Multiple Animator Project

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Multiple Animator Projects (commonly known as MAPs) are collaborative projects by numerous Scratchers that each contribute a short animation to the project.

MAPs are usually set to music or audio clips which have been sliced into shorter segments, although some MAPs do not have background audio. Each project member is responsible for animating their assigned part. Once each Scratcher has completed their part(s), the creator of the original MAP puts all parts into a single project.

Types of MAPs

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There are many different types of MAPs. These are some of them:

Palette MAP

Users participating in a palette MAP may only use certain colors that have been predetermined by the map host. Scratchers are commonly allowed to use slight variations of the color, if the host allows them to do so (e.g. if the user wishes to shade their animation), but are not allowed to use colors outside of the palette. This MAP type most commonly supports a mood, tone or theme and sometimes even a specified emotion.

Lineart MAP

Users participating in a lineart MAP only draw the lineart for an animation, instead of filling in the sections where the color is usually put. Lineart MAPs can also consist of a palette, though this is quite uncommon.

Fandom MAP

Users participating in a fandom MAP use fandoms in the animation, or characters from a popular movie, book, TV show, or video game, such as Doctor Who, Warriors, Undertale, Gravity Falls, My Little Pony, etc.

OC MAP

Users participating in an OC MAP are only allowed to user their "OCs", or Original Characters. OC MAPs may or may not allow fandom OCs, depending on the rules the host made.^{[citation needed]}

Scripted MAP

Users participating in a scripted MAP are only allowed to animate scenes that the user hosting the MAP "scripted" for them, or told them what to animate.

PMV MAP

Users participating in a PMV (or Picture Music Video) MAP don't 'animate', they draw scenes in pictures. They might animate part of the pictures moving slowly or have very tiny bits of animation (such as lights flashing in the background).

Vent MAP

Users participating in a vent MAP let out their strong emotions in their part(s).

Spoof MAP

Users participating in a spoof MAP make fun of an audio or song.

Sketch MAP

Users participating in a sketch MAP only draw the sketch (or animatic) for their parts, instead of lining and/or coloring it.

Silhouette MAP

Users participating in a silhouette MAP draw silhouettes for their part(s) instead of detailing the entire character.

24 Hour MAP

Users who participate in a 24 hour MAP have only 24 hours to complete their part. There are also 36 and 48 hours MAPs. Those MAPS have the same rules, only different time spans.

Creating a MAP

Although a MAP might take a while, hosting one is fairly simple. There are many ways to host one, but here is the most common way to make a MAP.

Audio/Music

First, the creator needs to find music or audio they would like the collaborators to animate to. This audio could be anything, from their favorite song, to a scene from a movie they've watched. Either way, the audio must follow the Community Guidelines and not contain any words that are inappropriate for Scratch. Most MAPs are 40 seconds to 4 minutes long.^{[citation needed]} The longer the audio is, the more likely the final project is to go over the data limit.

How To Cut The Audio On A Map

1. The creator must choose the audio, and import it onto Scratch. The audio must follow the Community Guidelines must not involve any words inappropriate for Scratch, and the user must have given consent from the owner of such audio. After finding the audio on YouTube, the creator can go onto a MP3 converter (it is easiest to type in 'YouTube to MP3 converter' into the internet).

2. The creator then must go onto the Scratch editor, and import it onto either the backdrop or a sprite.

3. •This part is optional• The creator now can duplicate the audio, so there are 2 copies. The scratch editor end results are not always smooth, so to have a smooth version of the audio playing on the project, one audio must not be changed.

4. Now, the creator must select the part of the audio they want. They must now press 'Copy to New'. Then, they must press 'Delete'.

5. Step 4 must be repeated until audio has been separated into satisfactory ammount of parts.

"Signup" Projects

The creator of the MAP normally makes a project or forum post with all of the sliced parts, information about the MAP, and other rules. The creator often uses a script similar to this to play the parts and show which part is being played:

when gf clicked
show variable [Part # v]
set [Part # v] to (first part)
repeat (# of parts)
    play sound (Part #) until done // only if the sounds names are just numbers!
    change [Part # v] by (1)
end

Other information the creator often puts in the project include a “code word” to show that someone has read all of the rules, a sprite limit (to prevent lag), and lyrics to the song.

Making the Final Project

Once an animator has finished their part, the creator backpacks the sprites the animator used and adds them to another project. When all parts are completed and in the project, the creator shares the project so others can see the completed MAP.

External Links

• Completed MAPs! — a studio where Scratchers can add their completed MAPs
• MAP PARTS — a studio where Scratchers can add their MAP parts
• Open MAPs — a studio full of MAPs that other animators can join
• Guide to Hosting a MAP — a project that gives a detailed description on making a MAP
• Why We Love MAPs — a Scratch Team blog post celebrating MAPs