Xev File Format Specification
Xev is a XML-based format similar to ora and kra.
It is meant to be a more open replacement for enve binary ev format.
File Layout Specification
Storage
Xev files have the file name extension .xev. The data is stored within a Zip file wrapper.
Files
example.xev
├ mimetype
├ document.xml
├ UI/
│ └ layouts.xml
├ Thumbnails/
│ └ thumbnail.png
└ scenes/
├ 0/
│ ├ stack.xml
│ ├ properties.xml
│ ├ gradients.xml
│ └ objects/
│ ├ 0/
│ │ ├ stack.xml
│ │ ├ properties.xml
│ │ ├ assets/
│ │ └ [PNG images (if any) referenced by properties.xml]
│ │ └ objects/
│ │ └ [child objects (if any)]
│ ├ 1/
│ │ └ (...)
│ └ (...)
├ 1/
│ └ (...)
└ (...)
mimetype
The first file in the archive must be called “mimetype”, without a file name extension. It must be STORED without compression. This file must contain the string “application/enve”, with no whitespace or trailing newline.
Thumbnails/thumbnail.png
A xev file must have a thumbnail.png in order to allow file browser software to render the thumbnail efficiently. It must be a non-interlaced PNG with 8 bits per channel of at most 256x256 pixels. It should be as big as possible without upscaling or changing the aspect ratio. Any aspect ratio is permitted. It should not contain any frame or decoration.
document.xml
<Document format-version="0">
<!-- bookmarked colors -->
<ColorBookmarks>
<Color name="#000000"/>
<!-- more colors -->
</ColorBookmarks>
<!-- bookmarked libmypaint brushes -->
<BrushBookmarks>
<Brush collection="Classic" name="blending_knife"/>
<!-- more brushes -->
</BrushBookmarks>
<!-- scenes declaration -->
<Scenes>
<!-- scene with stack index 0 -->
<Scene name="Example" width="1920" height="1080" fps="24"
frame="101" clip="true" resolution="1"/>
<!-- more scenes, with consecutive stack indexes -->
</Scenes>
</Document>
scenes/X/
X - stack index, based on the order of appearence in document.xml.
All properties and objects contained in the scene are specified in this folder.
The content of this folder is similar to a Group Object’s scenes/X/objects/Y/ folder.
The only difference is that a scene folder contains gradients.xml.
scenes/X/gradients.xml
This file declares all gradients used by scene’s child objects.
<Gradients>
<Gradient id="0">
<Color mode="0">
<Red value="1"/>
<Green value="0"/>
<Blue value="0"/>
<Alpha value="1"/>
</Color>
<Color mode="0">
<Red value="1"/>
<Green value="1"/>
<Blue value="1"/>
<Alpha value="1"/>
</Color>
<!-- more colors -->
</Gradient>
<!-- more gradients -->
</Gradients>
scenes/X/properties.xml
See properties.xml. Defines scene background color.
<Object id="0">
<!-- background color -->
<Color mode="0">
<Red value="1"/>
<Green value="1"/>
<Blue value="1"/>
<Alpha value="1"/>
</Color>
</Object>
scenes/X/objects/Y/
Y - object stack index, based on the order of appearence in stack.xml.
scenes/X/objects/Y/properties.xml
Defines object’s properties.
stack.xml
Declares children order, names and types.
<Stack>
<Object name="Object 1" type="5"/> <!-- stack index: 0 -->
<Object name="Path 3" type="0"/> <!-- stack index: 1 -->
<!-- more objects -->
</Stack>
objects/
Contains child object folders, named according to object stack indexes, which correspond to their order in stack.xml.
Syntax
Object
<Object id="0">
<Transform>
<Translation>
<X value="0"/>
<Y value="0"/>
</Translation>
<Rotation value="0"/>
<Scale>
<X value="1"/>
<Y value="1"/>
</Scale>
<Shear>
<X value="0"/>
<Y value="0"/>
</Shear>
<Pivot>
<X value="0"/>
<Y value="0"/>
</Pivot>
<Opacity value="100"/>
</Transform>
<Properties>
<!-- properties -->
</Properties>
<BlendEffects>
<!-- blend effects -->
</BlendEffects>
<RasterEffects>
<!-- raster effects -->
</RasterEffects>
<!-- path effects are supported only by: -->
<!-- groups, layers, paths, ellipses, rectangles, text -->
<PathBaseEffects>
<!-- path effects -->
</PathBaseEffects>
<FillEffects>
<!-- path effects -->
</FillEffects>
<OutlineBaseEffects>
<!-- path effects -->
</OutlineBaseEffects>
<OutlineEffects>
<!-- path effects -->
</OutlineEffects>
<!-- object type specific properties -->
</Object>
Each object has its own xev-file-wide unique id.
Ids of the timeline widgets in which property content is shown is saved in open attribute.
There are many types of objects. The type is defined in parent’s stack.xml
type
- 0 - Path Object
- 1 - Ellipse Object
- 2 - Image Object
- 3 - Rectangle Object
- 4 - Text Object
- 5 - Layer Object
- 6 - Scene Object (will not appear in stack.xml)
- 7 - Object link Object
- 8 - Group link Object
- 9 - Scene link Object
- 10 - SVG link Object
- 11 - Video Object
- 12 - Image Sequence Object
- 13 - Paint Object
- 14 - Group Object
- 15 - Custom Object
Path Object
<Object id="2">
<!-- object properties -->
<!-- Fill / Outline settings -->
<Paths>
<Path closed="true" name="path" ctrlValues="* *;* *" mode="0" frames="* 0 *;* 5 *" ctrlModes="1;1"
values="* * 0 0 * * 2,* * -3.08571 162 * * 2,* * 172.8 157.371 * * 2,* * 169.714 0 * * 2;* * 0 0 * * 2,* * -3.08571 162 * * 2,* * 205.2 157.371 * * 2,* * 202.114 0 * * 2"/>
</Paths>
</Object>
You can read more about Fill and Outline settings.
A signle Path values node has a format c0x c0y p1x p1y c2x c2y m, where c0x and c0y are coordinates of the first control point, p1x and p1y are coordinates of the node, c1x and c1y are coordinates of the second control point, and m is a control points mode (smooth (0), symmetric (1), or corner (2)).
c0x, c0y, c1x, and c1y can have a value of * which means they are not enbled (have the same value as p1x /p1y node corrdinates).
Ellipse Object
<Object id="2">
<!-- object properties -->
<!-- Fill / Outline settings -->
<TopLeft>
<X value="0"/>
<Y value="0"/>
</TopLeft>
<BottomRight>
<X value="266.9142857142856"/>
<Y value="180.5142857142857"/>
</BottomRight>
<RoundRadius>
<X value="0"/>
<Y value="0"/>
</RoundRadius>
</Object>
Rectangle Object
<Object id="2">
<!-- object properties -->
<!-- Fill / Outline settings -->
<TopLeft>
<X value="0"/>
<Y value="0"/>
</TopLeft>
<BottomRight>
<X value="266.9142857142856"/>
<Y value="180.5142857142857"/>
</BottomRight>
<RoundRadius>
<X value="0"/>
<Y value="0"/>
</RoundRadius>
</Object>
Text Object
<Object fontSlant="0" fontWeight="400" hAlign="1" fontSize="72" fontWidth="5" fontFamily="Arial" id="1" vAlign="32">
<!-- object properties -->
<!-- Fill / Outline settings -->
<Text value="example text"/>
<Spacing>
<Letters value="0"/>
<Words value="1"/>
<Lines value="1"/>
</Spacing>
<TextEffects/>
</Object>
Group/Layer Object
<Object id="1">
<!-- object properties -->
<FlipBook checked="false">
<Index value="0"/>
</FlipBook>
</Object>
SVG Link/Image Object
<Object id="1" srcAbs="/home/username/Documents/folder/(...)" srcRel="folder/(...)">
<!-- object properties -->
</Object>
Image Sequence
<Object id="1" srcAbs="/home/username/Documents/folder/(...)" srcRel="folder/(...)">
<!-- object properties -->
<Frame enabled="false" value="0"/> <!-- frame remapping -->
</Object>
Video Object
<Object id="1" absSrc="/home/username/Documents/folder/(...)" relSrc="folder/(...)">
<!-- object properties -->
<Frame enabled="false" value="0"/> <!-- frame remapping -->
<Sound>
<Volume value="100"/>
</Sound>
</Object>
Object/Group/Scene Link Object
<Object id="2">
<!-- object properties -->
<LinkTarget targetId="3"/>
</Object>
ObjectLink targetId corresponds to target Object’s id.
Paint Object
<Object id="1">
<!-- object properties -->
<Canvas pivot="64 64"/> <!-- assets/Canvas -->
</Object>
pivot - specifies position of (0, 0) pixel. If Canvas is animated there are multiple values seperated by comas, e.g., 64 64, 128 128
Image Assets
Paint Object images are saved in Canvas property assets folder (...)/assets/Canvas/, e.g., /scenes/0/objects/0/assets/Canvas/.
There is only a single image for not animated PaintSurface - value.png.
For animated PaintSurface, image names correspond to the frames they are on, e.g., 0.png for a keyframe on frame 0.