Timeline Snail - Documentation

1. Install

1. Download timeline_snail_v1.0.1.zip. Do not unzip it.
2. In Blender: Edit > Preferences > Add-ons, click the drop-down arrow at the top right and choose Install from Disk...
3. Pick timeline_snail_v1.0.1.zip and tick "Timeline Snail" in the list.
4. If Auto-Save Preferences is off, click Save Preferences (bottom left).

2. Where to find it

• He lives at the bottom of every Timeline and Dope Sheet, right on the playhead.
• Settings: 3D Viewport > Sidebar (press N) > Timeline Snail tab, or Dope Sheet > Sidebar > Snail tab.

3. How to use it

• Press Space to play: he wakes up and crawls with the playhead.
• He hops over every keyframe he passes (Keys From: selected or all objects).
• Ctrl+Shift+Space (reverse): he backs up, worried.
• Stop playback: he rests, then sleeps in his shell. Click him: pop into his shell and out again.

4. Settings

• Snail / Mute: show him, silence him.
• Size 1 to 6: whole pixels, multiplied by Blender's UI scale; smaller in very short Timelines so he always fits.
• Volume: hops, pops and his waking sound.
• Slime Trail / Trail Fades In: on or off, seconds before it disappears (default 5).
• Hop Over Keyframes / Keys From: selected objects (like the Timeline) or all objects.
• Hop Sound: turn the squish off for dense animations.
• Sleeps After: seconds after playback stops before he hides in his shell (default 1.5).

5. Troubleshooting

• Check the Snail toggle in the Timeline Snail tab or Window > Timeline Snail.
• If the playhead is outside the visible part of the Timeline, so is he: press Home in the Timeline.
• At 2x UI scale the default Timeline is very short: drag its top edge up.
• No hops? Only keys of objects, their data and the scene count (not materials, node trees or Grease Pencil frames).
• No sound? Volume and Mute are in the settings. Sounds use Blender's own audio system: if Blender has no audio device (Edit > Preferences > System > Sound), it stays silent.
• Install error? Make sure you picked the .zip itself, not an unzipped folder, and that you are on Blender 5.2 or newer.

6. Updating

• Download the new zip from your Superhive library, uninstall the old version in Edit > Preferences > Add-ons, restart Blender, then install the new zip.

7. Uninstall

• Edit > Preferences > Add-ons, expand Timeline Snail and choose Uninstall. It never writes anything into your .blend files.

Support

• Have a question, a bug or an idea for a new feature? Mail me at [email protected]. Please include your Blender version and operating system.