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The Breakdown tool is where you manage which assets appear in which shots, sequences, or episodes. This powerful feature helps track asset usage throughout your production and ensures consistency in asset assignment.

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Overview

Breakdown provides:
  • Visual asset casting: Drag-and-drop or click to assign assets to shots
  • Multiple casting modes: Cast assets to shots, episodes, or other assets
  • Bulk operations: Assign assets to multiple shots at once
  • Occurrence tracking: Track how many times an asset appears in a shot
  • Label management: Add labels to casting relationships (e.g., “animate”, “fixed”)
  • Import/Export: Bulk import casting data via CSV

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Casting Modes

Breakdown supports three casting modes:
Assign assets to individual shots within a sequence. This is the most common casting mode for animation productions.
  • Select a sequence to view its shots
  • Assets are displayed by type in the right panel
  • Click to assign assets to selected shots

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Using the Breakdown Interface

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Layout

The breakdown page is divided into two main columns: Left Column - Entities
  • Lists shots, episodes, or assets (depending on casting mode)
  • Shows entity thumbnails and names
  • Displays current casting for each entity
  • Allows selection of multiple entities
Right Column - Available Assets
  • Grouped by asset type
  • Visual thumbnails or text mode
  • Search and filter functionality
  • Quick-add buttons

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Casting Assets

1

Select Entities

Click on one or more shots/episodes/assets in the left column to select them. Selected entities are highlighted.
2

Add Assets

In the right column, click the ”+” button next to an asset to add one occurrence. Click “+10” to add 10 occurrences at once.
3

Verify Casting

The asset appears in the casting list for the selected entities. The occurrence count is displayed.
Changes are automatically saved when you add or remove assets from casting.

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Removing Assets from Casting

To remove assets:
  1. Select the entities containing the asset
  2. Click the ”-” button next to the asset in the left column
  3. This removes one occurrence (or prompts for confirmation if it’s the last one)

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Adjusting Occurrences

For assets that appear multiple times in a shot:
  • Click ”+” to add one more occurrence
  • Click ”-” to remove one occurrence
  • The number displayed shows the total occurrences

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Advanced Features

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Copy and Paste Casting

  1. Select a shot/episode/asset with the desired casting
  2. Press Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C on Mac)
  3. The casting is copied to clipboard
This is extremely useful for shots with similar asset requirements.

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Asset Labels

Labels help categorize how assets are used:
1

Edit Label

Click on an asset in the casting list to open the label editor.
2

Choose Label

Select from predefined labels:
  • animate: Asset needs to be animated
  • fixed: Static asset in the background
  • Custom labels can be added
3

Save

The label is saved and displayed with the asset.

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Display Options

Text Mode

Switch between thumbnail and text-only display using the text mode button. Text mode is faster for large asset libraries.

Big Thumbnails

Toggle larger thumbnail sizes for easier visual identification of assets.

Show Infos

Display additional metadata columns like description, frame counts, and custom metadata.

Standby Status

Mark entities as standby to indicate they’re not currently active but shouldn’t be forgotten.

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Metadata and Fields

When “Show Infos” is enabled, you can:
  • Edit entity descriptions inline
  • Update frame counts (for shots)
  • Modify custom metadata fields
  • View and edit all entity data without leaving the breakdown view

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Bulk Operations

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CSV Import

CSV import is only available to managers and admins.
Import casting data in bulk:
1

Prepare CSV

Format your CSV with columns:
  • Episode (for TV shows)
  • Parent (Sequence name)
  • Name (Shot/Entity name)
  • Asset Type
  • Asset (Asset name)
  • Occurences (Number)
  • Label (Optional)
2

Import File

Click the import button and select your CSV file.
3

Review

Review the parsed data before confirming the import.
4

Confirm

Confirm to apply the casting changes.

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CSV Export

Export current breakdown data:
  1. Click the export button
  2. Choose to export current view or all data
  3. CSV file is downloaded with all casting information

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Working with Shared Assets

Breakdown supports assets from the Asset Library:
  • Library Toggle: Show or hide shared assets from other productions
  • Visual Indicator: Shared assets are marked with a special icon
  • Episode Filtering: In TV shows, filter to show only assets from the current episode

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Episode-Specific Assets

For TV show productions:
Toggle this option to show only assets from the current episode plus any shared assets already cast in the episode.

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Search and Filtering

Search for assets in the available assets panel:
  • Real-time search as you type
  • Searches asset names
  • Works across all asset types
  • Supports advanced search queries

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Build Filter

Create complex filters:
  1. Click the filter button
  2. Build your query using:
    • Asset type
    • Metadata values
    • Task status
    • Assignees
  3. Apply the filter

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Saved Searches

Save frequently used searches:
  • Click the save icon in the search field
  • Give your search a name
  • Access saved searches from the query list

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Keyboard Shortcuts

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Ctrl/Cmd + C
Copy casting
Copy the casting from the selected entity
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Ctrl/Cmd + V
Paste casting
Paste copied casting to selected entities
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Click
Select single entity
Select one entity for casting
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Ctrl/Cmd + Click
Multi-select
Add or remove entities from selection
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Shift + Click
Range select
Select a range of entities

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Best Practices

Begin casting at the sequence level to get an overview, then refine shot by shot.
For shots with similar casting, use copy/paste to save time and ensure consistency.
Accurate occurrence counts help with planning and resource allocation.
Use labels to communicate how assets should be used (animated, background, etc.).
Regularly review and update casting as your production evolves.
Export casting data to CSV for production planning and asset tracking reports.

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Permissions

  • Viewers: Read-only access to breakdown
  • Artists: Read-only access
  • Managers: Full casting permissions, can import/export
  • Admins: Full access to all features

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