Tutorial Video

The following video gives a short introduction on how to create a basic animation in Noble 2D^FX. It shows how to build an animated scene using existing images.

Documentation

The documentation is generally available directly inside the application. It can be exported to an *.RTF document and printed as you see fit.

File Types

The following file types are generally available in the editor.

• *.work: The editor file type when editing an animation. It contains all the uncompressed data.
• *.toon: An internal format for animated comics (used in our apps).
• *.clip: An internal format for animated movies including sound (used in our apps).
• *.film: An internal format for animated movies excluding sound (used in our apps).
• *.pict: A static image format (used in our apps).
• GIF: Animated image format that can e.g. be used in browsers.
• MP4: A movie file format that can be played on the computer or uploaded to e.g. YouTube.

Data can also be exported in a raw format that allows integration into engines. It includes a PNG image and a text file with animation instructions.

Integration

Animations can be exported in RAW format and integrated into existing third party applications as follows.

The editor will write several files as follows.

1. *~export.png: Contains the full image texture that is used for the animation.
2. *~export.ani: A text file with animation instructions.
3. *~export.f__.png: The animated frames. They are not needed for reproducing the animation. That said, you might need them otherwise.

With the exported texture and animation instructions, the animation can be reproduced by yourself. The animation instructions are in the following format.

// line breaks added for clarity
movie {r}x [: {t0}-{t1} ({xs},{ys})=>({xt},{yt})
                         {ws}x{hs}[=>{wt}x{ht}]
              [{argb} [{sat} [0x{opt}]]]
           ]* : end@{te}

{r} : number of repetitions. 'x' for infinite
{t0} : start time in ms of frame (inclusive)
{t1} : end time in ms of frame (exclusive)
{xs} : texture source-x
{ys} : texture source-y
{xt} : screen target-x
{yt} : screen target-y
{ws} : texture source width
{ht} : texture source height
{wt} : screen target width (if scaled)
{hs} : screen target height (if scaled)
{arbg} : coloring in HEX-ARGB (if given)
{sat} : saturation in HEX 00-ff (if given)
{opt} : misc. optional HEX bits 00-ff (if given)
{te} : duration of animation in ms