How to Create a High-Fidelity Prototype and Export HTML with Figma

Design realistic prototypes faster, with Anima for Figma

Anima App's medium blog
Anima App

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Play with the prototype here — miss-cupcake.animaapp.io/

What can you do with Anima and Figma?

  1. Create prototypes that feel real
    Add videos, text inputs, embed code like google maps, and much more!
  2. Publish your Figma design as a live website
    Connect your domain and go live in minutes.
  3. Export Figma design to working HTML and CSS code

Let’s Get Started

First, signup at animaapp.com, then install Anima plugin for Figma.

Step 1: Creating a High-fidelity Prototype

Links

Your Figma links work in Anima!

  • Figma links between artboards
  • Figma external links

Breakpoints

With breakpoints, you can share a single link that works for all screen sizes, mobile, tablet, or desktop.

It is super easy to define breakpoints!

  • Click Anima Panel > Breakpoints (+)
  • Select all the artboards that represent the same webpage
  • Click Done

You will be able to see the result when you change the browser width after using Preview in Browser.

Set a Home Artboard

When syncing multiple artboards to Anima, set the homepage.

  • Select the Artboard you wish to set as home
  • Anima Panel > Set as Home > Mark checkbox

Videos, GIFs & Lottie

Embedded videos, GIFs, or Lottie in your prototype are a great way to grab attention.

See it live here!
  • Create a Rectangle with the video / GIF position, and select it
  • Click Anima Panel > Video/Gif (+)
  • Paste your Video/GIF URL in the modal window.
    Choose the Video settings (Auto Play, Loop, No Controls, Cover).

Need to upload a file? Here is how you do it on our web app.

Hover Effect & Entrance Animation

  • Choose the layer/group you want to add the animation to.
  • Click the Hover effect or the Entrance Animation (+) button.
  • A modal window with presets animations will pop.
    Choose one! You can even customize the CSS values.

Forms & Text Input Fields

Create a live form composed of Text Inputs & a Submit Button.

First, let’s create Text Fields:

  • Select a text layer
  • Click Forms & Text Input (+) > Text Input

Next, create a Submit Button:

  • Select the shape, text or group you wish to make a button
  • Click Forms & Text Input (+) > Submit button

Now you can choose how you want to get form submissions — By email, in a spreadsheet, or both. You can also select a success page or a failure page that visitors are redirected to after submitting.

Embed Code

Now, this is a cool one.

You can embed any code snippet into a layer, an artboard, or the whole website.

For example, you can easily connect a Google map to your contact page or add a chatbot to your support page. You can even add an analytics tool to your website. Like Google Analytics, Fullstory, or a Facebook pixel.

  • If you’re adding a map or anything that needs a frame, create a Rectangle layer for it.
  • Click the Embed code (+), and paste the code snippet.
Check out the live map: miss-cupcake.animaapp.io/2ourstoryvideomap

Embed anything, from a Google map to a live chat

Step 2: Preview in Browser & Collaborate

Time to see it come to life!
Hit Preview in Browser, and see your design live in the browser.

Now you can share it with your team, stakeholders, and clients, and collaborate with comments on top of it.

Step 3: Export Code

Take it to the next level, and handoff code to engineers.

  • Anima Panel > Preview in Browser
  • In the Browser, click Export Code

Interested in code export? Read about the all-new Auto Flexbox.

Need Hosting?

You can also host your website with us, no developers needed.

Anima allows designers to create high-fidelity prototypes right inside Sketch, Adobe XD, and Figma and export HTML & CSS in a single click.

As always, we’re excited to hear your feedback!

Join the discussion or show off your designs on Facebook, Twitter, Slack, Instagram. Vote for new features at UserVoice.

Stay creative!
❤️ Anima team

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