Animation Guide

Rayscaper can render high-quality animations by moving through your SketchUp scenes. This guide walks you through the complete workflow, from setting up scenes in SketchUp to exporting your final animation frames.

How Animation Works

Rayscaper’s animation system uses your SketchUp scenes (also called “pages”) as keyframes. When you render an animation:

1. Rayscaper interpolates the camera position between scenes
2. Optionally, it animates sun position and shadows between scenes
3. Each frame is rendered and saved as a numbered PNG file (e.g., animation_0000.png, animation_0001.png, etc.)

Scene 1 ──── transition frames ────> Scene 2 ──── transition frames ────> Scene 3

You can then combine these frames into a video using software like Adobe Premiere, DaVinci Resolve (free version available), or FFmpeg.

Step 1: Create SketchUp Scenes

Before you can render an animation in Rayscaper, you need to create scenes in SketchUp. Each scene captures a camera position that becomes a keyframe in your animation.

1. In SketchUp, position your camera where you want the first shot
2. Go to View > Animation > Add Scene (or right-click a scene tab and select Add)
3. Move to your next camera position and add another scene
4. Repeat until you have all the camera positions you want
5. You need at least two scenes to create an animation

Right-click a scene tab to access scene options including Add, Update, and Play Animation.

Tip

For smooth animations, create scenes with gradual camera movements. Large jumps between scenes can result in jarring transitions.

Configuring Scene Timings

Each scene has timing settings that control how long the camera stays at that position and how long it takes to move to the next scene.

To configure scene timings in SketchUp:

1. Open the Scenes panel (Window > Scenes or Window > Default Tray > Scenes)
2. Select a scene and click the Show Details button (small arrow icon)
3. Configure the timing options:
   • Delay: How long the camera stays at this scene (in seconds)
   • Transition: How long it takes to move to the next scene (in seconds)

You can also set default timings for all scenes:

1. Go to Window > Model Info
2. Select Animation from the sidebar
3. Set the default Scene Delay and Scene Transition times
4. Check Enable scene transitions to enable smooth camera movement

Model Info Animation settings. These defaults apply to all scenes unless overridden individually.

Including Scenes in Animation

Not all scenes need to be part of your animation. For each scene, you can choose whether to include it:

1. Open the Scenes panel
2. Right-click on a scene tab or select the scene in the panel
3. Check or uncheck Include in animation

The Scenes panel with properties expanded. Check “Include in animation” and “Shadow Settings” under Properties to save.

Only scenes marked with “Include in animation” will be rendered. You need at least two included scenes to create an animation.

Step 2: Configure Sun Animation (Optional)

Tip

If you don’t need animated sun/shadows, skip ahead to Step 3: Open the Animation Dialog.

Rayscaper can animate the sun position between scenes, creating beautiful time-lapse effects with moving shadows. This is useful for:

• Showing a building at different times of day
• Creating sunrise/sunset sequences
• Demonstrating how light moves through a space

Enable Shadow Tracking in Rayscaper

Before you can animate the sun, you must enable shadow tracking in Rayscaper. This creates a sun light that follows SketchUp’s shadow settings.

1. With Rayscaper open, go to Extensions > Rayscaper in SketchUp
2. Click Track SketchUp Shadows to enable it (a checkmark will appear)

Enable “Track SketchUp Shadows” in the Extensions > Rayscaper menu.

Caution

Without “Track SketchUp Shadows” enabled, Rayscaper will not display a sun light and the “Animate Shadows” option will not be available in the animation dialog.

Configure Shadow Settings per Scene

For sun animation to work, each scene must also save its shadow settings in SketchUp:

1. Open the Scenes panel and select a scene
2. Click Show Details to expand scene properties
3. Check Shadow Settings under “Properties to save”
4. Open the Shadows panel (Window > Shadows)
5. Set the date and time for this scene’s sun position
6. Right-click the scene tab and select Update
7. Repeat for each scene with different sun positions

The Shadows panel. Use the Time and Date sliders to set the sun position for each scene.

Caution

If “Shadow Settings” is not checked for a scene, that scene will not store its sun position. Make sure this option is enabled before setting the time in the Shadows panel.

Tips for Sun Animation

• For a full day cycle, create scenes at key times (morning, noon, afternoon, evening)
• The sun position interpolates smoothly between scenes
• Shadows will animate realistically as the sun moves
• Consider the time of year as well as time of day for accurate sun angles

Step 3: Open the Animation Dialog

Once your scenes are set up in SketchUp, you’re ready to configure the animation in Rayscaper.

1. Start Rayscaper from the SketchUp toolbar or menu
2. Go to File > Render Animation in Rayscaper’s menu
3. The Animation Rendering dialog opens

Open the animation dialog from File > Render Animation.

Step 4: Configure Animation Settings

The animation dialog has several sections to configure your render.

The Animation Rendering dialog with all configuration options.

Output Settings

Output Directory: Choose where to save the rendered frames. Click the Browse button to select a folder. Make sure the folder exists and you have write permission.

Filename Prefix: The base name for your frame files. For example, if you enter my_animation, frames will be named my_animation_0001.png, my_animation_0002.png, etc.

Animation Settings

Frames Per Second (FPS): Controls how many frames are rendered per second of animation time. Common values:

• 24 fps: Film standard, good balance of smoothness and render time
• 30 fps: Video standard, slightly smoother motion
• 60 fps: Very smooth, but doubles render time compared to 30 fps

Higher FPS means more frames to render. For example, a 10-second animation requires 240 frames at 24 fps, but 600 frames at 60 fps.

Animate Shadows: Enable this to animate the sun position between scenes. The sun will smoothly move from one scene’s shadow settings to the next, creating dynamic lighting changes.

Note

Animate Shadows only works if your scenes have “Shadow Settings” saved (see Step 2).

Use Frame Range: Optionally render only a portion of your animation. This is useful for:

• Test rendering a specific section
• Re-rendering frames that had issues
• Breaking a long animation into segments

When enabled, specify the Start Frame and End Frame to render.

Render Quality Overrides

These options let you override the normal render settings for the animation. This is useful for creating quick draft renders to preview your animation before committing to a full-quality render.

Override Resolution: Render at a different resolution than your current camera settings. Lower resolutions render faster.

Override Samples/Pixel: Use fewer samples per pixel for faster (but noisier) renders. Great for draft animations.

Render overrides expanded. Lower resolution and samples for faster draft renders.

Tip

For previewing your animation, try rendering at half resolution with 64-128 samples. Once you’re happy with the timing and camera movement, render again at full quality.

Scene Preview

The dialog shows a table of all scenes included in your animation with their timings:

The Scenes table shows each scene and transition with timing and frame information.

Column	Description
Animation Segment	The scene name or transition between scenes
Time (s)	Duration in seconds
Start Frame	First frame number of this segment
End Frame	Last frame number of this segment
#Frames	Total frames in this segment

This helps you understand exactly what will be rendered and verify your timing is correct.

Step 5: Start Rendering

Once everything is configured:

1. Review the estimated total frame count at the bottom of the dialog
2. Click Start Rendering
3. The dialog switches to show render progress

During Rendering

The progress view shows:

• Progress bar: Visual indication of overall completion
• Frame Number: Current frame being rendered
• Total Frames: Total frames in the animation
• Elapsed Time: How long the render has been running
• Remaining Time: Estimated time until completion
• Output File: Path to the most recently saved frame
• Overrides: Any resolution or sample overrides in effect

The progress dialog during rendering. Click Stop Rendering to cancel at any time.

You can click Stop Rendering at any time to cancel the animation. Frames that have already been saved will remain on disk.

Caution

Stopping and restarting an animation will overwrite existing frames with the same filenames. If you need to keep partial renders, rename or move the existing files first.

Step 6: Create Your Video

After rendering completes, you’ll have a folder full of numbered PNG images. To turn these into a video, you’ll need video editing or encoding software.

The output folder with rendered frames. Each frame is numbered sequentially.

Using FFmpeg (Free)

FFmpeg is a free command-line tool that can combine image sequences into video:

ffmpeg -framerate 24 -i animation_%04d.png -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p output.mp4

Adjust -framerate to match your animation’s FPS setting.

Using Video Editors

Import the image sequence into your preferred video editor:

• Adobe Premiere: File > Import, select first image, check “Image Sequence”
• DaVinci Resolve (free version available): Media Pool > Import Media, navigate to folder, select frames
• After Effects: File > Import > File, select first image, check “PNG Sequence”

Open Source Alternatives

• Kdenlive: Project > Add Clip, select frames, right-click and choose “Add Clip to Timeline”
• Blender: In the Video Sequence Editor, Add > Image Sequence, select frames

Set your project frame rate to match the animation’s FPS for proper playback speed.

Troubleshooting

”At least two scenes marked for animation are required”

You need at least two SketchUp scenes with “Include in Animation” checked. Open the Scenes panel in SketchUp and ensure at least two scenes are included.

”Output directory is not writable”

The selected output folder either doesn’t exist or you don’t have permission to write to it. Create the folder first, or choose a different location.

”Animate Shadows” option is not visible

The “Animate Shadows” checkbox only appears if you have Track SketchUp Shadows enabled in Rayscaper. Go to the Rayscaper menu in SketchUp and click “Track SketchUp Shadows” to enable it.

Shadows aren’t animating

Make sure:

1. Track SketchUp Shadows is enabled in the Rayscaper menu (in SketchUp)
2. Animate Shadows is checked in the animation dialog
3. Each scene has Shadow Settings checked in its properties
4. You’ve set different times in the Shadows panel for each scene
5. You right-clicked and chose Update after changing shadow settings

Animation is too fast or too slow

Adjust the scene delay and transition times in SketchUp:

• Increase Delay to hold on each scene longer
• Increase Transition for slower camera movement between scenes
• Lower the FPS setting for fewer total frames

Render is taking too long

For faster preview renders:

• Enable Override Resolution and use a smaller size (e.g., 960x540)
• Enable Override Samples/Pixel and use fewer samples (e.g., 64-128)
• Reduce the number of scenes or shorten transition times
• Use Frame Range to render only a portion for testing

Best Practices

1. Plan your camera path: Sketch out your camera movement before creating scenes
2. Use consistent timing: Keep transition times similar for smooth pacing
3. Test at low quality first: Always do a draft render before the final version
4. Save your SketchUp file: Scenes are saved with the model, so save before starting
5. Check available disk space: A 1000-frame animation at 4K can use several GB of space
6. Name scenes descriptively: Good names help you identify scenes in the animation table
7. Back up your frames: Copy rendered frames to a backup location before video encoding