Time Loop Layer
The TimeLoop layer can be used to repeat an animation over and over.
It has 2 parameters, Start Time and End Time. These parameters, like any other in Synfig can be animated, so that they change over time. This can be confusing, so make sure you aren't in Animate Edit Mode when working with the TimeLoop layer, unless you know what you're doing!
If the Start Time is later than the End Time, then the TimeLoop Layer doesn't do anything, it acts as if it wasn't there.
Otherwise, the TimeLoop layer makes time stand still until Start Time, and then to repeatedly loop through the first (End Time - Start Time) seconds of its child layers.
For example, suppose Start Time is 5s and End Time is 8s, and that the TimeLoop layer is applied over an existing animation. For the first 5 seconds, the TimeLoop layer will stand still, as if the time was 0s (or less) throughout. From 5s to 8s, the first 3 seconds of the child layer will play. Then from 8s to 11s, and from 11s to 14s, etc, those first 3 seconds of the child layer will play over and over again.
- Note - what actually happens is that for the first 5 seconds, time loops through negative times in the child layer, but since it is impossible (?) to animate anything at negative time points, this should be the same as the time staying at zero. It's not clear whether this is a bug, or whether any existing animations rely on this behaviour. This is how the mapping actually works:
- 0->-2 1->-1
- 2->0 3->-2 4->-1
- 5->0 6->-2 7->-1
- 8->0 9->1 10->2
- 11->0 12->1 13->2
- 14->0 15->1 16->2
- ...
Specifying a huge number for the End Time parameter effectively turns the TimeLoop layer into a TimeShift layer. The Start Time parameter controls the amount of the timeshift, with both positive and negative values working as expected.
