Points 429
Movement Tab 291 -quiet502 Hide Shape 428
Nose290 -r500 Insert Text 421
Pants294 -render500 Lower Shape 422
Presets283 -shapefx504 Lower to Back 422
Proportions286 -start502 Peak421
Randomizing characters 285 -v502 Raise Shape 422
Rotating character views 300 -variablewidths505 Raise to Front 422
Shirt294 -verbose502 Random Line Width 421
Style Tab 295 -videocodec507 Reset All Points 429
Walk Cycles 296 Compositing Effects 200 Reset Line Width 421
Checker Selection 268 Content Folder Reset Points 429
Colorizing204 Creating17 Show All Shapes 429
Color Points 83 Maintaining276 Smooth421
Color Swatch 266, 267 Content Paradise 16 Snap to Grid 421
Command Line Renderer Crayon Trace Image 422
-aa505 Fill effects 251 Draw Shape Tool 47
-addformatsuffix 507 Create Shape Tool 65 Draw Tools 32
-addlayercompsuffix 507 Credits453 Drop Shadow 250
-createfolderforlayercomps507 Crop163
-depth508 Curvature Tool 43
-end502 Curve Profile Tool 77 E
-extrasmooth505
-f501 Edit Menu Commands 403

Index
513 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Clear404 Export as Version 10 File 358 Freehand Tool 44

Copy403 Export FBX 393
Copy Layer 404 Export OBJ 393
Cut403 Export POV 393 G
Normalize Layer Scale 404 Export Styles 394
Paste403 Gather Media 356 Gear448
Paste Layer 404 Import366 Gradient Fill Effects 248
Paste Relative 404 New351 Group Layers 123
Preferences406 New from Template 353 Group with Selection Layers 119, 124
Editor Colors 415 Open353
GUI Colors
Options Tab
416
407
Open Recent
Preview379
354 H
Redo403 Preview No Antialiasing 380 Halo Fill Effects 247
Reset Layer Scale Normalization 406 Quit402 Help Menu Commands 467
Select All 406 Save355
Select Connected 406 Save All 355 Welcome Screen 18
Select Inverse 406 Save As 355 About Anime Studio Debut 469
Select None 406 Upload to Facebook 394 About Anime Studio Pro 472
Undo403 Upload to YouTube 394 About Scripts 472
Effects Tutorials 282 Fill Color Override 254 Buy Content 468
Email Support 484 Fill Color Selector 243 Help467
Embedded script files 206 Fill effects 244 Online Tutorials 467
Eraser Tool 54 Fill Effect Settings 253 Register Your Product 468
Export as Version 9 File 357 Fill Enable 243 Tutorials467
Exporting Fill Properties 243 Welcome Screen 467
Still images 393 Fills Hide Edge Tool 74
Eyedropper158 Picking colors 80 Hide Selected Bones 434
Eyedropper Tool 73 Using two 81 Hold Durations 332
Working with 80 HSV modifier images 206
Fill Tools 62
F Flash

Facing a camera 206

Exporting389 I
Flip horizontally 202
File Menu Commands 350 Flip vertically 202 Image Layers 122
Batch Export 394 Follow Curve Tool 146 Image Masking 164
Close354 Following a path 205 Image Texture Fill Effects 249
Close All 355 Frame by Frame Layers 119, 131 Insert Text Tool 152

Index
514 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Interpolation Method 314 Layer Effect Channels 324 Layer Shading 210
Introductory Tutorials 16 Layer List 189 Layer Shadows 209
Layer Motion Channels 323 Layers Window 189
Layer opacity 201 Shortcuts493
J Layer Referencing 195 Layer Toolbar 192
Layers Layer Tools 141
JSON353 3D136 Layer Types 118
Aligning120 Legacy Effects 252
K Animated effects
Changing settings
199
191
Library270
Adding items to Favorites 276
Keyboard Shortcuts Colorizing204 Adding items to scene 276
Bone Tools 492 Copying and pasting 191 Adding items to the Library 277
Common492 Creating new 192 Categories271
Fill Tools 492 Deleting193 Controlling appearance 272
Timeline Window 492 Duplicating192 Creating new folders 276
Vector Layers 492 Hiding199 Creating subfolders 277
Keyframes327 Naming199 Deleting items 278
Adding329 Patch137 Deleting items from library 276
Coloring331 Rendering off 199 Detail Options 275
Copying and pasting 330 Reordering191 Displaying and hiding 275
Deleting331 Settings193 Display Options 272
Editing multiple 332 Types191 Favorites Tab 280
Hold durations 332 Layer Selector 151 Library Tab 270
Moving331 Layer Settings List Options 274
Pasting relative 404 3D Options Tab 231 Loading items 275
Selecting330 Bones Tab 236 Saving items to library 276
Transitions333 Depth Sort Tab 224 Searching279
Keyframe window 466 General Tab 196, 198 Tree Options 273
Image Tab 225 Line Width Tool 73
Masking Tab 214
L Motion Blur Tab 213
M
Note Tab 234
Layer blending 208 Particles Tab 231
Layer blur radius 201 Physics Tab 234 Magnet Tool 51
Layer Colors 194 Shadows Tab 208 Manipulate Bones Tool 95
Layer Comps 193 Switch Tab 230 Markers
Renaming194 Vectors Tab 220 Fine-tuning167

Index
515 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Masking
Tips and Tricks 216
P Render Option Configurations
Render styles
399
360
Media Support 496 Paint Bucket Tool 68 Reparent Bone Tool 98
Merge alpha 257 Pan/Tilt Camera Tool 177 Roll Camera Tool 177
Merge Strokes 47 Pan Workspace Tool 178 Rotate Points Tool 40
Morphs Particle Layers 132 Rotate Workspace Tool 179
Creating346 Particle Layer Tool 162 Rotating to face camera 206
Motion Graph 336 Particle-Only Channels 326 Rotating to follow path 205
Mouse Shortcuts 493 Patch Layers 137 Round End Caps 263
In Angle knobs 493 Perspective Points Tool 58
In numeric fields 493
Timeline Scrubbing 493
Photoshop S
Exporting from 378
Workspace Navigation 493 Importing files 373
Move Layer Tool 141, 146, 150 Scale compensation 205
Playback Buttons 185 Scale Points Tool 39
Multi-Brushes258 Point Reduction Tool 56
Creating260 Scatter Brush Tool 57
Points Script Menu Commands
Multiple Document Support 351 Translating37
Multiple layers Install Script 455
Poser Integration 370 Scripts Menu Command
Editing196 Poser tool 160
Multi-touch support 494 Other Popular Scripts 455
Preferences406 Scripts Menu Commands 446
Documents Tab 408 3D446
N Editor Colors 415 Auto-Scale446
General Tab 407 Cube447
Noise Tool 60 GUI Colors 416 Rotate X 447
Note Layers 135 Layers/Objects Tab 410 Rotate Y 447
Timeline Tab 411 Rotate Z 447
Tool Layout Tab 413 Torus447
O Tools Tab 412 Camera447
Product Comparison 474 Handheld Camera 447
Offset Bone Tool 100 Project Settings 358 Orbit Camera 447
Onion Skins 320 Draw
Orbit Workspace Tool 179
Origins R 448
Apply Sketchy Effect 448
Offsetting174 Auto Weld 448
Outline203 Real-time Media connection 369
Rectangles48 Polygon448
Ovals48 Simplify Curve 448
Registration16

Index
516 Anime Studio Pro 11
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Split Curve 449 Select Points Tool 33 Stroke properties 254

Star449 Select Shape Tool 62 Style Management 242
Toggle Legacy Curves 449 Sequencer333 Styles
Image449 Set Origin Tool 146 Importing367
Import Image Sequence 449 Shaded fill effects 245 Style Window 238
Layer Effects 449 Shapes240 Swatches266
Layer Trail 450 Shape Selection 241 Switch Layers 127
Magic Lines 450 Shear Layer Tool 150 Switch Layer Tool 162
Perspective Shadow 450 Shear Points Tool 59 Switch-Only Channels 326
RT: Break Apart Shapes 450 Shortcuts488 System requirements 6
Particle Effects 450 Show Path 94
Energy Cloud 450 Show Play & View Controls 459
Explosion450 Show Timeline Options 459 T
Rain451 Smart Bones 105
Smoke451 and Binding 116 Technical Support 484
Snow451 Creating an action 107 Discussion Forum 484
Sparkles451 Creating a second action 110 Email484
Scripting Documentation 455 Editing actions 111 Online Manual 484
Script Writing 451 Fixing transitions 112 Web sites 484
Alert Test 451 Other uses 116 Text152
Automation Test 451 Positive and negative values 435 Text Layers 140
Error Test 451 Smoothing Threshold202
List Channels 451 On Blob brush 54 Through Transparency 250
Load Data File 452 On Freehand tool 46 Timeline
Print Globals 453 Soft Edge Fill Effects 246 Animation channels 323
Print Moho API 452 Special tools 160 Showing and hiding 326
Print Test 453 Spinning Text 453 Condensing and expanding 311
Sound453 Spirals50 Consolidating channels 310
Bone Audio Wiggle 453 Stars49 Controlling time 311
Layer Audio Wiggle 453 Status Bar 185 Navigating with mouse 313
Visibility454 Stroke Brush Selector 255 Playing partial segments 322
Fade454 Stroke Color 255 Timeline Window 341
Wavy Fade 454 Stroke Effect 261 Toolbar183
Warp454 Stroke Effect Settings 263 Toon Settings 227
Black Hole 454 Stroke Enable 254 Track Camera Tool 176
Wavy455 Stroke Exposure Tool 75 Tracked Layers
Select Bone Tool 85 Stroke Line Width 261 Assigning172

Index
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Tracking Points Video Safe Zones 458

Adding166 Visibility in rendering 200
Adjusting sensitivity 172
Re-syncing168
Transform Bone 92 W
Transform Layer
Moving144 Window Menu Commands 463
Rotating145 Actions464
Scaling144 Audio Recording 464
Translate Points Tool 36 Docking463
Triangles49 Layers463
Library464
Poser Parameters 464
U Style463
Timeline463
User Manual 484 Tools463
Window Mode Indication 240
Windows
V Docking and undocking 187
Main Window 182
Vector Layers 121 Word Balloons
Vector-Only Channels 324 Creating158
Video Tracking Tool 165 Working area 182
View Menu Commands 456 Workspace Tools 178

Fade Unselected Layers 460

Design Mode 460 Z
Direction457
Enable Grid 457 Zig Zag 449
Enable Grid Snapping 458 Zoom Camera Tool 177
Enable Onion Skins 459 Zoom In 457
Grid Settings 457 Zoom Out 457
Reset457 Zoom Workspace Tool 178
Select Tracing Image 459
Show 3D Axes 458
Show Output Only 458
Stereo462
Timeline Channels 459

Index