Annotations

Improvements have been made to the Annotations tools and workflow introduced in the 2027 version of the Flame Family applications.


The Magnifier Tool

Use the Magnifier tool to zoom in on a specific part of the image. This is useful to highlight some details when adding an annotation.


Creating a Magnifier Annotation

To create a Magnifier annotation, either:

  1. Select the Magnifier tool in the Add Marker dialog window.

  2. Add the marker.

    or

  3. Select Magnifier in the drop-down associated with the Annotations Overlay button.

    or

  4. Click the Magnifier tool inside the Annotation Tools dialog window.

As with the Text tool, when the marker is created or when the tool is selected the magnifier appears over the image, in the form of a square.


Positioning the Magnifier Widget

To change the position of the Magnifier annotation, click inside its widget and move it to the desired location.


Changing the Size of a Magnifier Annotation

The size of the magnifier can be modified by either:


Changing the Zoom Value of a Magnifier Annotation

Once the Magnifier is positioned and set to the desired size, use the Zoom parameter to change the level of zoom inside the Magnifier widget.


Changing the Border of a Magnifier Annotation

It is not possible to change the width of a Magnifier annotation. However, it is possible to change its colour using the Colour parameter.

When the widget is selected, the border of the Magnifier is green and resizing handles appear at each corner. When the widget is not selected, the colour parameter is used for its border.


Presets

Annotations presets can be created in the Annotation Tools dialog window. They contain information about the tool selection, size, colour, opacity, text, and zoom.


Create a Preset

To create a preset:

  1. Select the tool and set its parameters to the desired values.
  2. Open the Presets drop-down.
  3. Select Add Preset...
  4. Set a name and a visibility for the preset.

Select a Preset

To select a preset:

  1. Open the Presets drop-down.
  2. Select a preset under the Shared or User sections.

When no annotation is selected, choosing a preset sets the tool and parameters used to create the next annotation. When an existing annotation is selected, the preset modifies its parameters but not the tool.


Delete a Preset

To delete a preset:

  1. Open the Presets drop-down.
  2. Select a preset under the Shared or User sections.
  3. Open the Presets drop-down again.
  4. Select Delete Selected Preset.

Hiding Annotations

Individual annotations can be hidden by clicking their corresponding eye icon within the Annotations tab of the Explorer.

To hide an annotation:

  1. Open the Annotations tab in the Explorer.

  2. Select the annotations to hide.

  3. Either:

    • Click the eye icon of one of the selected annotations in the list.
    • Select Hide in the Gear menu.

The annotations no longer appear in the Player or Viewport.

To show a hidden annotation, click the eye icon or select Show in the Gear menu.


Changing the Size With a Keyboard Shortcut

The Size parameter of the Freeform, Rectangle, Circle, Line, and Arrow annotations can be changed using the Annotation Brush Size keyboard shortcuts.

By default, the keyboard shortcut is assigned to the same keystroke as the Paint Brush Size keyboard shortcut in Paint.
Flame S + Drag
Smoke Classic Q + Drag

The size of the brush can be visualised using the green circle surrounding the cursor when an annotation can be created.


Populating the Text Field With the Content From Markers

Use the Annotation Text option located in the Players & Monitoring tab of the User Preferences to select the default characters of a Text annotation.

Select: To:
Use Marker Name Use the content of the marker's Name field.
Use Comment Name Use the content of the marker's Comment field.
Use Custom Text Have "Text" added by default.

This selection initialises the option in the Add Marker dialog window. However, it is possible to modify the value for the marker about to be added.


Creating a Freeform Stroke

These improvements have been made to enhance the writing of freeform strokes, preventing existing strokes from being selected when creating a new one: