# Scene to video

Export the greybox animatic from the [Scene Timeline](/compose/timeline.md) as a video file. The output is the 3D scene's blocking played out across the timeline – the structural framing of every shot, captured as motion, before any AI rendering happens.

This is distinct from a 3D scene export (GLTF / USD); that path exports the 3D environment for use in another tool. Scene to video exports the animatic itself as a video.

{% hint style="info" %}
Three adjacent paths exist for non-AI or wireframe video exports. Pick by scope:

* **Scene to video** (this page) – per-scene animatic from the Scene Timeline, Compose / Publish mode.
* [**Direct Render**](/visualize/direct-render.md) – per-shot wireframe, Visualize mode. The same job as Compose's [Export Render](/publish/export-video.md#compose-mode-wireframe-export-render); different surface.
* [**Export Scene Videos**](/publish/export-video.md#how-to-export-a-whole-scene) – per-scene cut of the AI-rendered videos, Visualize mode. Generative, not wireframe.
  {% endhint %}

![Scene Timeline view with the greybox animatic playing across multiple shots, ready for a video export of the blocking pass](/files/oLXsKtPNyKWM1XyACKu5)

## What it does

Before any AI rendering, the Scene Timeline already contains the blocking: camera framings, lens choices, shot lengths, animated subjects and cameras. Scene to video captures that animatic as a video file – useful for reviewing the structural cut, sharing blocking with a director, or producing a low-cost preview before committing to AI render credits.

## How to use it

1. **Switch to Compose mode** and open the Scene Timeline.
2. **Open the scene-to-video export action** from the scene's controls.
3. **The job runs** and the output is a video of the greybox animatic across the scene's shots in their authored order.
4. **The file downloads automatically** to your local download directory when complete. H.264 30fps MP4.

## When to reach for it

* **Blocking review.** Walk a director or producer through the structural cut before committing to renders.
* **Pre-render preview.** Confirm the sequence reads at all before spending credits on Visualize.
* **Reference handoff.** Hand a downstream artist a video of the blocking they can match their work against.

When not to reach for it:

* **Final delivery.** The greybox animatic isn't a rendered shot. For finished output, render each shot in Visualize and use [Export Video](/publish/export-video.md) or [Export shot video](/publish/export-shot-video.md).
* **The 3D scene itself.** If the downstream tool needs the 3D geometry, use [Export formats](/publish/export-formats.md) for GLTF or USD instead.

## Limits and known issues

* **No transitions, no audio.** The animatic is a structural pass; there's no per-shot audio and no cross-shot mixing.
* **No format choice.** H.264 30fps MP4.

## Related

* [Export Video](/publish/export-video.md)
* [Export shot video](/publish/export-shot-video.md)
* [Export formats](/publish/export-formats.md): for 3D scene exports (GLTF, USD).
* [Timeline](/compose/timeline.md)
* [Publish tab](/publish/publish-tab.md)


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