10 Replies Latest reply: Oct 13, 2014 3:59 AM by LARV

If I copy a symbol several times, will it slow down the animation?

LARV Oct 13, 2014 12:32 AM

Perhaps this is a dumb question.

I have a very simple symbol playing in my animation. It´s a little red dot that changes in size from 100% to 50% and then repeats.

I have copied (not duplicate from symbols pannel) this symbolt serveral times in the animation and plan to copy in loads more, maybe hundreds. Will this slow down the animation, or are all the dots working thru that first original symbol?

1. Re: If I copy a symbol several times, will it slow down the animation?

Robyn_cpl Oct 13, 2014 2:33 AM (in response to LARV)

It will probably slow it down, mainly if its running in a loop as well.

So do you have 1 of this symbol in the library but quite a few of them in the elements?
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2. Re: If I copy a symbol several times, will it slow down the animation?

LARV Oct 13, 2014 2:40 AM (in response to Robyn_cpl)

All of them are both in the library and in the elements panel.

I didn´t choose the import symbol-function, if it helps you to understand what I did. I just copied and pasted them, and then used the play command (the play-button) for each in the timeline.

Am I going about this wrong?
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3. Re: If I copy a symbol several times, will it slow down the animation?

Robyn_cpl Oct 13, 2014 2:48 AM (in response to LARV)

I'm guessing the animation is the same for every symbol?

If it is then I would just have 1 in the library and how ever many you need in the elements.
It makes like a clone symbol, where there are multiple symbols all pulling from the same symbol in the library. If you get what I mean.

This is useful for when you have an animation that you need to use again but the only problem is that any code within the symbol is copied as well. So if you need different code of each symbol in the elements then I would have separate symbol like you have it at the moment but I'm going to say it will have some problems with loading times.

Hope this helps
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4. Re: If I copy a symbol several times, will it slow down the animation?

LARV Oct 13, 2014 2:50 AM (in response to Robyn_cpl)

But how do I create just one symbol in the library and copy it into many on the artboard?
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5. Re: If I copy a symbol several times, will it slow down the animation?

Robyn_cpl Oct 13, 2014 3:06 AM (in response to LARV)

If you have your symbol in the library and the elements. Then copy and paste the one in the elements it will create a copy version.
The copied symbol will be called Symbol_1copy but then when you open it will be called the same as the one in the library.

It's hard to explain so I hope this helps
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6. Re: If I copy a symbol several times, will it slow down the animation?

LARV Oct 13, 2014 3:24 AM (in response to Robyn_cpl)

I managed to do that, thank you.

I understand after trying to manipulate the original symbol or one of the copies that if you change something in one of them, the same changes will be done in all those symbols.

If I want one of these symbols to do something different I have to duplicate the symbol in the library, correct? If so, then I understand this now
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7. Re: If I copy a symbol several times, will it slow down the animation?

Robyn_cpl Oct 13, 2014 3:31 AM (in response to LARV)

Yes that's correct
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8. Re: If I copy a symbol several times, will it slow down the animation?

LARV Oct 13, 2014 3:34 AM (in response to Robyn_cpl)

Nice! Thanks alot!
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9. Re: If I copy a symbol several times, will it slow down the animation?

resdesign Oct 13, 2014 3:55 AM (in response to LARV)

Let me add a clarification.If you duplicate a symbol in the elements panel when you change something in one of them, this change will occur in the other one too. These are instances of the same symbol.If you duplicate a symbol in the library, then if you change something in one, it will not affect the other one. You have created a new symbol. You now have 2 distinct symbols.
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10. Re: If I copy a symbol several times, will it slow down the animation?

LARV Oct 13, 2014 3:59 AM (in response to resdesign)

Yes, that´s how I interpreted Robyn.

Thanks!
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