Hello and welcome to the articy:draft X Basics tutorial series. In this lesson we will take a look at articy’s export and import options and look in detail how we can export our flow directly to Word.
One of articy’s strengths is the fact that you have absolute control over your data. You always have access to your content and are able to continue using it in your pipeline thanks to the flexible export options.
The export window
Most export options are accessible through the main menu (1) and then Export (2) or the hotkey “Control + Shift + E”.
This opens the Export window. On the left side you find the list of options, divided into Microsoft Object exports (1), Localization exports (2), Engine exports (3), and Technical exports (4). The right side contains the export parameters (5) which can differ between the options.
MS Word object export
The first option is the object export to Word (1). We can choose if we want to export the entire project, or just selected objects (2). To do that, just select or deselect check marks for the different areas.
On the right side we have the option to export to one file, have one file per object, or create a list (1). Below that are a multitude of ways to sort and order the export further (2). At the bottom you can specify the location for the exported document or documents (3).
Exporting parts of the project like for example character sheets work well with the Word object export, for the story flow other export options are more suitable.
MS Excel object export
Next is the object export to Excel. The parameters are very similar to the Word export. We can select the objects we want to export and have multiple ways to sort, group, and order.
If you want to get an overview of your project object database, for example Assets or Entities, or to get some stats of your templates values, the Excel export is a good way to get this information.
MS Excel for re-import object export
The next option is the “Excel export for re-import” (1). This is a special format of an Excel export that allows a re-import of data into articy. In the objects tab of the parameters you can choose what parts of the project you want to export (2).
In the Properties tab you can select which properties should be displayed as columns in the excel sheet.
This export is often used to bulk change values, for example comparing or changing values in Templates of the same type.
You can also save presets for exports you do on a regular basis. Presets for this export method store the selection of properties as well as all settings for the options on the right. The selection of objects is not stored in the preset.
To re-import such an Excel file select Import (2) from the main menu (1) or use the hotkey “Control + Shift + I”.
Select the file you want to import.
Next you can define which worksheets will be imported.
Then we see an overview of the number of imports and updates. If we now click next the import will be completed, with cancel no changes will be made to the project.
Localization exports
The Localization exports bring everything to the table needed to take care of your localization data. Exports for text and voice-over and a statistics report with character and word count. For more info please check out the localization tutorials series, where all export options are shown in detail.
Engine exports
This set of engine exports comes into play if you want to export your articy data directly to a game engine. Articy features exports in combination with dedicated Importers to Unity and Unreal.
The generic engine export creates an archive, which contains all generated JSON files and all assets in BBCode text format. It’s best used if you have a custom import solution for any engine that handles JSON data.
Technical exports
Last but not least we have the technical exports. XML or JSON offer flexible export bases you can adapt to your tool chain and workflow.
The XML export exports all of your project data objects and you can pick those you are interested in. A XSD scheme is provided as description of the export format or to automatically create a file reader using the XSD tool from Microsoft. This format is best suited for C# based import code.
The JSON export is similar to the XML export, but offers more configuration options to exclude parts of the file (e.g. the Template descriptions & property restrictions) but works as “rule-set” based export that allows filtering of objects by type (template) or hierarchy.
Other exports
But that is not all. There is a place where two additional exports are hiding out – the Flow. In the toolbar we find an XPS (1) and a “Flow to Word” (2) export. The reason that these exports are located here is that they do not affect the entire project, but are focused on the part which is active right now.
XPS export
The XPS format is a vector graphic format and allows you to zoom in and out of the image without losing quality. The XPS export is available in the Flow view (1) and in the location editor. When exporting you have the option to create the image with its current background or more printer friendly with a white background (2).
The export contains the entire Flow layer you are on, not just the section currently displayed on screen.
Flow to Word export
The “Flow to Word” export creates a word document, but this is where the similarities to the Word object export we have seen earlier already end. The Word object export is designed to create a structured view of the project – or selected project parts – in document form; the “Flow to Word” export depicts the exported flow in a screenplay-like form with focus on the text itself.
Let’s take a closer look. From the desired flow layer click the “Flow to Word export” button in the toolbar (1). We now see the export window, which offers a lot of customization options. First we have the basic options (2), like formatting, cover page, preview images, etc. I don’t need a table of contents for our small dialogue, so I will uncheck it, the other basic options I leave checked.
Next is the sorting option (3). It defines in which order the branches of the flow are added to the document. Which option fits best depends on the use case and is also a question of personal preference.
In “Depth first” the algorithm will create the longest possible branch of connected nodes, before going to the next branch.
The “Breadth first” option always lists all options of a branching point before following a branch further.
“Shortest” is a mix between breadth and depth and sorts shorter branches before longer ones. I will go for “Depth first” for our export.
With the option “Create index for unconnected objects” (1) we can decide if we want to list all unconnected flow nodes in the exported document. They can either be listed as one node per line or comma separated to save space. “Export references” (2) allows us to define if and how references of flow fragments and dialogue nodes will be exported. If “Only with property” (3) is enabled, only references with the chosen property will be exported. The “Template” (4) options define if and how templates are visualized within the exported document.
The “hierarchical depth” (5) defines how deep the export goes. For example, if we are on the structure layer for the final confrontation, a depth of one would just export this layer with its three elements. If we enter a higher number then the nested layers are exported as well.
To control the extent of your export keep an eye on the hierarchical depth option and the Flow layer you start the export from. Click Okay to run the export with the selected options.
And this is the result. With the links you can jump to other branches within the document, which is helpful if you want to follow a specific branch, especially if the text gets longer or there is a lot of branching.
Final Draft Import
If you are using screenwriting software you might be happy to hear that it is possible to import “Final Draft” scripts into articy.
You can import a script as a document or have it directly converted to Flow elements. Just click the “Import Final Draft file” icon in the toolbar of the Document view or the Flow, depending on where you want to import to.
When importing into the Flow you might need to adapt the structure a bit to fit your project.
Here, I just cut and paste the Dialogue node.
Then I remove the leading fragment and voila, fits right in.
GO TO “LOCATION EDITOR” LESSON
Useful links:
Localization tutorials
articy:draft X Importer for Unity
articy:draft X Importer for Unreal
Help Center: Exports and Imports
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