2 Move a bitmap image

2 Move a bitmap

In this lesson, we'll learn about bitmap images and the move event, but before we start, let's say something about getting help in 3D Flash Animator.

Getting Help

You can get help in four ways:

	At the far right of the toolbar at the top of the screen you will find this symbol: . Clicking it will turn on (or off) some yellow help boxes in the movie properties window. Because you are just beginning, it would be a good idea to keep the yellow help boxes visible.
	Each dialog box has its own help button in the top right corner - clicking it brings up more detailed yellow help boxes.
	A third way of getting help is to choose Help in the Help menu.
	The fourth way? Ask an expert (that's me!)

Bitmap Images and the Move Event

Make a new movie (File>New Project>Movie) with dimensions 320 x 240 and name it 'Butterfly'. It's possible to import bitmap image files from anywhere on your computer using Add and Element>Load a File Object but we'll get a picture from the ClipArt Library instead. Choose 'Add and element' and then 'ClipArt Library'. The Library will open - choose Images>Misc>Butterfly and the butterfly image will be added to your movie. This type of image is called a bitmap image and it is the type that you are most familiar with - the images you worked on with Photoshop were bitmap images, too.

Now choose Add and Event>Move selected object through key positions and then Add Event. A move dialog will open and you will notice a 'key positions' section looking like this:

The way the move event works is that you define several positions for the object using the 'Add a new position' button and then, when the movie is played, the object moves to each position in turn, taking a time given by the 'delay' setting in seconds to move into each position.

Drag the butterfly into the lower right corner, click the 'Add a new position' button, then drag the butterfly to the top center and add this new position, then do the same in the bottom left of the movie. Notice that helpful 'onion skins' appear to remind you which positions have already been recorded. Set the delays to 1 second. The dialog should now look like this:

Play the movie and notice how the motion is not smooth. Stop the movie, then try turning on the 'curved path' button for position 2 (I think the curved path button makes no difference for the first and last positions). Run the movie and notice that the path that the image now follows has been curved near position 2 (the top position).

The button to the left of the curved path button is used to show a particular position and the red button to the right is used to modify a recorded position (don't forget to drag the object into the desired position before you click this button.

Save and close your movie.