Who can do this?
Owners and co-authors with rights create subplots, edit them, move them to the trash and restore them. Guests do not see subplots, and they cannot be shared.
Subplots and swimlanes
Subplots are side plots; the swimlane shows which chapters each thread appears in.
What is it for?
A subplot is a side plot with a title, a description and a color. The color helps you tell the threads apart in the matrix board and in the timeline. You assign individual scenes to the subplots they belong to.
The swimlane overview places the chapters side by side as columns and gives each subplot a lane. You see at a glance where a thread appears and where it rests for a long time. A thread that has not been advanced for at least 6 chapters gets a warning sign with a note.
The Illuminatio Engine reports the same rule as a “Subplot gone cold” flag. Subplots without a single scene count as not yet begun and are not reported.
How it works
-
In the worldbuilding area, open “Subplots” and choose “New subplot”.
What you see afterwards: A dialog asks for the “Title”.
-
Enter a title and create the subplot.
What you see afterwards: It appears in the list.
-
Open the subplot, fill in “Description” and “Color” and choose “Save”.
What you see afterwards: “Saved.”
-
In the editor, in the scene metadata under “Subplots”, assign the thread to your scene.
What you see afterwards: The scene now belongs to the subplot.
-
In the list, choose the “Swimlane overview”.
What you see afterwards: The “Subplot swimlanes” show the lanes across the chapters.
Your data
Subplots and their scene assignments belong to the project and are backed up and exported with it. A subplot in the trash is kept for 30 days.
Limits
By default, without a studio subscription of the project owner, at most 2 subplots per project are possible. The operators can change these values; Illumentis tells you the currently valid value in the app as soon as you reach the limit. The swimlane shows only chapters with canonical scenes. Without scene assignments, the lane stays empty.
Frequently asked questions
When does a subplot count as “gone cold”?
When it was assigned to a scene at least once and at least 6 chapters without a scene of this thread have passed since. Subplots without a single scene count as not yet begun.
Why is a chapter missing in the swimlane?
The swimlane shows only chapters that contain canonical scenes. Chapters without scenes and non-canonical scenes do not appear there.
Does the note in the swimlane replace the engine’s flag?
No. The note in the overview is a display only. The “Subplot gone cold” flag is created only by a run of the engine.