CelAction2D features

 

General

  • Easy to learn
  • Fast to use
  • Ergonomic controls
  • Handles massively complex projects with thousands of layers with ease
  • Use vectors or bitmaps or both simultaneously
  • User-definable workspace, floating and dockable panels, works great with multiple monitors
  • User-defined shortcut keys
  • Works on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, on both 32 and 64-bit versions
  • Works on Intel Macs using Boot Camp, Parallels or VMWare
  • Multiplane camera features
  • Store multiple named views of the Scene
  • Select elements in any window, all other windows update automatically
  • Show just the levels and elements you are working on, to make complex scenes easy
  • Context-sensitive help file stored locally, not online
  • Create a palette from 16 million colours
  • Uses multiple processors to preview animation at high quality while you continue working
  • Studio Edition - Simple-to-use Macro language for automating functions

Workflow and collaboration

  • Drag & drop assets into Scenes
  • Customizable directory management
  • View Scene information without loading it in
  • Shortcut keys, macros, and colour palettes can be stored externally so all users can benefit
  • Scene history shows who worked on a Scene and when
  • Customizable AutoSave option

Import and Export

  • Import images from PSD, AI, SVG, TGA, TIF and PNG files (preserves layers from PSD, AI and SVG files)
  • Import image sequences from AVI, MOV, TGA, TIF and PNG files
  • Import sound from WAV files
  • Export TGA, TIF, PNG, AVI, MOV and SWF files
  • New in version 3.5! - Import Swatches from Illustrator to use as Palettes

Vectors

  • Use Illustrator SVG files, layers supported, layer names preserved
  • Handles millions of vertices visible on each Frame
  • Gradients supported
  • Quadratic Bezier lines used, accurate to 7 decimal places - the most accurate vectors in use today
  • Scale vector elements without limitations
  • Update drawings easily after they have been animated
  • Stroked lines supported, keeping their relative width when items scaled up or down
  • Convert vector shapes into deformable, morphable objects
  • Create user-defined vector shapes and animate using bezier control handles
  • New in version 3.5! - Palettes for vectors

Bitmaps

  • Use PSD files, layers supported, layer names preserved
  • Handles thousands of bitmaps visible on each Frame
  • Import Video sequences for reference or compositing
  • Import bitmaps up to 60Mpixels in size (e.g. 30000x2000 or 10000x6000)
  • Work with lower resolution automatically to speed up animation
  • Update drawings easily after they have been animated
  • Studio Edition - Unique proxy file system allows animators to work off site without access to original bitmaps

Libraries

  • Store and re-use animation between characters
  • Store and re-use effects and effects animation
  • Store and re-use function curves
  • Import animation easily from other scenes
  • Store a colour palette, and use an eye dropper to pick a colour from anywhere on the screen, even from other programs
  • New in version 3.5! - Global vector palettes

Animation

  • Use mouse/pen and keyboard to position cameras and elements
  • Automatically inbetween skeletal movement
  • Use Forward and Reverse Kinematics to pose characters easily and quickly
  • Move, Rotate, Squash, Stretch, Mirror, Flip
  • Use motion paths for smooth movement
  • Import motion paths from Illustrator paths
  • Over 20 types of onion skins
  • Animate effects integrating with character animation
  • Have unique effects list for every element on every Frame
  • Scrub animation with sound using mouse
  • Display user-defined safe areas on work screen
  • Reparent elements on a frame-by-frame basis
  • Use function curves to automate value changes
  • Use mathematical equations (in-built and user-defined) to create unique property value changes
  • Display order of elements easy to change and animate
  • Mirror or flip whole animation sequences easily with a single intelligent function
  • Copy animation of whole characters or just parts of them to other characters easily
  • Set sequences of drawings and automatically paste them into a selection of frames
  • Advanced Inverse Kinematics allows easy and accurate posing
  • Constrain element rotation to make realistic movement
  • Ability to move Parent elements without moving Child elements
  • New in version 3.5! - Unlimited guides to animate to
  • New in version 3.5! - Animate blends between two palettes

Rigging

  • No limit to number of elements
  • Swap element drawings easily
  • Fast rigging
  • Link unconnected elements together to automate animation tasks
  • Studio Edition - Use templates to create many similarly-constructed actors easily
  • Studio Edition - Categorize elements for easy selection and viewing

Dope Sheet

  • Traditional Exposure Sheet format - shows more elements and properties per frame simultaneously
  • See multiple sound waveforms graphically beside Dope Sheet
  • Add notes and colour key poses to any frame for easy reference
  • Copy and paste poses
  • Stretch and squash timings of frame ranges (turn singles to doubles or doubles to singles, etc.)
  • Simple or expanded Dope Sheet shows just the information you need
  • New in version 3.5! - Unique Ranger allows intuitive and fast manipulation of Dope Sheet

Rendering

  • Use multiple Cameras
  • Render to any resolution or aspect ratio, including PAL, NTSC, HDTV and film
  • Render to SWF for mobile or web
  • Support for interlaced field rendering
  • Reduce Interlace Flicker option
  • Render with user-defined information unique to each Frame for checking
  • Option to split rendering into levels for easy compositing in 3rd party software
  • Batch rendering, distributed across Network

3D

  • PlusOne module - Import 3D CGI models (OBJ, B3D and X formats)
  • PlusOne module - Position any model or animation in a full 3D environment
  • PlusOne module - Full 3D motion for cameras and objects in a scene
  • PlusOne module - 3-D stereoscopic output
  • PlusOne module - Real-time 3-D stereoscopic feedback and set-up - using 3-D glasses
  • PlusOne module - Parallel, Off-Axis and Convergence settings for 3-D stereoscopic output
  • PlusOne module - Real-time display using OpenGL or DirectX

Effects

  • Advanced frame-by-frame effects lists allow unprecedented power
  • Animate any parameters of effects over frames quickly and easily
  • Real-time feedback on effect parameter changes
  • Distort effects on vectors work on the original vectors, they don't pre-rasterize them, meaning you keep maximum quality
  • Colour effects:
    • Additive
    • Blend - Colour Burn, Colour Dodge, Darken, Difference, Exclusion, Hard Light, Lighten, Multiply, Overlay, Screen, Soft Light
    • Brightness
    • Colour
    • Colour Balance
    • Contrast
    • Gamma Correction
    • Grey
    • HSL
    • Hue
    • Luminance
    • Silhouette
    • Tint
    • Replace Colour
    • Replace All Colours Except
    • Saturation
    • Negative
    • Opacity
  • Blur effects:
    • Blur (Radial, Directional, Horizontal, Vertical)
  • Shadow effects:
    • Cast Shadow
    • LightWrap
    • Drop Shadow
    • Shadow
    • Studio Edition - Backlight
    • Studio Edition - Offset Shadow
    • Studio Edition - RimLight
    • Studio Edition - RimShadow
  • Distort effects:
    • Distort Quad
    • Pinch
    • Shear (Horizontal, Vertical)
    • Taper (Horizontal, Vertical)
    • Wave (Horizontal, Vertical
  • Mask effects:
    • Mask
    • Overlay
    • Colour Key
  • Image processing effects:
    • Median
    • Outline (Centre, Inner, Outer) with gradients
    • Sharpen
  • Duplication effects:
    • Source (Element, Level, Camera)
  • Palette effects:
    • New in version 3.5! - Palette Mix
    • New in version 3.5! - Palette Colour

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