Category : Graphic Animations - Lots of older FLI's
Archive : ANIMAG.ZIP
Filename : FLASH.TUT
Output of file : FLASH.TUT contained in archive : ANIMAG.ZIP
AniMagic Copyright (c) 1993 Kavik Software
All Rights Reserved
The following steps guide you through the process of creating an
animation using an "object" and the "flash frame" option. An object is
equivalent to an actor in a movie or a "sprite" in sprite-based animation.
1) Start AniMagic.
Start AniMagic by typing ANIMAGIC at the DOS prompt and striking
If a message panel appears, left-click on the "OK" control. You are be
in draw mode and the current frame is the scratch frame. The mouse
cursor has a crosshair shape.
2) Activate the Main panel by right-clicking the mouse.
The Main panel is displayed and the mouse cursor now has a hand shape.
3) Select the Confetti Spray tool and draw the background:
A) Select "TOOLS" from Main panel.
B) Select "SPRAY" from Tools panel - this selects the spray drawing
tool.
C) Select "SETUP" from Tools panel - this activates the Spray tool
setup panel.
D) Select "CONFETTI" from Setup panel - this selects "confetti mode"
for the spray tool. The spray tool sprays a random selection of
colors from the current palette.
E) Return to the Tools panel by right-clicking the mouse.
F) Return to the Main panel by right-clicking the mouse.
G) Return to draw mode by right-clicking the mouse.
H) Spray a background on the frame by holding the left mouse button down
and moving the mouse.
4) Store the background:
A) Activate the Main panel by right-clicking the mouse.
B) Select "BKGRND" from the Main panel.
C) Select "CAPTURE" from the Background panel - this captures the
current frame image and stores it in the background buffer.
D) Select "PRELOAD" from the Background panel - this causes the
background image to be loaded onto the new scratch frame after
"shooting" a scratch frame.
E) Return to the Main panel by right-clicking the mouse.
5) Erase the scratch frame:
A) Select "EDIT" from the Main panel.
B) Select "ERASE" from the Edit panel.
C) Return to the Main panel by right-clicking the mouse.
6) Select the Filled Circle drawing tool and draw a circle:
A) Select "TOOLS" from the Main panel.
B) Select "CIRCLE" and "FILLED" from the Tools panel - make sure you do
not select "FILL" as this is a different tool. Now your drawing tool
will create a filled circle of the current color.
C) Return to the Main panel by right-clicking the mouse.
D) Return to draw mode by right-clicking the mouse.
E) Draw a circle with a diameter of about two inches. This is done
by left-clicking the mouse to define the center of the circle, moving
the mouse until the circle is the right size, then left-clicking the
mouse to draw the circle.
7) Create the object to be animated:
A) Activate the Main panel by right-clicking the mouse.
B) Select "OBJECTS" from the Main panel.
C) Select "GET" from the Object panel - this returns you to the current
frame.
D) Left-click to the left and just above the top of the circle.
E) Drag the cursor to the lower right of the circle so that the circle is
enclosed by the rectangle.
F) Left-click to define the region to be an object. Right-clicking
abandons the "GET" function and returns you to the Object panel.
After you have successfully defined the object you will return to the
Object panel. Note that the current object is displayed in the upper
left corner of the screen when the Object panel is active.
8) Restore the background:
A) Right-click to return to the Main panel.
B) Select "BKGRND" from the Main panel.
C) Select "PUT" from the Background panel - this applies the background
image to the current frame. Note that the background overwrites the
image currently on the frame.
9) Turn on the Flash Frame option:
A) Right-click to return to the Main panel.
B) Select "OPTIONS" from the Main panel.
C) Select FLASH FRAME "ON" from the Options panel. The Flash Frame
option "flashes" the previous frame of an animation onto the
scratch frame and is useful when positioning an object.
D) Right-click to return to the Main panel.
10) Place the object on the current frame:
A) Select "OBJECTS" from the Main panel.
B) Select "PUT" from the Object panel - this returns you to the current
frame and allows you to place the object in the frame.
C) Position the object in the top-middle of the frame and left-click to
set the object. Make sure the entire circle is visible within the
frame. After the object is placed you will return to the Object
panel.
D) Select "SHOOT" from the Object panel - this adds the current frame
to the animation. After "shooting" the frame notice the frame count
in the Main panel is incremented. The new scratch frame has the
background image loaded.
11) Create a frame:
A) Select "PUT" from the Object panel.
B) Position the object so that it overlaps the circle in the previous
frame and the top of the new circle is at the center of the previous
circle. The Flash Frame option allows you to see the placement of
the previous circle. Left-click the mouse to place the object.
Make sure the circles line up vertically.
C) Select "SHOOT" from the Object panel - this adds the current frame
to the animation and increments the frame count.
12) Create a series of frames by repeating step 11 until the last circle
is at the bottom of the frame. This should take about four or five
frames.
13) Set the Shrink/Expand parameters:
A) Set the "SHRINK" slider to 80 percent. This causes the object
to shrink to 80 percent of its original size whenever a shrink
action is selected. Move the slider by positioning the hand
cursor within the slider control tab and moving the mouse left
or right.
B) Set the "EXPAND" slider to 20 percent. This causes the object
to increase in size by 20 percent whenever an expand action is
selected.
14) Squash the object and place it in the frame:
A) Select "SQUASH" from the Object menu. This "squashes" the object
by shrinking the object in the vertical direction and expanding the
object in the horizontal direction.
B) Select "PUT" from the Object panel.
C) Position the object so that it overlaps the circle in the previous
frame. Left-click the mouse to place the object. The circle should
be at the bottom of the frame and entirely visible within the frame.
D) Select "SHOOT" from the Object panel - this adds the current frame
to the animation and increments the frame count.
15) Perform step 14 three more times, being sure to "squash" the object
and shoot the frame each time.
16) Display the current animation:
A) Return to the Main panel by right-clicking the mouse.
B) Select the ">>" control from the Main panel. This displays the
current animation.
C) Strike a key or click a mouse button to halt the animation.
17) Complete the animation:
A) Select "OBJECTS" from the Main panel.
B) Select "MULTI" from the Object panel.
C) Select "REBOUND" from the Multi-Frame panel. This generates
a reverse sequence of the current animation.
18) Play the animation:
A) Return to the Object panel by right-clicking the mouse.
B) Return to the Main panel by right-clicking the mouse.
C) Select the ">>" control from the Main panel.
D) Strike a key or click a mouse button to halt the animation.
19) Save the animation:
A) Select "FLIC" from the Main panel.
B) Position the mouse cursor within the edit box containing the word
'UNTITLED' and left-click the mouse.
C) Position the mouse cursor over the letter 'U' ,hold down the left
mouse button, and drag the mouse cursor over the entire word. Release
the mouse button and the word should be displayed in reverse video.
D) Type the word 'BOUNCE'.
E) Select "SAVE" from the Flic panel. This saves the current
animation as 'BOUNCE.FLI'.
20) Reset AniMagic:
A) Select "RESET ALL" from the Flic panel.
B) Select "OK" when the message panel is presented. All settings
are reset. You will also lose the currently defined object.
C) Right-click to return to the Main panel.
21) Now you are ready to generate your own animation or play around
with some of the other features of AniMagic. try 'PATH.TUT'
if you haven't already.
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