Overview

All the show programming that relates to timelines, layers and content sequencing happes in Timelines and Timeline Editor windows.

In the Timelines window you can control and monitor Play state of all the Timelines and Timeline groups.

In the Timeline Editor window, you can edit Sections, Layers, and Markers of a given Timeline.

Hierarchy

Timelines and Timeline Groups in LightAct are organized in a hierarchical way.

• Timeline Group can contain one or several Timelines.

• Timeline can contain several layers, sections or markers. A Timeline can be only in one Timeline Group.

• Sections, layers and markers are elements within one Timeline.

Play controls

Every Timeline and Timeline group has its own set of play controls.

• Play: this play states means the playhead will continue advancing from left to right even over section borders.

• Play and pause: playhead will advance to the last frame of its section, then pause (hold).

• Play and loop: playhead will advance to the last frame of its section, then jump back to the first frame of that section.

• Pause: playhead doesn't advance, but the active layers are still executing.

• Stop: playhead doesn't advance. No layers are executing.

• Jump to previous: executes a jump to the previous section, marker or layer.

• Jump to next: executes a jump to the next section, marker or layer.

Timeline group Mode

Every Timeline group has a Mode property with 2 options:

1. Only one: this mode means that only one Timeline in this group can be in a Play state at the same time. If another Timeline switches to a Play state, all the other will switch to Pause.

2. Multiple: this mode means that the play states of Timelines in this group are completely independent.

Good to know: Only one mode is particularly useful with Timeline cross-fades.