Preset moves
Four blocks of preset moves on one page. Idle loops and Hinge in full.
Preset moves is the only page under Moves in the Animate list. Its line reads Available animations and previews. The page holds four blocks, one under the other: Walk & run and Gestures (whole-fig moves, see Walk & run and Gestures ), Idle loops (one part), and Hinge (one part, on a tap). This page covers the layout every block shares, then Idle loops and Hinge.
A fig with no parts shows one line: Add parts first, under Add.
A block
Every block has the same parts.
- The head reads the block’s name and its state: none yet, on, or the moves that are on (Walk, Roll on, Sway on Tail · 2 more).
- ▶ Play is in the head when the block has a move to play. Use it to play the move on the stage; it becomes ■ Stop. Play and Stop change nothing that is saved.
- Move is a dropdown of the block’s moves. It reads Choose one until you choose. A move applies as you choose it. A move that is on reads on in the list. Choose None to remove the block’s moves from the fig.
- The move’s settings are under Move. Each block’s last dropdown is Starts.
A move the fig cannot do stays in the list, greyed, with the reason beside it. Choose it and the block gives the full reason and offers the fix. See Walk & run and Gestures for the reasons and the fixes.
Idle loops
An idle loop is a repeating motion on one part, with no keyframes. The block’s line reads A repeating motion for one part.
- Use Move to choose the loop: Sway, Bounce, Float, Wiggle, Jiggle, or Spin.
- Use On to choose the part. The list names each part with its role (Cube 3 · Head) and the loop it has. A tap on the fig chooses the part too.
Choose a loop with no part chosen and the loop waits: Sway is applied to the part you choose. Choose the part and the loop starts at once. With a part and no loop the line reads Tail has no loop. Choose one under Move.
A part holds one loop under Move. Choose another to switch. Choose None to remove the loop, and its second loop with it. An idle loop adds on top of any keyframes or whole-fig move the part has (a leg that bounces keeps bouncing while it walks).
The loops
- Sway rocks side to side about its pivot.
- Bounce hops in place with a small squash.
- Float rises and falls.
- Wiggle curls and uncurls along the part. It needs a bend area and sets one itself. A part that cannot bend is refused: This part is too small to wiggle. Try Sway.
- Jiggle squashes and stretches in place.
- Spin rotates about one axis, without stopping.
On a flat part the block adds a line: A flat part can shiver too: Playback & physics › Paper › Ripple. See Playback & physics .
The dials
- Amount sets how far the loop moves. 100% is where a loop starts. Spin has no Amount.
- Speed sets how fast the loop repeats. On Spin, Speed is how fast it turns.
- Bend point (Sway and Wiggle) runs from Feet (the whole part rocks) to Head (only the top moves). A part that cannot bend reads This part is too small to bend.
- Around (Sway) is a switch, Side or Front. Side tips the part front and back. Front tips it side to side. A part more than twice as wide one way as the other starts rocking along its wide side.
- Feel (Bounce) shows on a part that is attached to another part. Hop lifts the whole part. Flex keeps the base in place and stretches the part up from it. A part attached to another starts on Flex.
- Squish (Bounce) sets the squash. It hides when Feel is Flex.
- Wander (Float) adds a drift, from None.
- Lean (Spin) tilts the spin, from Upright to 30°.
- Around (Spin) is a switch for the axis it spins about: Up, Side, or Front.
Stagger
When other parts do the same loop, a Stagger dropdown sets their timing: In sync (all at once), Wave (spread through the cycle in order), or Random (each on its own phase).
Starts
Starts is a dropdown: Always, On touch, or Paused. Always plays the loop all the time. On touch waits for a tap in Showtime or a scene: On touch: a tap starts it, and the next tap stops it. Paused keeps the loop and stops it: Paused. The motion is kept. ▶ Play on a paused loop takes it off Paused.
And also
Use And also to add a second loop to the same part. The dropdown lists None and the other loops. Choose one and the part does both: Sway and Float play together. The second loop has its own dials, Its amount and Its speed (a second Spin has Its speed only). Choose None to remove it.
Matching parts
When other parts share the chosen part’s size, the block offers Apply to N matching parts. Tap it and each of them takes the same loop, each on its own phase.
Hinge
Hinge is for a part that rotates about one edge when tapped: a lid, a door, a jaw. The block’s line reads A part turns around one edge when tapped. Choose the part, then the edge.
- Use On to choose the part, or tap it on the fig. A part that has a hinge reads hinged in the list.
- Use Edge to choose the edge it turns about: Left, Right, Top, or Bottom. Until you choose, the line reads Lid: choose the edge it turns about. The hinge is set as you choose: The hinge is set. Flip direction reverses the swing.
- Starts is On touch or Paused. In Showtime and in scenes, a tap opens the part and the next tap closes it.
- Flip direction reverses the swing.
- Save the open position as a pose keeps the open position as a saved pose named Open, so a scene can hold a copy open without a tap. The tap-to-open motion stays. See Poses .
- Remove the hinge from Lid removes the hinge. The part’s pivot stays where it was.
▶ Play in the block’s head opens and closes the part on the stage.
Hinge replaces any other motion the part has. The app asks first: Hinge replaces its Sway. Replace it?
See also
Playback & physics sets the frame rate and the ease of every move, and adds Springy, Swish, and Paper on top. Move sets plays saved poses, gestures, and loops as steps in order. Keyframes on one part are at the foot of that page, with their own Starts: Always, On touch, Once, or Open.