The Animation Properties pane provides detailed editing capabilities of an animation's keyframes and overlays. The pane has three tabs, Keyframe, Overlays, and Configuration. Use the Keyframe tab to edit properties captured from the active state of the map or scene (camera, time, range, or map and layer settings). Use the Overlays tab to customize the appearance of 2D text, dynamic text, image, and shape overlays in the animation. Use the Configuration tab to adjust default settings for newly created keyframes.
Open the Animation Properties pane
Under Map, on the Animation tab, click Properties 
in the Edit group to open the Animation Properties pane.
Selection is an important part of editing keyframes and overlays. A keyframe or overlay must be active (selected) before you can edit it. You can edit the properties for a single selected keyframe or a group of keyframes; however, you can only edit one overlay at a time.
To select a keyframe or group of keyframes, do one of the following:
- In the Animation Timeline pane, click a keyframe along the timeline or from the keyframe gallery. They are the same keyframes, just different representations. Both will display the default selection color as an outline. Use Ctrl to add or remove from a selection set.
- Use the Keyframe List drop-down menu in the Edit group on the Animation tab.
- On the Display tab, activate Edit Current Keyframe and click Edit Next or Edit Previous to iterate through the keyframes. The corresponding keyframe number will update in the Animation Properties pane to verify you have the keyframe for which you want to edit properties.
To select an overlay, do one of the following:
- In the Animation Timeline pane, click Select the next overlay in the animation
. This selects the next overlay in the animation whether it is currently visible or not. - In the Animation Properties pane, select the Overlays tab and click any overlay in the list.
Keyframe tab
The Keyframe tab populates with the properties of the selected keyframes. The tab consists of two sections: an upper section containing the controls for editing the timing and transition properties, and a lower section listing detailed keyframe properties. For example, you can change the time, length, transition type, and camera path for the selected keyframe, which may be important to improving the motion of the camera and ultimately the final animation. The lower section also uses columns to manage which properties are enabled or ignored (inactive) for the keyframe.
Camera properties
A keyframe captures and stores the state of the camera as it is created. These properties include the camera's position (X, Y, and Z) viewing direction (heading, pitch, and roll) and a field of view (FOV) angle. These properties can be updated individually on the Keyframe tab in the Animation Properties pane. Each editable property also contains a customizable transition type (fixed, linear, hop, step, or hold).
Tip:
Values for pitch, roll, and field of view angle only apply to scenes and are ignored in maps.
To edit camera properties, complete the following steps:
- Click the category title to expand the list of editable properties. All properties are selected by default and appear highlighted.
- Click the individual property to edit, for example, X. You can type directly in the row box or use the text box that appears in the upper part of the tab.
- To move a property item into the Ignore column, click the blue arrow that appears when you hover over the item.
The ignored (inactive) property is not used in playback or export until you return it to an enabled state.
Time properties
When a map has a time extent, both the minimum and maximum time values are read from the time slider and stored within your animation's keyframes. The Keyframe tab allows you to edit either of these values, or indicate that time should be ignored for the selected keyframes.
Tip:
When interactively appending time-aware keyframes, they use, by default, a linear transition to play through time at a consistent rate. However, if you use Import > Time Slider Steps to create keyframes, a stepped transition is applied.
Range properties
Maps with an active range extent have their current minimum and maximum values read from the range slider and stored in the keyframes. You can view and update these values on the Keyframe tab in the Animation Properties pane, or choose to ignore range for the selected keyframes.
Tip:
As with time, interactively appended range-aware keyframes use, by default, a linear transition for a consistent play rate through the range. If you click Import > Range Slider Steps instead, a stepped transition for the keyframes is used.
Layer properties
A keyframe captures and stores the visible state and transparency value for every layer in the map as it is created. In global and local scenes (3D), it also captures the vertical exaggeration and cartographic vertical offset for each layer, plus additional properties specifically for voxel layers. The Keyframe tab allows you to edit these values, or indicate whether a layer's state should be ignored for the selected keyframes. Swipe properties control the experience for overlapping layers on a keyframe. For example, you can visually compare two layers side by side in one keyframe, or animate a layer moving through a series of keyframes.
- Click the Layer category title to expand the list of editable layers. All layers are selected by default and appear highlighted.
- Expand the individual layer to show the editable properties.
- Check or uncheck a layer to change the visible state.
- Set an optional transparency value.
Use decreasing transparency values in successive keyframes to fade layers in, or increasing values to fade layers out.
- For layers in a 3D scene, change their vertical offset or exaggeration.
- For voxel layers in a 3D scene, change properties such as the data-filter range and the visibility of voxel slices.
- Optionally, provide a swipe direction, Down, Up, Left, or Right, and a percentage value for completion. A value of 50% for one keyframe is midway through the keyframe. Overlapping layers appear side by side this way. If you want the layer to move, you need to set swipe layer properties on at least two keyframes. For example, on the starting keyframe, set the layer's swipe direction as Left 0%. Repeat the process for the next keyframe to Left 100%. The swipe effect will transition between the two states. The keyframes do not have to be consecutive.
- To move a property item into the Ignore column, click the blue arrow that appears when you hover over the item.
The ignored (inactive) property will not be used in playback or export until you return it to an enabled state.
Tip:
When you edit layer properties for a keyframe, the map view will not update. Layer properties for a keyframe belong to an animation, not the map. Use the Preview Frame pane to see your changes reflected or play back the animation.
Analysis properties
The 3D exploratory analysis objects for scenes are captured with your animation's keyframes. If you create a line of sight, viewshed, view dome, or slice, they have configurable animation properties to show interactive analysis feedback. For example, create a viewshed and append a keyframe to capture the current state of the scene including the viewshed.
In the Animation Properties pane, under the Analysis category, expand Viewshed and edit its properties. Append a second keyframe to capture the updated viewshed. When you play the animation, the viewshed sweeps across the scene and provides feedback for visible and nonvisible areas.
Configurable parameters for exploratory analysis objects include the x-, y-, and z-values for the observer point, heading (rotation), and tilt angles, the x-, y-, and z-values for applicable target objects, width and height for a viewshed's field of view or slice plane, and the minimum and maximum distance range to analyze from the observer.
Surface properties
A keyframe captures and stores the vertical exaggeration and elevation data sources for each surface in a scene. The Keyframe tab in the Animation Properties pane allows you to edit these values or indicate whether the properties should be ignored for the selected keyframes.
- Click the Surface category title to expand the list of elevation surfaces and data sources participating in your animation. All layers are selected by default and appear highlighted.
- Expand an individual elevation surface further to show properties such as the following:
- Elevation data source name—Check or uncheck display visibility.
- Vertical Exaggeration—Enter a new value.
- Swipe Direction—Set a direction (Down, Up, Left, or Right)
- Swipe Percent—Enter a value for how far across the view the swipe extends. A value of 50% for one keyframe is midway through the keyframe. Overlapping layers appear side by side this way. If you want the layer to move, you need to set swipe layer properties on at least two keyframes.
- To move a surface into the Ignore column, click the blue arrow that appears when you hover over the item.
The ignored (inactive) property is not used in playback or export until you return it to an enabled state.
Overlays tab
An animation can contain 2D text, dynamic text, image, and shape overlays for added detail and information. All overlays that exist for the animation are listed in the Overlays tab whether or not they are visible for the current time. The Overlays tab has the following capabilities for editing overlay properties:
- The overlays appear in the display order of the overlays in the animation. This is important when you have multiple overlays appearing simultaneously and you don't want one blocking another.
- Nonvisible overlays appear grayed out in the list. If you select a nonvisible overlay from the list, it flashes in the map view and appears briefly. Nonvisible overlays can still be edited or reordered the same as any overlay currently visible.
- Icons label the type of overlay in the list so you can distinguish between various overlays such as titles, paragraphs, images, and shapes.
- Any selected or active overlay has buttons that appear when you hover over it.
- Click the edit button
to edit the text for the overlay. - Click the zoom button
to go to the current time where that overlay is first displayed. - Click the delete button
to remove the overlay from the animation.
- Click the edit button
- Change the time an overlay appears.
- Change the appearance duration of an overlay.
- Change the position of the overlay in the view by choosing a preset position or manually moving the overlay by clicking Adjust Position.
- Modify appearance settings for an overlay element including scale, width, and height values.
- Ungroup a folder of grouped overlays.
On the Overlays tab, click the Properties tab to modify the additional appearance and formatting of any existing title and paragraph text.
Configuration tab
A keyframe has configurable settings that influence how each new keyframe is added to the animation.
These settings are Append Time, Maintain Speed, and Append Front. Adjust the value for Append Time to change the default time spacing used between keyframes. Each keyframe you create is appended to the animation at that new value. Use Maintain Speed to create keyframes that maintain the travel speed between them. This means keyframes that are spatially close together transition at the same speed as keyframes that are spatially far apart. You can check Append Front to append keyframes to the start of your animation instead of at the end.
When using Maintain Speed, there are two additional factors to consider when creating keyframes:
- Camera rotation—Maintain Speed doesn't account for camera rotation. As the camera moves through space, the rotation of the camera can create the illusion of speed. To minimize this effect while using Maintain Speed, reduce the number of changes in camera rotation along the animation path.
- Closeness to the ground—As you move over the surface of the earth, the camera appears to move faster when it flies closer to the ground. Consider using a consistent height above the ground to reduce this effect, or slow down the overall duration of the animation.
Additionally, expand the Insert section to change the default hold time used for a keyframe with a hold transition.