Compositions
The Comps panel manages your document's separate animation timelines, called compositions (comps). Each comp has its own keyframes, render settings, and image format, all sharing the same scene geometry.
Open from View ▸ Comps, or choose Open Comps panel… from the comp selector in the Animation panel's transport row.
After unlocking the advanced UI, View ▸ New Panel ▸ Comps opens another Comps panel. Both panels manage the same compositions and active composition.
What a composition is
Every VIZid document starts with a single timeline — the master comp. You can create additional comps. Each one stores an independent set of keyframes, a work area, a playhead position, and image format settings, all over the same scene. This lets you keep multiple animation variations in a single file without duplicating the geometry or materials.
Switching the active comp replaces the Animation panel's keyframe data and restores that comp's previously saved view state.
The Comps list
The panel shows all comps as a list. The active comp is marked with a filled radio indicator.
To activate a comp: Click its radio indicator. Clicking the row body selects the comp for editing without activating it.
The Outliner's Compositions section also lists all comps; clicking a row switches the active comp.
Toolbar buttons:
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| New comp | Creates a new comp with default settings |
| Duplicate comp | Creates a copy of the selected comp; duplicating the master copies it into the first saved comp |
| Delete comp | Removes the selected comp; disabled for the implicit master or the last comp (with a reason shown) |
| Queue a render of this comp's range | Adds this comp's render range to the Render Queue |
Double-click a comp's name to rename it.
Comp settings
Selecting a comp shows its settings below the list in three sections.
Timeline
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Frame rate | 1–240 fps |
| Range in | First frame of the render range |
| Range out | Last frame of the render range |
| Camera | The camera this comp opens on, before any Sequence band camera cut takes effect |
| Environment | The environment preset active before any Sequence band environment key takes effect |
| Layer | The layer active before any Sequence band layer key takes effect |
| Work in | Start of the playback loop range |
| Work out | End of the playback loop range |
| Start label | The frame number shown for the first frame (display offset) |
Image
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Width | Render resolution in pixels (1–16384) |
| Height | Render resolution in pixels (1–16384) |
| Aspect | Standard aspect preset or Custom; adjusts width while keeping height. Choices: Custom, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 9:16, 3:2, 2:3, 21:9 |
| Ratio W / Ratio H | Numerator and denominator for a custom aspect ratio |
Image extras
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Through glass | Makes the background visible through glass materials; reflections and lighting remain |
| Roughness limit | Maximum roughness for materials that are eligible for background transparency |
| RGBA output | Export with an alpha channel instead of a baked background; use PNG or EXR formats |
| Passepartout | Opacity of the mask outside the comp frame (0–100%); at 100%, only the visible region renders |
| Match aspect | Sets the aspect ratio to match the current backplate |
| Short name | A short identifier for this comp; used by the {compshort} filename token in render output paths |
After Effects links
A comp can be linked to an After Effects composition. Link controls appear in the lower panel when the comp is selected:
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| Link to After Effects | Links this comp to an AE composition |
| Match frame rate | Syncs the comp's frame rate to the linked AE composition |
| Unlink | Removes the AE link from this comp |
AE links are shared across duplicates of a comp. See the AE Bridge page for setup.
Per-comp view state
The Animation panel saves each comp's state independently:
- Channel tree expansion and pin state
- Time view position and zoom
- Playhead position
- Sheet vs Curves mode and split state
Switching between comps restores the view state you last left, including the items above.
Comp selector in the transport
When Comps are enabled (the default), the Animation panel's transport shows a comp selector drop-down from the first comp. It lists all comps by name and provides:
- + New comp — same as the New button in this panel
- Duplicate comp — duplicates the active comp
- Open Comps panel… — opens this panel