# What Airframe is

Airframe is for live motion graphics: you design them on a timeline in the browser, and run them on air from a control room or your own systems.

## The parts

| Part | What it is |
| --- | --- |
| **Composition** | A set of graphics for a show, such as *Matchday graphics*. You design it in the editor. |
| **Layer** | A level in the composition, stacked over the others. Holds components. |
| **Component** | One graphic, such as a lower third or a score bug. It has elements, fields and events. |
| **Field** | A value set at show time, such as a name or a score. Elements show fields. |
| **Event** | An animation: **In** going to air, **Out** leaving it, **Change** when a field changes, or one you name. |
| **Version** | A published, unchanging copy of a composition. |
| **Output** | Where graphics go to air: a browser source URL for OBS, vMix or any switcher. It plays one version of one composition. |
| **Instance** | A component with saved data, such as a lower third for each guest. |

## How a show runs

1. You build a composition in the editor, and **publish** it as a version.
2. You make an **output**, link it to the composition and choose the version it plays.
3. Your switcher loads the output's URL as a transparent browser source.
4. In the output's **control room**, or from the [API](https://docs.airframe.tv/api), you put components on air, take them off and change their data. The output plays the right animations, and every switcher showing it stays in step.

Editing the composition never changes what's on air. When you're happy with changes, publish a new version and move the output to it.

## Where next

- [Your first graphic on air](https://docs.airframe.tv/guides/first-graphic) walks through it start to finish.
- [The API overview](https://docs.airframe.tv/api) shows how to drive outputs from your own code.