Synfig

INTRODUCTION

Synfig Studio (also known as Synfig) is a free and open source 2D vector graphics and timeline-based computer animation program. Synfig is designed as a powerful industrial-strength solution for creating film-quality animation using a vector and bitmap artwork.

Synfig Studio eliminates the need to create animation frame-by frame, allowing you to produce 2D animation of a higher quality with fewer people and resources. Synfig Studio is available for Windows, Linux and MacOSX. Synfig can render to video formats such as AVI, Theora and MPEG, as well as animated graphics formats such as MNG and GIF. It can also render to a sequence of numbered image files, using formats such as PNG, BMP, PPM and OpenEXR.

Synfig supports a multitude of layers of various types; geometric, gradients, filters, distortions, transformations, fractal and a few others. Full-featured bone system allows to create cutout animation using bitmap images or control your vector artwork.

Please see the associated text box of individual spoken tutorials on the website to decide the versions of software and OS to which it is applicable.

The Spoken Tutorial effort for Synfig is contributed by Saurabh Gadgil, Arthi Anbalagan and Shital Joshi from the Spoken Tutorial Project and is supported by Nancy Varkey from IIT Bombay.

Learners: High School and UG/PG students who wish to learn animation.

Basic Level

1. Bouncing ball animation
   • Synfig Interface
   • Menu bar
   • Standard toolbar
   • Toolbox
   • Parameters panel
   • Keyframes panel
   • Time track panel
   • Layers panel
   • Draw basic shapes
   • Fill color
   • Animate a ball using squash effect
   • Add key frames and way points
   • Render output in gif format
2. E-card animation
   • Steps to open Synfig
   • Save a file
   • Draw a basic shape
   • Import various png format images
   • Steps to animate the images
   • Steps to animate the text
   • Importance of naming layers appropriately
   • Preview the animation
   • Render the animation in avi format
3. Draw a Toy train
   • Draw BG
   • Save the file
   • Draw trapezium for compartment
   • Resize using Transform tool
   • Draw circles for wheels
   • Group & duplicate the wheel objects
   • Group & duplicate the compartment objects
   • Draw rectangle for engine
   • Group the engine objects
   • Draw railway belt
   • Align shapes using Guideline
   • Preview the animation
   • Render the animation in avi format
4. Animate a Toy train
   • Open previously created Train file
   • Change angle parameter in Synfig
   • Give Rotation effect to the wheels
   • Time Loop demonstration
   • Similar animation in all the other objects of the train
   • Waypoints are created on the Time track panel
   • Preview the animation
   • Render the animation in avi format
5. Plant animation
   • Draw and animate shapes
   • Group layers
   • Use of Spline tool
   • Add a vertex by using Insert item
   • Use of the option "Loop Spline"
   • Mark active point as On/off option
   • Split tangent
   • Animate the shapes
   • Preview the animation
   • Render the animation in avi format
6. Logo animation
   • Do Mirror object
   • Logo animation in Synfig
   • Draw using Spline tool
   • Spherize effect
   • Use Text tool
   • Change angle parameter
   • Change color parameter
   • Save the file
   • Preview the animation
   • Render the animation in avi format
7. Basic bone animation
   • Open Synfig-character file
   • Create groups for each part of the body
   • Create master-group
   • Add bones
   • Add child bones
   • Explanation about the various coloured dots in the bone
   • Attach bones to body
   • Animate the bones
   • Preview
   • Render
8. Cutout animation
   • Cutout animation in Synfig
   • Import an image in Synfig
   • Duplicate the image
   • Name the layers
   • Use the Cutout tool on that image
   • Mask the image
   • Adjust the nodes of mask
   • Rotate the mask
   • Animate the cutout shapes in Synfig
   • Save and render the file in Synfig

Contributors and Content Editors

Arthi, Nancyvarkey, PoojaMoolya