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Moving to Combustion from After Effects, Part 3:
Page 2 of 3
Comp windows
Composition windows are collectively known as the Viewport in Combustion, and the best way to get you acclimated in the Viewport, as well as the other interface elements I'm going to dive into, is to show you where things are generally in Combustion and if any major differences come to mind for you to watch out for.[an error occurred while processing this directive]Where is it?
The Comp window/Viewport in either program has many subtle levels, not unlike Peter Venkman's laundry system. Let's examine a few of them:
Multiple views. Like most recent Adobe products, After Effects has a workspace preset menu, accessible either from the Window menu or by right-clicking in the Comp window (fig. 7, left), which you can use to activate multiple views of one or more comps. Combustion also provides this feature in the form of a button located in the navigation controls menu right below the Viewport (fig. 7, right). You're limited to the four presets Discreet gives you, however.
Flowchart. Both programs offer a flowchart view, which Combustion calls the Schematic. Whereas in AE you would click the flowchart button located at the top right of the Comp window (fig. 8, left), the easiest way to switch the active viewport the Schematic view in C2 is either by activating the Schematic button located next to the multiple view button (fig. 8, right) or by pressing the F12 key. Combustion's Schematic view is a tad more flexible than After Effects' flowchart view, but they are remarkably similar.
Zoom/resolution controls. Where After Effects has its zoom and resolution controls built into the bottom of the Comp window itself (fig. 9, left), Combustion provides these functions in different areas of the interface. The zoom controls reside in the built-in palette where we met our friends the multiple view and toggle Schematic buttons earlier (fig. 9, center), while the resolution menu resides below the Viewport on the right-hand part of the screen (fig. 9, right). Combustion again gets a slight nod in terms of flexibility with the addition of the Home and Pan buttons to further control precise viewing, but we're still in pretty similar territory between the two programs.
Safe Zones. The difference here is between clicking a button in AE (fig. 10, left), as opposed to selecting from the Window menu in C2 (fig. 10, right). Other than that, no biggee. You get identical little action- and title-safe lines in either case.
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 | | Figure 8 |
 | | Figure 9 |
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Main differences
You've probably noticed that the Comp window/Viewport won't throw you for too much of a loop if you're making the switch from AE to C2, but there are a few key points of differentiation that you might either love or loathe depending on your perspective.
Persistent information. Personally, I like how Combustion gives you a quick overview of whatever it is you're looking at in the Viewport (fig. 11), going beyond what you can simply glance at in After Effects.
Tabs. One big thing I miss from After Effects is the tabbed Comp window. I love being able to see what Comps I have open and active by glancing at the tabs (fig. 12), which Combustion just has no answer to (that I've found yet, anyway).
Filmstrip. One big thing I miss when I go back to After Effects is the Filmstrip, which is Combustion's combination timeline and preview window that sits in your Viewport (fig. 13). I'm almost to the point where I can't work without it.
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 | | Figure 12 |
 | | Figure 13 |
Toolbar
Both programs sport a toolbar where you have access to specific controls based on what you're doing. In the immortal words of Forrest Gump, that's all I have to say about that. I mean, it's a toolbar. Not too excitin'.
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