Opening the Content Library

The content library that ships with Anime Studio can be opened using the Library button located at the top right corner of the interface. You can also use the Window, Library menu or the Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+L keyboard shortcut. This opens the Content Library palette, as shown in Figure 6.1.

The Content Library palette displays folder icons that match the folders on the hard drive located in the Library folder where Anime Studio is installed. You can also access the folders directly in a system window using the Help, Open Content Library menu command. This opens the Library folder (shown for Windows Vista in Figure 6.2).

Figure 6.2. The Library folder on the hard drive.

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One key benefit of the Content Library palette is that a thumbnail of each asset is displayed within the palette when opened. This can help ensure that you are opening the correct item. As you double-click a folder to open it, its name appears at the top of the palette, providing a way to navigate quickly back to the root level. Figure 6.3 shows the Movies folder open.

You can also use the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons located at the top right of the palette to increase or decrease the size of the content thumbnails. When a thumbnail is visible, you can double-click it to load it into the current scene.

There are many different category folders within the Library folder. The available folders include the following:

• 3D Objects: A small collection of 3D objects, including OBJ and MTL files.

• Action Words: Stylized words in starbursts such as Pow and Bang.

• Anime Studio 5: All the content included with the previous version of Anime Studio.

• Cartoon Solutions: A variety of different 2D objects and a rigged Rachel character.

• Characters: Includes three rigged characters including Jace, Thorn, and Thunder (a rigged horse).

• DK Toons: Several cartoon characters and props created by a user with the initials D. K. The folder also includes a number of audio files.

• Doors Windows: A collection of animated doors and windows.

• Images: A large collection of background photos such as beach, city, and street scenes.

• Mouths: Includes several PNG files of a mouth showing different phonemes that are designed for lip syncing.

• Movies: A collection of movies to use as backgrounds. The folder also includes several animated explosions and smoke effects.

• Particles: Includes several animated particle effects.

• Props: A small collection of cartoon objects, including dynamite, hammer, and rocket.

• Scenes: Contains a single desert island scene with multiple objects.

• Sound Effects: A folder of sound effects divided into several different categories, including cheering, noise, laughter, and whistles.

• Toon Props: Another small collection of cartoon objects.

• Vern Zehr: Includes a character named Fritz along with the detailed documentation on how to make him work.

Within each folder for each piece of content is a 128 by 128 PNG image file. This image file is named the same as the content file and is used as the thumbnail in the Content Library palette. You can change this thumbnail image file to whatever represents the content, but if the name doesn’t match the content file, then the thumbnail will simply load as an image file.

If a matching thumbnail image file isn’t found within the same folder, then a default icon is displayed in the Content Library palette.