Question 1

What is RAV - Rive Animation Viewer?

Accepted Answer

RAV is a free, open-source desktop application for inspecting, debugging, and testing Rive (.riv) animation files offline. It provides ViewModel controls, unified event and JavaScript consoles, MCP integration, transparency overlay mode, and self-contained HTML/snippet export. It runs on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows.

Question 2

Is there a desktop viewer for Rive animations?

Accepted Answer

Yes. RAV (Rive Animation Viewer) is the only standalone desktop player for Rive animations. It reads .riv files and generates interactive ViewModel controls, logs runtime events, supports transparency overlay, and can export self-contained HTML demos. No equivalent tool exists from Rive or any third party.

Question 3

How do I debug a Rive animation file?

Accepted Answer

Open your .riv file in RAV. It auto-discovers all ViewModel inputs and generates interactive controls. The Event Console shows Native, Rive User, UI, and MCP activity in real time, and the JavaScript Console provides a live REPL. The VM Explorer exposes vmExplore, vmGet, vmSet, vmTree, and vmPaths for deep runtime inspection.

Question 4

Can I export a Rive animation as a standalone HTML file?

Accepted Answer

Yes. RAV's export flow creates a self-contained HTML file with the .riv animation embedded, the selected runtime package and semver, the current live layout state, selected control values, and a copyable canonical web-instantiation snippet.

Question 5

What platforms does RAV support?

Accepted Answer

RAV provides native desktop apps for macOS Apple Silicon (M-series), macOS Intel, and Windows (64-bit). It can also run in a browser via the local development server. The desktop app supports .riv file association so you can double-click .riv files to open them directly.

RAV Documentation

Getting Started

Opening Files

UI Layout

ViewModel Controls

Artboard Switcher

Script Editor

Consoles

Export + Snippets

Configuration

MCP Integration

Auto Updates

Keyboard Shortcuts

Troubleshooting