Stykz

Stykz is a complex but user-friendly application designed to help you draw standard animations with stickmen, in order to create presentations or YouTube videos, for instance.

The interface is based on multiple frames dedicated to drawing tools, frames, stage properties, commands, controllers, and the main stage. If you're unsure of how to begin a project, feel free to look into the well-written tutorials with images.

The first frame contains a stickman in default state, so you can tinker with its anatomy and move around pivot nodes to reconfigure segment positions, as well as move the entire figure via the drag node.

Each newly created frame is a duplicate of the previous one, allowing you to make subtle adjustments to create a smooth animation at the end of the project. Changing a figure's position leaves behind its "footprint", a gray version of the original figure, enabling you to accurately plan your next step - a very handy feature found in Stykz called "Onionskin". Unfortunately, you cannot duplicate frames to insert them anywhere in the animation.

There are two template stickmen provided by the tool, along with several figures (e.g. single node or line, square, circle), and you may further edit their properties when it comes to line width and color, scale, angle and flip. Moreover, you can delete the segments of a stickman, place it in the center of the stage, customize colors, as well as send an object to the back or bring it to the front. It is also possible to add objects or figures to a library for future projects.

Stykz lets you further customize the environment and hasten your work by creating new buttons with various commands, such as "Add Figure: Circle", "Check for Updates", "Cut Selected Items" or "Switch to Edit Mode". The final animation can be previewed via Controller tools, as you can play, loop and rewind it, adjust the speed, and seek a particular frame using a slider. Once the project is done, you can export it to MOV, JPG, GIF or PNG.

The program uses a surprisingly low amount of CPU and RAM, so it doesn't put a strain on the overall performance. It has a good response time and performs smoothly. We haven't come across any issues throughout our tests. Backed up by a complete help file with tutorials, users should be able to learn how to work with Stykz in no time.