Animation Patterns

Core animation recipes for the Excalimate MCP server. Apply these patterns to any Excalidraw diagram to create professional animated reveals, flows, and presentations.

Animatable Properties

Property	Range	Default	Use
opacity	0–1	1	Fade in/out
translateX	pixels	0	Horizontal slide
translateY	pixels	0	Vertical slide
scaleX	0.1+	1	Horizontal scale
scaleY	0.1+	1	Vertical scale
rotation	degrees	0	Spin
drawProgress	0–1	1	Arrow/line stroke draw-on

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The 5 Core Animation Patterns

Every diagram animation is built from these five primitives. Combine them to create complex choreography.

1. Fade In

The simplest reveal — element appears from transparent to opaque.

[
  {"targetId":"el","property":"opacity","time":0,"value":0},
  {"targetId":"el","property":"opacity","time":500,"value":1,"easing":"easeOut"}
]

Adjust duration 300–800ms depending on element size. Shorter for small icons, longer for large shapes.

2. Slide In

Movement combined with fade for a directional entrance.

Slide from left:

[
  {"targetId":"el","property":"translateX","time":0,"value":-200},
  {"targetId":"el","property":"translateX","time":700,"value":0,"easing":"easeOutCubic"},
  {"targetId":"el","property":"opacity","time":0,"value":0},
  {"targetId":"el","property":"opacity","time":400,"value":1,"easing":"easeOut"}
]

Variations — change the first two keyframes:

• Slide from right: translateX 0→+200, 700→0
• Slide from top: translateY 0→-150, 700→0
• Slide from bottom: translateY 0→+150, 700→0

The opacity fade finishes before the slide, creating a smooth arrival effect.

3. Pop In

Scale bounce effect — element grows from small with an overshoot.

[
  {"targetId":"el","property":"scaleX","time":0,"value":0.3,"scaleOrigin":"center"},
  {"targetId":"el","property":"scaleX","time":500,"value":1,"easing":"easeOutBack","scaleOrigin":"center"},
  {"targetId":"el","property":"scaleY","time":0,"value":0.3,"scaleOrigin":"center"},
  {"targetId":"el","property":"scaleY","time":500,"value":1,"easing":"easeOutBack","scaleOrigin":"center"},
  {"targetId":"el","property":"opacity","time":0,"value":0},
  {"targetId":"el","property":"opacity","time":300,"value":1,"easing":"easeOut"}
]

IMPORTANT: scaleOrigin must be set on EACH scale keyframe. If omitted, scaling will anchor to top-left corner instead of center.

scaleOrigin values: center, top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right, top, bottom, left, right

4. Arrow Draw-On

Progressive stroke reveal — the arrow/line draws itself from start to end.

[
  {"targetId":"arr","property":"opacity","time":0,"value":0},
  {"targetId":"arr","property":"opacity","time":0,"value":1},
  {"targetId":"arr","property":"drawProgress","time":0,"value":0},
  {"targetId":"arr","property":"drawProgress","time":1000,"value":1,"easing":"easeInOut"}
]

drawProgress only works on arrows and lines. Always pair with an instant opacity reveal (both keyframes at time 0) so the arrow is visible as it draws. Duration 800–1500ms — scale with arrow length.

5. Camera Pan

Viewport movement to guide the viewer across the canvas.

add_camera_keyframes_batch({ keyframes: '[
  {"property":"x","time":0,"value":0},
  {"property":"x","time":2000,"value":800,"easing":"easeInOutCubic"},
  {"property":"y","time":0,"value":0},
  {"property":"y","time":2000,"value":0}
]' })

Camera keyframes have no targetId — the camera is implicit. Properties are x, y (position) and width (zoom level). See camera-choreography.md for zoom and combined patterns.

---

Reveal Sequence Pattern

The most common animation: Source → Arrow → Target. This shows a connection flowing between two elements.

[
  // Phase 1: Source shape fades in (0–500ms)
  {"targetId":"source","property":"opacity","time":0,"value":0},
  {"targetId":"source","property":"opacity","time":500,"value":1,"easing":"easeOut"},

  // Phase 2: Arrow draws on (500–1500ms)
  {"targetId":"arrow1","property":"opacity","time":500,"value":0},
  {"targetId":"arrow1","property":"opacity","time":500,"value":1},
  {"targetId":"arrow1","property":"drawProgress","time":500,"value":0},
  {"targetId":"arrow1","property":"drawProgress","time":1500,"value":1,"easing":"easeInOut"},

  // Phase 3: Target shape fades in (1500–2000ms)
  {"targetId":"target","property":"opacity","time":0,"value":0},
  {"targetId":"target","property":"opacity","time":1500,"value":0},
  {"targetId":"target","property":"opacity","time":2000,"value":1,"easing":"easeOut"}
]

Timing logic:

1. Source appears first (0–500ms)
2. Arrow starts drawing after source is visible (500ms)
3. Target appears after arrow finishes (1500ms)
4. Set clip_range to {start:0, end:2500} (last keyframe + 500ms padding)

Chain additional arrows/nodes by continuing the pattern with incremented time offsets.

---

Staggered Reveal

Use create_sequence to auto-generate staggered fade-in keyframes for multiple elements:

create_sequence({
  elementIds: ["e1","e2","e3","e4"],
  property: "opacity",
  startTime: 0,
  delay: 400,
  duration: 600
})

This generates: e1 fades in at 0–600ms, e2 at 400–1000ms, e3 at 800–1400ms, e4 at 1200–1800ms.

Element order in the array determines reveal order. See stagger-patterns.md for spatial ordering strategies and manual stagger techniques.

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Easing Quick Reference

Effect	Recommended Easing	Why
Fade in	easeOut	Gentle arrival
Slide in	easeOutCubic	Smooth deceleration
Pop in	easeOutBack	Overshoot bounce
Camera motion	easeInOutCubic	Smooth start and end
Arrow draw	easeInOut	Natural stroke feel
Instant jump	step	No interpolation
Elastic bounce	easeOutElastic	Playful spring
Bounce landing	easeOutBounce	Gravity effect

Full easing function reference with curves and use cases: easing-guide.md

---

Timing Guidelines

Animation	Duration	Notes
Fade in	300–800ms	Shorter for small, longer for large
Arrow draw	800–1500ms	Scale with arrow length
Slide in	600–1000ms	Shorter for nearby, longer for distant
Pop in	400–700ms	Quick for small, slower for emphasis
Camera pan	1500–3000ms	Scale with distance
Stagger delay	200–500ms	Time between sequential reveals
Reading pause	1000–2000ms	Time for viewer to read content

Complete timing recipes for common diagram types: timing-recipes.md

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Key Rules

• Use add_keyframes_batch — one call for many keyframes is much faster than individual calls
• Set opacity 0 at time 0 for all elements that should appear later in the animation
• Bound text inherits container animation — labels inside shapes move with the shape; never animate labels separately
• drawProgress only works on arrows and lines — using it on other elements has no effect
• Always call set_clip_range({start:0, end:lastKeyframeTime + 500}) — the 500ms padding gives breathing room at the end
• Verify with animations_of_item({targetId:"id"}) to inspect and debug animation setup on any element

---

Reference Files

File	Content
easing-guide.md	All 18 easing functions with motion descriptions and use cases
timing-recipes.md	Complete timing blueprints for 6 common diagram scenarios
camera-choreography.md	Camera setup, pan, zoom, and combined patterns
stagger-patterns.md	Multi-element reveal ordering and wave patterns
advanced-patterns.md	Combined transforms, emphasis, elastic, bounce, and more