This page provides information about the Time Controls in Chaos Anima.
Time Bar
The time bar is found at the bottom of the interface. It has all the controls you need to play and simulate your animation, set the time span of the simulation, the framerate, and the playback speed. This interface can also be used to generate preview videos.
Play – Click on the play button to preview the animation.
Playback Range Start - Click and drag this marker to set the starting point of the playback range. When previewing the animations will loop within the range set using these markers.
Current Frame Marker – Shows the current frame number and position. Click and drag this marker to scrub playback.
Playback Range End – Click and drag this marker to set the starting point of the playback range.
Time Setup options – Click this button to open the Time Setup options. Use these to set framerate, duration, playback speed, and preview render size.
Playback Modes
Compute and Play – Use this mode to playback the animation in the 3d viewport. In this mode walkways, areas and other helper objects are visible.
Compute and Play in Preview Mode – Use this mode to playback the animation in the 3d viewport. In this mode walkways, areas and other helper objects are hidden.
Compute and Generate Video – Use this mode to generate a video file of your animation in AVI format. The resolution of the video file can be set from the Time Setup options (see below). Once a file has been created you’ll be asked if you want to open the previews directory where the file is saved. In this mode walkways, areas and other helper objects are hidden.
Time Setup
Total Frames – Use this parameter to set the animation’s duration in frames. When you adjust this property the Total Time value will also update based on the current framerate.
Total Time – Use this parameter to set the animation’s duration in seconds. When you adjust this property the Total Frames value will also update based on the current framerate.
Playback Speed – Use values larger than 100% to speed up the animation and values less than 100% to slow it down.
Framerate – Set a custom framerate.
Framerate Preset – Choose a framerate from a list of common standardized presets.
Video Quality Preset – Choose the resolution of the preview file produced when using Compute and Generate Video mode. Options are low (360p), medium (720p), high (1080p) and UHD (4k).
Time Remapping Effects (Slow-Mo & Time Lapse)
Sometimes you might need to create slow motion or time-lapse effects to create a stronger visual impact. With Anima, you have the tools needed to create these effects through a simple slider.
Anima designer and the plugins use independent timelines. Therefore, the playback speed parameters cannot be synchronized with Alive Synchronization. To modify the playback speed in your 3D application, please use the corresponding parameter of the plugin interface.
Follow these steps to modify the playback speed in Anima:
Go to the Time Setup options located in the lower right corner of the Anima screen.
Click the Settings icon and the Time Setup window will appear.
To achieve the desired effect, you can adjust the Playback Speed by dragging the slider or entering a specific number for greater precision.
The default value 100% will always play back at normal speed.
Reducing the value below 100% creates a slow motion effect. In this example the playback value is set to 10%.
Increasing the value above 100% will create a time-lapse effect. In the above image we have set the playback value to 500%.
