Ani Frames

Converts a animated GIF or SWF (AS1, AS2 or AS3) into frame sequence. For the SWF animations it uses the runtime Flash player of the shoebox AIR application, meaning it supports just about everything a flash player can handle.

Video

Settings

The templates come with 2 JSFL (JavaScript Flash IDE) script templates that will generate script files. Each of those JSFL when executed on your computer will run a script inside the Flash IDE program.

FLA crop frames import script

This template will generate a JSFL script that will import each frame cropped into flash but reposition each frame to their alpha crop location so that it offsets in position based on the initial crop area. Before you execute the JSFL script, make sure that you have a Flash document openend with a valid timeline.

FLA color marker import script

This template will generate a JSFL script that will create a movieClip in your Flash IDE library and place it on each frame to the center of a tracked color in your frames. This script could be used to track motion in your AE or 3D renderings. Before you execute the JSFL script, make sure that you have a Flash document openend with a valid timeline.

• animationMaxFrames

A limiter to determine the maximum allowed frames to process.

• DataFileName

The filename of the data file, e.g. the filename of the JSFL script file.

• DataFormatLoop

Output format for the font data file, this is the looping part (for each frame). Dynamic Variables that are supported:

@url = the file url of the exported frame bitmap.
@fx = alpha cropped rectangle frame -x coordinate
@fy = alpha cropped rectangle frame -y coordinate
@fw = alpha cropped rectangle frame width
@h = alpha cropped rectangle frame height
@gx = the tracked color x-coordinate of the current frame.
@gy = the tracked color y-coordinate of the current frame.
@gvisible = wether the tracked color can be tracked on this particular frame.

• DataFormatOuter

Output format for the data file, this is the outer part that wraps around the loop. Dynamic Variables that are supported:

@loop = The DataFormatLoop part

• FileName

The file name for each indifidual bitmap frame to be exported. Dynamic Variables that are supported:

#### = dynamic digit that counts from 0 all the way up to the total amount of frames to export. The number of # characters determines the amount of digits.

• FramesAlphaCropGroup

Wether to crop all frames together as one group to their group's smallest alpha bounds of all frames.

• FramesAlphaCropIndividual

Wether to crop frames individually to their alpha bounds. If booth this and FramesAlphaCropGroup are turned off, no cropping is applied.

• TrackingColor

A 6 digit hex color that lets you specify which color to track in each frame. If you leave this field empty no color will be tracked (faster).

Example: Wolverine Animations

For the Wolverine Project "Tokyo Fury Live" that Soap worked on we used the ShoeBox to optimized rendered frames from 3dsMax to display faster on the Flash timeline list. A full breakdown of the project can be read here.

Example: SWF for After Effects

In this example a Flash animation was converted for After Effects. To save as an PNG frame sequence set saveSequence to true in the settings. Unlike the Flash IDE's export utility shoeBox actually supports nested movieClips and scripts such as timeline commands (stop, play, gotoAndStop/PLay,...) because it renders frame by frame all of the SWF animation's content.

The Flash animation was nested however in a movieClip on the main timeline the Flash main timeline length had only 1 frame duration. Thus we had to dertime the total amount of frames for the animation to export. This amount should then be set in the settings under "maxFrames".

Even exporting to HD footage shouldn't take to long, saving to the harddrive can however take a bit of time because of the encoding process.