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Knovis

Playlists

Playlists are timed sequences. Each step has a duration, and Knovis advances automatically when the time expires. Steps can be waypoints, items, or a mix of both, which makes playlists the engine behind fully automated spatial presentations.

How playlists work

A playlist is a list of steps. Each step specifies:

  • What to show: a waypoint (navigates the canvas to that view) or a specific item (activates it)
  • How long to stay there: a duration (hh:mm:ss) before auto-advancing to the next step, or Next when finished to move on when the media ends. Auto Duration reads a media file's length for you.

When you play a playlist, Knovis works through the steps in order. At a waypoint step, it flies the canvas to that view and waits. At an item step, it triggers the item (opening a file, playing a video, or showing content inline) and then moves on after the set duration.

Creating a playlist

Open the Playlist Editor: right-click the canvas background and choose Add/Edit Playlists..., or in edit mode click Edit Playlists... in the Nav Panel's Playlists tab. Create a new playlist, then add steps by selecting waypoints or items from your environment. Set a duration for each step.

Playing a playlist

Play and pause a playlist with any of these:

  • Space on the canvas
  • The Play/Pause button in the Nav Panel's Playlists tab
  • Double-click (or Enter on) a playlist's name in the Nav Panel to play it from the first entry
  • Y on a gamepad (Triangle on PlayStation)

Clicking an entry in the Nav Panel cues it, so playback starts there. Step to the previous or next entry with Alt+←/→, Page Up/Page Down, or LB/RB on a gamepad. A playlist stops after its last entry.

Playlists vs. routes

Routes are for manual presentations where you control the pace. Playlists are for automated ones where timing matters: a kiosk display, a self-running demo, or a lesson that needs to move at a set pace. You can use them together: a playlist step can navigate to a waypoint that's part of a route, giving you both structure and automation.

Tip: Set item steps slightly longer than the media they trigger. If a video clip is 30 seconds, give the step 35 seconds so there's a moment of context before it advances.

Inline media in playlists

When a playlist triggers an item that has inline view enabled, the content plays directly on the canvas without switching windows or breaking focus. The playlist waits for the duration you set, then continues. This is the combination that makes Knovis presentations feel seamless: the spatial layout stays visible while content plays inside it.

For video items with clips defined, only the clip plays, not the full file. A 90-minute lecture video can have a 2-minute clip set as its target, and the playlist handles it cleanly.

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