Why won't this symbol loop

Saola Animate Support Questions
1

Problem: Can’t get simple symbol to loop…

Saola Animate version: 3.0.0

OS: Windows 10

Notes:

I converted a simple square shape to a symbol, opened the symbol to edit it’s timeline and placed a trigger at the end of the symbol’s timeline to make it loop, but it only plays one time, then stops, what am I doing wrong. ( I have attached the project for inspection )

BLINKING SYMBOL LOOP.saolapack (3.5 KB)

2

Not sure why it won’t loop. I tried to fiddle with your example.
Several have said it is better to use timelines instead of going inside a symbol. Anyway, I did it using a timeline. I still had the same problem you did, but after fiddling around i got it to work. Not sure if my way is the best practice (still a newbie). boxFade using timeline.saolapack (1.9 KB)

3

Hi Bill_Mac,

Thanks for the reply. I just discovered something by accident.

  1. Draw the element on the canvas like I did in my example.
  2. Right click the element and choose convert to symbol like I did.
  3. Double click the converted element (now a symbol) to open its edit window showing it’s timeline and put the effects and trigger at end of timeline to make it loop, which I did. Close edit window.
  4. Back on the canvas with symbol selected check the option under properties to “Autoplay” which I also did, but at this point it does not loop, so…
  5. I deleted it off the canvas and then dragged it back on to the canvas from the resources panel, then clicked “Autoplay” again, and boom, it loops when you do it that way? I don’t understand why? :confused:
4

Must be a glitch. I did what you said, and it worked for me too (your file).

5

Oh good, I am thinking like you just said, could be glitch I have found or, maybe its just required to do it that way for reasons I don’t understand yet. Hopefully ToanLe and one of the others from Atomi can make more sense of it, but at least I can make a symbol loop now, I was getting worried. Gotta have my looping symbols! :grinning:

1 Like
6

The triggers are wrong in both of your examples. You are not starting the timeline, you need to use the play Timeline From trigger set at 0.

7

I tried it that way too before I posted but it still will not work. The only way it works is if I:

Create a shape on the canvas, right click it and convert to Symbol. Edit the symbol and put the trigger on the Symbol’s timeline ( can be play from or start either one ) but it will not work until I delete it off the canvas and drag a copy back on from resources panel, then it works / loops.

8

Apologies start from works fine. I’ve been doing something different as I didn’t realise that there was an autoplay for the symbol (I used the play event). I think it does work though. Try this:

  1. Draw the element.
  2. Convert to symbol BUT don’t enable playback.
  3. Edit the symbol and add timeline event at end to start the timeline again.
  4. In main document, select symbol element on canvas and click autoplay in properties panel.

image

I’ve always done steps 1 -3 but use the play symbol event instead of the autoplay option.

If your symbol has playback, it only plays once. So don’t use this:
image

9

Hi all,

A playback animation added to a timeline will syncs with that timeline (except playback animations of elements show across multiple scenes). It means that if the timeline pauses, changes speed or jumps to another timestamp, the symbol/media with the playback animation will pause, change speed, or jump accordingly.
In Locky’s sample, the main timeline of the main document completes and pauses at the end of the playback animation. It makes the symbol pause so the symbol doesn’t loop. If you add a label or another animation to extend the main document timeline duration, you’ll see the symbol loop and pause at the new end time.
image

To make an infinite loop, you can use the symbol Autoplay property, or add a trigger at the start of the main document timeline to start the symbol.

image
image1081×263 14.8 KB

Because when you convert the element to symbol, Create Playback option is selected by default. So don’t select this option as mackavi pointed out.

You should at a trigger at the start of the main timeline to start the boxFade_TL timeline. Don’t use Play event because this event will be trigger each time the main timeline changes its state from pausing to playing.

Regards

1 Like
10

Thanks Toan and mackavi I see now how to make it loop, I had tried what mackavi said but I was somehow confusing “Don’t create playback” with “AutoPlay”, and kept missing the part about “Don’t Create Playback”, when I do that, it loops! :slightly_smiling_face: