- Update: in-app notifications, safer New/Open and UI polish - 9 October 2026
In-app notifications at the bottom of the window: saved, no changes to save, export/import results (Spine, presets, settings), demo limits. They follow the UI theme and accent colour. Vector fill now tells you when there’s no closed zone under the cursor. File → New asks about unsaved changes, like Open and Exit. If a save fails, opening another project or starting a new one no longer drops your unsaved work. The save report now includes warnings from every scene. Brush: Airbrush moved to the basic settings; Flow shows only when Airbrush is on. Fill: “Active channel” now shows which channel that is. Group animation: the “Loop” and “PingPong” end behaviours used to set the wrong mode. Fixed. Closing the tutorial restores the Scenes and Master Timeline windows to how they were. Layers parented to the render camera show up in the hierarchy again. Remaining untranslated labels translated to…
- Shack Animator 2D is out on Android — free on Google Play - 2 October 2026
Shack Animator 2D Portable is now live on Android A month ago we opened early access to the Android edition. Thanks to everyone who tested it, reported bugs and sent feedback — today the app is out of testing and publicly available to everyone. Download Get it on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shackgames.shackanimator2dportableedition No sign-up, no tester link, no waiting list — just install and animate. You'll need an Android 8.0+ tablet. What's inside It's the full frame-by-frame animation and drawing studio, rebuilt for tablets: Responsive raster brush engine with custom presets and brush packs Import your own Photoshop brushes (.abr) — bring your existing brush library straight into the app Layers with blend modes, opacity and transforms Real-time timeline with keyframes and onion skinning AI Inbetweener — generate in-between frames from your own dra…
- Small update: rigs and fixes - 26 September 2026
Small update: rigs and fixes Rig gizmo: joints no longer spin erratically when rotated. Smoother 3D rig animation: joint rotations between keys no longer flip. Reset pose: put the whole rig or selected joints back to the rest pose, also from the Rig Hierarchy right-click menu. Rig Hierarchy: a delete button for each constraint (keys stay in place), tidier rows. Posing: a missed click no longer drops the rig, clicking a bone line picks its joint, and joints of other visible rigs can be picked. Group opacity now fades everything inside the group. Fixed detached panels not docking back into the main window. Fixed a speckled outline on reference wireframe meshes with anti-aliasing on. Fixed the file association check.
- 1.3.0 — Vector Layers, the Klaus Look & Illustrator Import - 24 September 2026
This is the biggest update so far. The headline: vector layers that you can draw, fill, light and animate like hand-drawn art — plus import straight from Illustrator. Reference: Klaus (2019). © The SPA Studios / Netflix. Used for comparison only; not affiliated with or endorsed by The SPA Studios or Netflix.Vector layersDraw with clean, editable shapes that stay sharp at any size, and still look hand-made. Draw your way: Pen, Freehand (your pen pressure becomes line thickness), Rectangle and Ellipse. Every shape stays editable: move nodes, pull handles, add or remove points. Fill tool: click inside your line art and the enclosed area becomes a clean filled shape, like a paint bucket that leaves vectors behind. Small gaps in the lines are closed for you. Inbetweening: draw two key drawings and the app creates the frames in between. It works even when the two drawings have a different num…
- Shack Animator 2D on Android — get early access! - 13 August 2026
Shack Animator 2D is coming to Android Whether you already animate with Shack Animator 2D or you're just looking for a 2D animation and drawing app for your tablet — the Android version is here, and you can get early access right now. It's the full frame-by-frame animation and drawing studio, rebuilt for tablets: Responsive raster brush engine with custom presets and brush packs Import your own Photoshop brushes (.abr) — bring your existing brush library straight into the app Layers with blend modes, opacity and transforms Real-time timeline with keyframes and onion skinning AI Inbetweener — generate in-between frames from your own drawings, computed on-device Audio layers, image import, and MP4 export ... Take your work with you and animate anywhere — completely free, fully offline, and no ads. We want Shack Animator 2D in as many hands as possible, so the Android edition will be free…
- ShackAnimator2D — v1.2.0 - 13 August 2026
v1.2.0 New Timeline — box-select. Hold Alt and drag a rubber-band over the dope sheet to select, move, or delete many keys at once, across multiple tracks. Timeline — exposure "on 1s/2s/3s…". New stopwatch button: pick several drawings and set how many frames each is held. The rest of the frames shift automatically. Timeline — ease handles. Every transform key now has square handles you drag to set ease-in / ease-out right on the dope sheet. New keys are smooth by default. Brush settings are now global. Opening a project no longer resets your brush — your settings carry across projects. Reset them with "Reset to preset" or Reset All. "Reset to preset" button in Tool Settings (Brush / Eraser) — quickly revert the current tool to its selected preset. "Crop to Drawing" in the Inspector — shrink a layer down to the bounds of its artwork. New layers appear at the top of the layer list. AutoK…
- Update 1.1.0 — Painting and brush settings - 24 July 2026
Brush engine overhaul. Short and fast strokes are no longer dropped, and strokes now reach the point where you lifted the pen. Painting is more responsive — less lag between pen and canvas. Fixed: strokes could not be started at the center of a layer. Better Photoshop brush support: texture (grain) finally works. Brushes imported from .abr with a texture now paint the way Photoshop intends — their strokes will look different. Tool Settings reworked: tabs instead of one long list, Basic / Advanced modes, and a new Texture tab.
- These are minor fixes, but it's better to update the app. - 22 May 2026
User interface stabilization.
- Big news: Rigging has arrived in Shack! 🎉 - 10 March 2026
Yes, we did it. A full-fledged rigging system is finally here!What's available right now:Bones, skinning, meshes — everything for character riggingAll essential Spine 2D functionality — plus many Pro features right out of the boxWeight painting, constraints, Inverse Kinematics (IK) — the complete toolsetEvents, hitboxes/colliders, vertex animation, tinting and more...It's fast. Real-time deformation, no stuttering*Now for the bad news...Limitations (honestly):Patch constraints not yet implemented — in developmentNo skins, sorry, not yetHitboxes/colliders only standard for now, no mesh-basedBinary .skel export probably won't happen for certain reasons, but we'll seeEverything else works stably. But if something comes up — write to us, we'll fix itFeedback welcome: if any bugs pop up — let us know. We're in active development and fix things quickly.Why you need this:Now you're not limited…
- New tutorial is on YouTube — making "Tarzan" in Shack! - 22 February 2026
Remember how old Disney movies used 3D backgrounds with hand-drawn characters on top? "Tarzan," "Beauty and the Beast," "Treasure Planet" — that's exactly how they did it.Well, we built a similar example and made a tutorial!What's in the video:We take a simple 3D sceneDraw a character on top so they actually live in that spaceWho this is for:If you want to create cool scenes with camera movementIf you like mixing 3D backgrounds with 2D charactersIf you're curious how old Disney did it and want to try it yourselfIf you just want to see Shack in action with a real exampleWatch here:Update in Shack — fixed the annoying stuff and added some beauty 🔧✨We fixed a bunch of annoying bugs — everything works smoother and more stable now.And also added a couple of new effects!distort_pinch_bulgedistort_turbulencedistort_wave_warpdistort_twirldistort_rippledistort_kaleidoscopedistort_liquid_smeardi…
- Finally! We've united Shack Animator 2D with Krita 🤝 - 15 February 2026
What's possible now:Not only can you import static drawings from Krita — direct animation import now works too. All layers, all frames, the entire sequence — just drop it into Shack and get a ready-made scene."Landscape cover for the website" by David RevoyAnd yes, layers arrive with all their blending settings intact — the same blend modes you set in Krita are preserved. Multiply, overlay, screen — everything works right out of the box. No need to set anything up again.And here's the really interesting part:Krita is a brilliant program for drawing, but when it comes to playing back animation, it can be... difficult. It lags, freezes, drops frames...In Shack, that same animation flies. Smooth, fast, no surprises. We don't know how it happened, but that's how it turned out 🤷♂(joke, of course we know)How it works:Draw everything that's more convenient to draw in Krita in Krita: animatio…
- How is Shack Animator 2D different from other? - 12 February 2026
We get this question a lot — and it's totally fair. There are plenty of powerful tools out there, each with its own superpower, and we genuinely respect them.The short version: Shack Animator 2D is a lightweight, fast 2D animation program built around drawing and frame-by-frame work. In terms of feel, we're somewhere near TVPaint and Procreate: responsive, organic brushes, a flow state, the ability to just pick up and bring things to life. But we've also added modern features like GPU effects and real-time lighting — so when you want to add atmosphere or style, you don't have to jump to another app.What we love about our own tool:Drawing first, everything else second. Raster brushes with natural, responsive feel — just as good as Photoshop, often faster and more reactive. Nothing cluttering the UI, nothing slowing you down. You actually want to draw, not Google where the settings are.Ev…
- Shack Animator 2D Indie — Permanent Price Drop - 12 February 2026
Good news: we’ve permanently lowered the price of Shack Animator 2D!We want more artists and small teams to be able to use Shack Animator 2D in their projects, so we’ve reduced the base price going forward—same app, lower price!New here? We’ve also published a Quick Start Tutorial on YouTube to help you get up and running fast.Thank you for the support—every wishlist, review, and message helps us keep improving.
- Shack Animator 2D — Quick Start Tutorial (Now on YouTube) - 10 February 2026
We’ve just published a new video: Shack Animator 2D Quick Start Tutorial.If you’re new to Shack Animator 2D, this is the fastest way to jump in: we cover the essentials—project setup, workspace navigation, core tools, layers and timeline basics, onion skin, and exporting.
- Surprise: Shack Animator 2D Launches Early — Feb 9 - 7 February 2026
We’ve got exciting news: Shack Animator 2D is launching earlier than planned.The original release date was February 25, but we’re moving it up to February 9. We’re feeling great about where the app is, and we can’t wait to get full version into your hands sooner.Thank you for all the support and see you on February 9.
- Shack Animator 2D — Day 1 Patch - 6 February 2026
The Day 1 Patch for Shack Animator 2D DEMO is now live. Thank you for all the early feedback, bug reports, and support—this first patch focuses on smoothing out the launch experience and delivering quick fixes and polish.We sincerely apologize that our video tutorials were not ready for launch. We are working to finalize them and will share the guides with you very soon.In the meantime, please feel free to ask any questions you have at discussions under the Q&A section. Our team is standing by and will be quick to assist you.We appreciate your patience and support as we get everything up to speed.
- Shack Animator 2D Demo Drops Feb 6 - 5 February 2026
The Shack Animator 2D Demo launches on February 6. We’ve been building it with a lot of joy (and a lot of love for animation), and we can’t wait to finally share it with you. Jump in, play around, sketch, animate a few frames, and tell us what you’d love to see next—this is just the beginning.
- Shack Animator 2D — Release Date Announcement (Feb 25) - 30 January 2026
Shack Animator 2D is officially launching on February 25.It’s a lightweight, production-focused 2D animation application designed for speed and smooth iteration: responsive raster brushes, fast real-time timeline playback, GPU-powered tools and effects, and a modern workflow that helps you bring shots to life—from hand-drawn styles to 3D-inspired looks with real-time PBR lighting and channel painting.What to expect at launch:Robust raster brush engine (Brush, Eraser, Fill, Liquify)Fast real-time timeline playback with onion skinningGPU effects and a GPU-forward rendering pipelineReal-time PBR lighting + channel painting (BaseColor, Roughness, Metallic, Normal, AO, Emissive, Opacity)3D compatibility features (mesh layers and animated scene import support)Export to PNG sequences, MP4 video, and GIFWe can’t wait to share it with you—see you on February 25.
