Animations in RixSlides are the timing layer of a deck: entrance, emphasis and exit effects control how each element arrives and leaves, motion paths send elements traveling across the slide, and the AnimationPane keeps the whole sequence under your control. Transitions work one level up, between slides — including morph, the effect that glides shared elements from one slide into the next. All of it is native .pptx animation, stored in the file and rehearsed in SlideShowView before you ever stand up.
The three effect families
Each family answers a different narrative moment:
| Family | Job | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance | Bring an element in | Reveal bullets one click at a time |
| Emphasis | Highlight what is there | Pulse the key number mid-sentence |
| Exit | Remove an element cleanly | Clear a solved problem before the next |
| Motion path | Move along a route | Walk a product across the slide to its spot |
The discipline that separates competent decks from noisy ones: effects serve the story. A build that reveals one point per click keeps attention where you are speaking; twelve effects on one slide splits it.
Build a sequence in the AnimationPane
The AnimationPane is the timeline of the current slide:
- Select an element and apply an effect — it appears in the pane's list.
- Reorder effects by dragging; the order is the click order.
- Set each effect's start: on click, with previous, or after previous.
- Adjust duration and delay for pacing — 0.3 seconds feels brisk, 1 second feels deliberate.
- Press F5 and rehearse; adjust until the build matches how you talk.
A workable default for content slides: entrance on the headline with the slide, entrances on bullets on click, no emphasis unless the narration calls for it. Deck-wide consistency reads as professionalism; per-slide improvisation reads as noise.
Motion paths
Motion paths animate an element along a drawn route — the tool for anything that must travel:
- Select the element and add a motion path.
- Draw or adjust the route on the canvas; endpoints snap to positions.
- Set duration in the AnimationPane, and pair it with an entrance if the element must appear first.
Classic uses: a product image sliding from a problem slide's corner to center stage on the solution slide, a token moving along a process flow, a point tracing a line chart as you narrate it.
Transitions between slides, and morph
Transitions are per-slide settings — how each slide arrives:
- Simple cuts and fades keep a business deck disciplined.
- Pushes and wipes suit section boundaries, marking a change of scene.
- Morph is the showpiece: on a slide whose elements continue from the previous one, morph interpolates the shared elements — objects glide to new positions, text resizes, images grow. One transition replaces what used to need a dozen motion paths.
A strong morph pattern: duplicate a slide, move and enlarge the element you want to focus, apply morph to the duplicate. The audience watches the deck zoom into the detail you are about to explain.
Animation discipline for the big room
- One build logic per deck — if bullets appear on click, all of them do.
- Morph for movement, effects for moments, never both competing on one slide.
- Rehearse with a clicker; the AnimationPane's click order is your script.
- Export a PDF handout knowing it flattens all timing — the handout shows final states, which is exactly what a reader needs.
Rehearsal and the show
Animations only prove themselves in SlideShowView. Click through the whole deck as the audience will, watching for effects that outpace your narration or pile up at section boundaries. Presenter view gives you the current slide, the next slide and your notes while the show runs — the safety net that makes confident clicking possible.
What to explore next
- Presenter view to run an animated deck from stage.
- Charts and SmartArt for the visuals worth building on click.
- Audio, video and 3D to time media into the sequence.