CleanShot 2023-05-29 at 18.41.30.mp4

Introduction

dotLottie is a new superset of Lottie, introduced by LottieFiles. It is similar to JSON, the original Lottie format, but it has several added benefits. In this documentation, we'll go over the key features of dotLottie and how to use it for both design and development.

Comparison with JSON

dotLottie uses an alternate compression method, allowing for considerably smaller animation files compared to JSON. This is especially effective as an alternative to inlining image assets as Data URIs. Additionally, dotLottie can package multiple animations into a single file, further reducing the operational costs of distribution and bandwidth utilization.

File extension and asset archiving

Using the ".lottie" file extension makes it easier for designers and developers to organize and manage animation files. This is because ".json" can be too generic and cause confusion with other files within a developer's environment. In addition, dotLottie archives all the assets required by an animation into a single package, which makes it easier to store, distribute, and consume animations and their dependent assets. This also allows multiple animations to be grouped together and to share assets.

Using dotLottie for Designers

dotLottie is supported across LottieFiles, making it easy to create and export animations. The LottieFiles platform can export animations as dotLottie files, and the AE plugin can also export to dotLottie. All publicly available Lottie animations can be downloaded as dotLottie files, too.

Using dotLottie for Developers

Runtime Libraries for Mobile

Android

dotLottie is natively supported in the official android library, "lottie-android." This makes it easy to use dotLottie files in Android applications.

https://github.com/airbnb/lottie-android

iOS & macOS

dotLottie is also supported for iOS and macOS through the "lottie-ios" library. This library is still being developed, but native support for dotLottie is coming soon.

https://github.com/airbnb/lottie-ios

Runtime Libraries for Web