Your first frame
is closer than you think.

A first animation in five steps.

1. Open StykAnimate. Explore the included First steps scene, or choose File → New animation. The main canvas is your stage.
2. Choose a figure and make a pose. Click a figure, then drag one of its movable joints. Its origin moves the whole figure.
3. Keep the pose. In Simple mode, use Add to store the next frame. In Advanced mode, add a keyframe, move along the timeline, and make your next pose.
4. Play it back. Press Space. Adjust the poses or their timing until the movement feels right.
5. Save your project. Press Ctrl + S and save as .styk. Use Export when you want a video or image you can share.

You can choose Simple or Advanced timeline mode in Settings. The timeline guide explains which one to try first.

One joint. Plenty of possibilities.

Movable joints are red, figure origins are orange, and unselected handles are blue. Click a figure to select it, then drag a joint to change its pose. Hold Ctrl while dragging a joint to stretch it.

Pose a branch

Double-click a joint to select its descendant branch and attached figures. Double-click an origin to select connected figures. Hold Shift to add to a selection.

Build a figure

The separate Rig tool changes the figure definition, including construction joints. Add lines, circles, joint-bound polygons, text, or sprite parts. Split or remove joints, duplicate a branch, and change the origin as you build. Undo and redo are available as you work.

Hold R for pose-local Handle Edit, or Ctrl + R for its fixed-point mode. Rig editing and pose editing have different scopes: save before making large structural changes.

Start simple. Add control.

Simple mode

Use a sequence of frame thumbnails, inbetween sliders, and Add, Update, and Discard controls. Add stores a new frame; Update replaces the stored frame with your working pose. Discard returns to the stored pose. This is a familiar starting point if you have animated in Pivot.

Advanced mode

Use independent figure layers, Scene and Camera tracks, and separate pose and property keys. Edit frame ranges, add blank keys, or adjust one property while preserving the others.

Both modes support native timing, clipboard operations, and Insert Inbetween. Move or resize the Timeline, Layers, and Properties panels to suit your screen.

Keep it editable. Then share it.

Choose Export to see the formats supported by your current environment. Some scene features cannot be represented in older formats; save the original .styk project before exporting.

Keep your hands in the flow.

Open Help → Keyboard shortcuts for the in-app reference. Shortcuts apply when the canvas or relevant editor control has focus, rather than a text field.

Save a project. Keep a way back.

Save writes an editable .styk project to a location you choose. Save As creates a separate copy. Saving a project imported from Pivot does not silently overwrite its original PIV file.

The desktop app keeps recovery data in your Windows user profile and can offer restoration after an interrupted session. Recovery is a fallback, so keep deliberate project saves and backups too. Preferences and panel positions also persist between sessions.

Help the next version feel better.

Open Settings → Privacy & diagnostics (Edit → Preferences…), or the same entry in Help. Usage analytics and diagnostics are separate choices and both start off. The panel lets you review the data, change your choices, export a copy, request deletion, and report a problem.

Send a useful problem report

1. Describe the steps that led to the problem.
2. Explain what you expected and what happened instead.
3. Say whether it happens every time and which app version you used.
4. If you need a reply, email the support contact listed in the privacy guide. Avoid personal or confidential information in your report.

Investigate a slowdown

Choose Record 30-second trace in the privacy and diagnostics panel, then reproduce the slow operation. Detailed tracing can affect timing while it records. The trace is saved locally and is never uploaded automatically. Review it before sharing it deliberately.

Routine diagnostics summarize timings, memory, and sanitized errors. They do not include artwork, document text, paths, screenshots, or raw error messages. Read the full data and privacy guide.

Stay with the latest beta.

The release page shows the latest published version and notes. The app links to the same release service. Save your work before closing the current version and installing a new package; beta updates are not silently installed.

Only the Windows x64 desktop download is offered at this stage. Other platforms and a browser edition are future work.