Timeline Editor

While editing a scene, you can open the timeline editor via the "Timeline" button on "Home" tab within the ribbon menu. Within the editor, you can customize the active visualization states across all visualization tracks.

Components

This section will focus on the various components within and around the timeline editor.

Timeline Document

Timeline document refers to the timeline that is being edited within the timeline editor. It is where the timeline tracks and blocks are being displayed. The left side shows the names to each track, and each track can has multiple blocks arranged on it.

Timeline Ruler

On top of the tracks, there is a ruler that shows you the segmentation of the timeline in beats and bars. Each minor tick represents a beat, and each major tick represents a bar. When playing a scene, the beats are synchronized to the detected beats from the live audio processor.

Visualization Tracks

Each visualization within the scene has a corresponding timeline track.

Visualization State Blocks

Each visualization timeline track can have multiple visualization state blocks arranged on it, defining in which temporal sequence these states are being updated and rendered.

Timeline Modifier

These modifiers allow controlling the timeline flow while running the scene. These modifiers are visualized at the timeline top and run across all tracks. When activated, they affect all tracks simultaneously.

Stop Modifier

Stop modifiers allow you to halt the timeline position at the location of the stop modifier, until its condition is fulfilled. The condition is configured via a boolean node network, which you can open by double-clicking on the stop modifier head.

Ribbon Menu

While the timeline document tab is open and active, the ribbon menu gives you more options within the "Editor" tab to interact with the timeline.

Position Marker

The current position of the running scene is visualized by a vertical white line across all timeline tracks.

Interactions

In this section, we will discuss various ways how you can interact with the timeline editor.

Horizontal Scroll

You can scroll the timeline horizontally by clicking and holding the middle mouse button within the timeline document and dragging it into a horizontal direction.

Zoom In/Out

Zoom in/out within the timeline by holding the CTRL-key and rolling the mouse wheel up/down.

Select Track

Select a track within the timeline by either clicking on one of its containing blocks or anywhere within its vertical span.

Select Timeline Modifier

Select a timeline modifier by clicking on it.

Select State Block

Select a block on a timeline track by clicking on it.

Change Position

You can change the current timeline position by clicking on the ruler at the desired position.

Add State Block to Track

To add a new visualization state block on a track, select the track, click on "Add Block > State Block" within the timeline ribbon menu. This will open a dialog, asking you to select a state from the corresponding visualization of the selected track.

Once you have selected the state you wish to add as a block, click OK. This will allow you to select a range within the timeline track, which defines where it will be placed. Move your mouse to the position within the track, where you want to add the new block. Click and hold your left mouse button to adjust the length of the new block. Releasing the mouse button will create the block on the defined position with the given length.

While in this block placement mode, you will see a live preview of how the new block will be placed.

Resize State Block

Blocks can be resized by clicking and holding the left mouse button over the right edge of a block and dragging it horizontally to increase/decrease the blocks length. Release the mouse button to set the new block length.

Move State Block

To move a block, click and hold the left mouse button over the middle of a block and drag it horizontally. You will get a live preview of how the block will be placed under your cursor position, once you release the mouse button.

Delete State Block

Select the block you want to remove and press the DEL key to delete it.

Play/Stop Scene

You can run and stop a scene via the "Scene" ribbon menu. While running the scene, you will not be able to edit the timeline.

Add Stop Timeline Modifier

Add a stop modifier by clicking on the "Stop" button in the "Add Modifier" group within the "Timeline" ribbon page on top. This will initiate the placement of the stop modifier. Move the mouse to the location, where you want to add it and click to place it.

Open Stop Timeline Modifier Condition

You can open the condition, which is defined with a boolean node network, of a stop modifier, by double-clicking its head at the top of the timeline. This will open the condition within a Binding Editor.

Move Timeline Modifier

You can move a timeline modifier by clicking and dragging it across the timeline.

Delete Timeline Modifier

First select the timeline modifier you want to delete, then press the DEL key to delete it.