Re: FLASH: Shape Tweening Woes

[John Croteau]

Hi Ken,


> I'm tweening between a small circle and a "block" outlined M

> ... both with black lines and a white fill. I don't like the

>  way Flash tweens without hints -- the circle seems to turn

>  inside out in the process of tweening.

> So I set three hints, A, B, and C. See below.

> (Hope you're viewing this with a monospaced font!)

> SURPRISE! With these hints in place, the tweening effect is

> *destroyed* ... instead, between the two keyframes, I get little

> dots and short line segments, and no fill (white), between the

? keyframes -- though they *do* move from the circle's position to the

M.

> Does anyone have a clue?

Sure.


> Seen this effect?

Sure, many times.

You haven't done much shape tweening have you?

To have your tweens look like they are exploding is very common.


Why you and Flash have so much trouble tweening the O to the M is that

the O consists of 2 shapes, an exterior one and an interior one, whereas

the M has just has one shape. What needs to be done is to add an

interior shape to the M and manipulate that.


Go to the center of the M and add a very small circle fill it in in a

different color than the fill of the M. Remove the the new fill to

create a hole in the M.


Next, add 4 shape hints to the external corners (to prevent rotation)

NW,  SW, SE and NE positions of the O and adjust the hints to the M.

Always start in the upper left position (NW) and go counter clockwise.

If counter clockwise doesn't work then try clockwise.


At this point you should have a controlled tween with a tiny hole in the

M.

If you like the tween add a new layer and place a keyframe below the M

and add a fill of the same color as the fill in the M and place it so it

will cover the hole in the M without going past the border of the M.


Add or adjust hints to the external shape to get it the way you want.


To change the interior shape you can change the position and/or the

shape of the interior hole of the M.


If you want the interior hole to end sooner then you need to create an

inteermediate shape. Determine the place you want the interior shape to

end at. Insert a keyframe one frame before that. You will likely have to

add a new interior shape and rehint (do this later). Now you have to

create a temp shape hint of the middle shape (A without a hole) to the

final shape when that is done add a keyframe (B) in the frame after the

middle shape. Add the hole back into A and hint the O to the A. Then

hint the B (without a hole) to the M.


O................M

O................M  (with hole in M)

O......A.........M  

O......AB........M  


So now you will have a Tween from the O to the the A middle shape which

has a hole. And a tween without a hole from B to M. The B is the tweened

object that you created from a temp hinting of A to M.


The key to doing complicated shape tweens effectively and quickly is to

learn how to hint effectively and not wasting time on deciding whether

you want to hint or not. Do it quickly and don't be fustrated if your

first few attempts don't work.


Having to add hints is not a bug, it is a fact of life.

The same shape tween located at two different positions on the screen

may require shape tweening in one positioon and not the other because of

the shape tweening estimates (and rounds off) the positions of the

tween.


Whenever posible place each component of a twenn on its own layer. This

will generally reduce the neeed or the complexity of hinting.


-----------                               -----------------------

John Croteau

croteauerols [dot] com (mailto:croteauerols [dot] com)

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