Animation Tools

Animation X-Sheet

A digital exposure sheet for traditional and hybrid animators — plan timing, layers, sound sync, and frame-by-frame breakdowns the way animators have always worked.

Animation X-Sheet is a digital exposure sheet — a faithful recreation of the paper dope sheets animators have used for over a century, built for the browser and available as a standalone desktop build.

What is an exposure sheet?

An exposure sheet (or X-sheet / dope sheet) is the primary planning document in traditional animation. Before a single frame is drawn, animators use it to map out timing, layer names, dialogue sync, camera moves, and frame-by-frame action notes — giving the whole production a shared reference for how the scene plays in time.

What you get

Frame-by-frame planning

Map out every frame across multiple layers exactly as you would on paper.

Dialogue & sound sync

Break down phonemes and sound cues directly on the sheet alongside your drawings.

Traditional workflow

Laid out to match industry-standard dope sheets — familiar to anyone trained in classical animation.

Web & desktop

Run it in the browser or download the standalone build — no installation friction.

Who it's for

Anyone working in traditional or hybrid animation who wants the discipline of an exposure sheet without the paper:

Traditional animators moving to a digital pipeline but keeping classical timing methods.
Animation students learning to plan scenes properly before touching software.
Hybrid studios that need a shareable, editable planning document across the team.

Open Web App Download Build

Release Notes — v1.0.0

# 🗓️ Animation X-Sheet v1.0.0  
<sub>Initial public release • MIT-licensed • 2025-05-30</sub>

[![MIT License](https://img.shields.io/github/license/dshepstone/Animation_X-Sheet?color=green)](LICENSE)
[![Stars](https://img.shields.io/github/stars/dshepstone/Animation_X-Sheet?style=social)](../../stargazers)

> **Animation X-Sheet** is a _zero-install_ timing-sheet tool for animators.  
> Open **index.html** in any modern browser and start blocking shots, scribbling thumbnails, and exporting printable PDF sheets—no servers, no dependencies, no fuss.

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## ✨ Key Features

| Area | What you get |
|------|--------------|
| **Instant-load HTML app** | Works offline straight from the file system—perfect for studios with locked-down machines or classrooms with spotty Wi-Fi. |
| **Dynamic columns** | Add / rename / delete exposure columns on the fly (e.g., _Keys_, _Breakdowns_, _Audio_, _Notes_). |
| **On-sheet drawing layer** | Sketch thumbnails or arcs directly atop each frame with a pressure-sensitive brush (Wacom & Apple Pencil tested). |
| **Unlimited timeline** | Scroll indefinitely—export handler now paginates any sheet length without frame-250 cutoff. |
| **JSON save / load** | Save progress to disk and reopen later; collaborate by sharing the JSON. |
| **One-click PDF export** | Clean, full-resolution PDFs (multipage if necessary) ready for dailies or desk pin-ups. |
| **Dark-mode friendly UI** | Responsive layout, large touch targets, and OS-level dark/light detection. |

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## 📦 Download

| Package | Contents | When to use |
|---------|----------|-------------|
| **`animation_xsheet_build_v1.zip`** | `index.html`, `js/`, `css/`, `images/` | _Recommended_ – unzip anywhere and double-click **index.html**. |
| **Source code (zip)** | Auto-generated snapshot of `main` | If you want to read or modify the code. |
| **Git clone** | `git clone https://github.com/dshepstone/Animation_X-Sheet.git` | For contributors & power users. |

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## 🚀 Quick Start

```bash
# option 1 – download the ready-to-run build
curl -L -o animation_xsheet_build_v1.zip \
  https://github.com/dshepstone/Animation_X-Sheet/releases/download/v1.0.0/animation_xsheet_build_v1.zip
unzip animation_xsheet_build_v1.zip
open index.html          # or double-click in Explorer / Finder

# option 2 – clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/dshepstone/Animation_X-Sheet.git
cd Animation_X-Sheet
open index.html

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