Synfig Studio :: Documentation - User contributions [en]

Doc:How Do I

2007-07-02T12:18:11Z

SeparateSausages: Reverting BS

Feel free to add your own questions here. Or put them on the [[Wiki Wish List]].

__TOC__

== Apply a gradient to an object instead of the entire canvas? ==

# Create the region you want to fill with a gradient, and the gradient layer, if you haven't already.
# Make sure that the gradient layer is above the region layer in the [[Layers Dialog]].
# Select both layers, right click, and select [[Encapsulate]].
# Expand the new [[Inline Canvas]] layer if it's not already, and select your gradient layer.
# In the [[Params Dialog]] select the [[Blend Method]] parameter, and choose [[Blend Method#Onto|Onto]] from the drop-down menu.

The gradient will clip to the visible area of the region below it inside the [[Inline Canvas]]. (and any other layers in that section).

==Show or hide a layer, or fade the effect of a blur?==
In the [[Params Dialog]], look for an option labeled [[Amount Parameter|Amount]] - this controls how much of the blended result of the layer is composited with the blend of the layers beneath it.

In other words, for a typical layer, this will 'fade it out'. For a [[Blur Layer]] set to "[[Blend Method#Straight|Straight]]", this will fade ''between'' the blurred version and the unblurred version of the canvas. If you want it to become less blurry, adjust the [[Blur Layer#Size|Blur Layer's 'size' parameter]].

== Fill an outline? == (Requested by [[User:Karlb|Karlb]])

There are several options:
* The easiest way is to link a new region layer to the outline's shape.
*# Create the [[Outline Layer|outline]] you want to fill.
*# From the [[Layer Menu]] (either context-click on the [[Layers Dialog]] or use the [[Canvas Menu Caret]]) create a new [[Region Layer]]
*# Make '''sure''' that the [[Region Layer]] is above the [[Outline Layer]] in the [[Layers Dialog]] - this affects which layer's shape remains after the link.
*# Select both layers in the [[Layers Dialog]] This will display only the parameters shared by both layers in the [[Params Dialog]].
*# Context-click on the [[Vertices Parameter]], and select [[Linking|Link]].
*# The [[Region Layer]] will snap to the shape of the [[Outline Layer]].
* When you create an [[Outline Layer|outline]] with the [[bline tool]] that you intend to be a filled area as well, make sure you select the Fill checkbox in the [[bline tool#Options|tool options dialog]]. Obviously, this doesn't help much if you realise later that you needed a fill here.
* If you are using the [[draw tool]], there is a button at the bottom of the [[draw tool#Options|tool options dialog]] labeled "Fill Last Stroke", which creates a new [[Region Layer]] and links its shape to the previously drawn outline. Unfortunately, it doesn't work as of Synfig Studio v0.61.04
* Create a [[Region Layer|region]] with the same number of ducks, and manually link each duck. If you want a region that depends on multiple outline layers, this is really your only choice for now.

==Dock Together Windows?==

*To dock (join) separate windows into one you must drag the tab ''icons'' for each of the tools into another window.
*You can create subdivisions inside the windows by dragging the icons into the side tabs (located around the edges, the look like rectangles).
*Tool tabs inside the window can be arranged by dragging them on top of one another, therefore changing the order.

==Use an external Bitmap?==

* In the image menu (>) choose file-->import. PNG with alpha channel works fine.
* To animate it without accidental stretching, right-click on the layer and choose encapsulate. You can then animate the position of the new "Inline Canvas" layer instead of the bbox.

== Close a bline? ==

* Right click on the starting point and then click on loop bline.

Note: It doesn't work unless the initial point has a tangent - ie the first segment is curved.

Doc:Creating Shapes

2007-07-02T12:02:12Z

SeparateSausages: Reverted BS

(Draft) ''Note to the reader: This is still incomplete; please be patient.''

=== Introduction ===

Basic primitives such as circles or rectangles are all great, but they are pretty much geometrically inflexible. What about shapes? To do this, we use the [[bline tool]].

=== Headline ===

In Synfig, the construct for describing shapes is called a [[Bline]]. This is roughly analogous to a "path" in other programs, except that it is strictly a hermite spline.

When you click on the [[bline tool]], you will see that the ducks from your currently selected layer (if there was one) will disappear, but the layer(s) will still remain selected in the [[Layers Dialog]]. This is normal. Anything you create in the [[bline tool]] will be inserted above the currently selected layer. Keep in mind that if you want to insert a shape somewhere, you should select where you want to insert it before you go into the [[Bline tool]]—changing the selection afterward will automaticly swap you back to the normal tool.

If you take a look at the [[bline tool#Options|tool options]] dialog, you'll notice that the first things you see are three checkboxes. Make sure that only "Fill" AND "Outline" are checked.

First, go ahead and click on the "R" button in the lower left corner of the FG/BG color widget in the [[Toolbox|toolbox]]. This will reset us back to black and white. Also, go ahead and set the [[New Layer Defaults#Default Line Width|default line width]] (right next to the FG/BG widget) to something nice and thick -- 10pt should do the trick.

Clicking with your mouse in the canvas will place vertices. While you are placing a vertex, you can drag out its tangent by dragging the mouse. Do this over and over, and you construct a Bline.

Keep in mind, however, that during this construction, there is nothing stopping you from just moving it if you don't like where you placed a vertex or a tangent. Honest! If you want to remove a vertex, right click on it and delete it. Want to split the tangents? Right click on the tangent and hit "split tangents". Want to loop the bline? right click on the first vertex and select "loop".

So I assume you got your first Bline laid out like you want it. That's great. But we are still in construction mode -- the layers haven't been created yet. There are two ways to create the layers:
# just switch to another tool, or
# press the "create" button at the bottom of the [[bline tool#Options|tool options tab]] (it's the icon that looks like a gear).

For now, just go ahead and click on the [[normal tool]] because we are done with the [[bline tool]].

// Insert Figure about here

Ok, we now have a nice pretty white region with a thick black outline. Notice that there are two layers that we have created--the [[Outline Layer|Outline]] and the [[Region Layer|Region]]. Despite the fact that they are two separate layers, their vertices parameter has already been [[Linking|linked]]--so you can select either one and move its ducks around and the other one will also change.

If you want to manipulate the vertices after you have created the layers, it is very easy to do so. Just click on one of the layers and have at it. If you want to remove a vertex, right click on it and hit "Remove Item (smart)". Want to insert a point somewhere? Right click on the segment where you want to insert something and his "Insert item (smart)".

NOTE: The only major difference between this normal editing mode and the construction mode is in how you split the tangents--in construction mode you right click on the tangent itself. In normal duck editing mode, you must right click on the vertex that the tangents are attached to. This could be considered a usability bug, and it will be resolved at some point.

This may appear to be leading to a mess of layers. And yes, if you aren't using the software properly, that is exactly what you will get. But there is a way to make this more sane: Just study the [[Adding_Layers|previous tutorial]]

One quick thing to mention before I finish up. You can change the width of an outline at each vertex. You do this by selecting the outline layer (NOTE: you must select the [[Outline Layer]], the [[Region Layer]] has no width data) and tweaking with the width ducks. By default, these are masked. To show them, press Alt-5. Repeat to hide them again. You can also see other things to mask via the [[Canvas Menu Caret]] > [[View Menu]] > [[Mask Ducks Menu]].

That should give you enough of a grasp of the software to be able to figure out more stuff on your own.

FAQ

2007-07-02T10:54:42Z

SeparateSausages: Reverting BS

Many issues are documented in the [http://sf.net/tracker/?group_id=144022&atid=757416 bug tracker] and on the [http://www.synfig.com/download/ download] page.

* '''Missing icons'''? '''synfig/studio doesn't render anything'''? You probably compiled synfig with g++ 4.1 using optimisation level 2 or higher. g++ has a bug that prevents synfig from compositing the images properly. Please recompile synfig using ./configure --enable-optimization=0 or disable optimisation and then rebuild the the synfigstudio images. The binary packages for some GNU/Linux distributions are affected by this. [http://sf.net/tracker/?group_id=144022&atid=757416 Bug] #[http://sf.net/support/tracker.php?aid=1509627 1509627]
* '''synfigstudio can't find icons?''' '''I know they rendered fine, but they show up with red crosses everywhere''' This is #[http://sf.net/support/tracker.php?aid=1568925 1568925] that was introduced in SVN 180. Workaround is to set an environment variable at runtime like this: export SYNFIG_ROOT=/usr (or similar) or just install into /usr/local instead. Fixed in SVN r486.
* '''Why doesn't dyloxin talk on the [http://www.synfig.com/2005/12/29/synfig-irc-freenode-net/ synfig irc channel]'''? dyloxin is a bot that stores the [http://www.synfig.com/2005/12/29/synfig-irc-freenode-net/ synfig irc logs], not a human. It has no commands, so you won't get any response out of it either.
* '''I have a weird problem building from src, what's up?''' Your copy of pkg-config probably doesn't look in the right places for .pc files. If you are installing to /usr/local, try running "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/local/lib/pkgconfig" before building or installing anything.
* '''I'm using synfigstudio on a laptop, can't draw anything using my mouse. What gives?''' Try disabling the the touchpad from the input devices dialog. Unfortunately synfigstudio will not remember this setting so you have to do it every time you start synfigstudio.
* '''Why is everything yellow? / Why are all the colors wrong?''' This can happen when you switch between locales, due to a bug in version 0.61.05. It's fixed in the subversion repository (r228). To work around the problem, do the following: from the main window, choose File > Setup > Gamma and set all 3 sliders back to the default value of 2.2.
* '''Where'd the polygon, draw, sketch, and width tools go?''' They are disabled by default due to problems. Instead of the polygon tool, you should use the bline tool. Instead of the width tool, you should just modify the width ducks directly. The draw tool was never completed, is very buggy, and frustrating to use. Since the draw tool is being disabled, then we might as well disable the sketch tool too. You can re-enable them without recompiling by setting some environment variables:

<pre>
export SYNFIG_ENABLE_POLYGON=1
export SYNFIG_ENABLE_DRAW=1
export SYNFIG_ENABLE_SKETCH=1
export SYNFIG_ENABLE_WIDTH=1
</pre>

* '''Why doesn't walk.sif work?''' It's a known bug. If you can look at the code and figure out what's broken, we'd love to have a fix.
* '''The plant layer doesn't work/displays erratically/doesn't render. What's up with that?''' The plant layer should allow pictures [http://home.comcast.net/~pxegeek/synfig/plant11.JPG like this one] to be drawn, but again it has one or more bugs that prevent if from working correctly. Again, patches are welcome.
* '''Why does only the first frame of my animation render?''' You probably have '''Use current frame''' checked in the render dialog box.