Assets & Libraries
Assets are the images, fonts, and audio files you bring into a Rive project — they power the visuals, text, and sound in your animations.
Rive supports importing images, fonts, and audio files directly into your project. Each imported asset can be embedded in the .riv file or loaded separately at runtime (when your app is actually running for a user).
Importing Assets
To import an asset, drag and drop a file onto the Stage, or use Assets → Import from the left toolbar menu. Supported formats:
| Asset type | Formats |
|---|---|
| Images | PNG, JPG, WebP, SVG |
| Fonts | TTF, OTF, WOFF, WOFF2 |
| Audio | MP3, OGG, WAV |
Imported assets appear in the Assets panel (accessible from the Hierarchy area). From there you can rename, replace, or delete them.
Embedded vs. Referenced (Out-of-Band) Assets
When you export a .riv file, you choose how each asset is delivered — either packed into the file or loaded separately.
- Embedded: The asset is packed inside the
.rivfile. Best for fonts and small images. - Referenced: Referenced (out-of-band) means the asset is NOT packed into the
.rivfile — your app loads it separately at runtime. Best for large images, high-quality assets, or content you want to swap dynamically.
Toggle between modes per-asset in the Inspector. Referenced assets require your app's code to load the file and pass it to Rive.
Use WebP format for images — it produces significantly smaller .riv files compared to PNG or JPG at the same quality.
Font Subsetting
Font subsetting means exporting only the characters your text actually uses, instead of the entire font — this shrinks file size. To enable it, turn on glyph subsetting in the font's Inspector options.
Libraries
Libraries let you share assets and components across multiple Rive files in your workspace. Think of a library like a shared design system: update it once, and every file that uses it reflects the change.