week 7: 10/30/06

Hi class,
If you haven't checked my links to the right side of these postings yet, do so when you have time. I just started putting them up on Sunday, compiling a list of my interests and which I think (I hope) may also interest you.

The top section contains links to art, animation, and computer oriented selections, so check them out and let me know what you think. Last night, Javier, a student in our class, gave me a new link with a fun animation. It is the top item, and I welcome any other ideas. If you have any suggestions of animations, or interesting computer art or designs, please let me know. The second section contains links to news and politics, another interest of mine; and, this being an election year (only 2 weeks away), they contain some timely information for us when it comes to voting. And finally, the last selection contains links to my other class blogs. Check those out too if you want.

Although I was a bit disappointed in the number of students who brought homework to class yesterday, I was very happy with what I did see. It seems you guys have a pretty good handle on the whole storyboard thing, and know pretty much what to do (you just have to sit down and do it!). This is a different situation than in semesters past. It has normally been quite difficult for students to grasp in the past, but you guys really seem to get it. For those of you, however, who are having trouble, take a look at the storyboards of your classmates to get ideas or a better understanding. There are a few very nice ones. So please class, don't take these things lightly. We will be using them every week starting the second half of the semester when we really get into creating our animations, which I am very eager to see.

1. TOPICS:
   
   • LINK   Movie-Clips versus Graphics: Dynamic versus Static;
     
   • LINK   Creating a Movie-Clip Symbol;
     
   • LINK   Nesting Symbols: Graphic Symbols within Movie-Clip Symbols;
     
   • LINK   Animating a Movie-Clip Symbol: Shining Star;
     
   • LINK   Animating a Movie-Clip Symbol: Floating Note;
     
   
   
2. HOMEWORK: Using Pencil and Paper, please use the "Hey Diddle, Diddle!" script to continue drawing your Storyboard.
       Please don't forget the following guidelines:
   
   • Each numbered element in the written script that I provided to you roughly corresponds to a drawing; so, for each number, you should, for the most part, draw one frame in your storyboard.
     
   • Continue work on AT LEAST the first nineteen (19) frames of the storyboard.
     
   • You may use the frame template that I provided to you in class, or, you may create your own; however, you must make certain that there are NO MORE than THREE (3) FRAMES per page. There may be fewer than three, say two (2) or even only one (1) per page, but not more.
     
   • All frames must be the SAME SIZE and SAME SHAPE.
     
   • Please NUMBER your frames and, if necessary, provide explanatory text below or around the frames.
     
   • Arrows are helpful to explain movement of objects (a bird flying across the sky or an arm moving back and forth) within a frame, or the movement of the camera itself (panning motions left or right).
     
   
    
   
3. SYMBOLS: There are three (3) different kind of symbol behaviors in Flash, but so far we have learned only about one kind, Graphic Symbols. We have used these symbol types primarily to create motion tween and to create re-usable graphics, graphics that may be used many times; however, there are many more uses for symbols, and last week's class was an introduction to another behavior type: Movie-Clip symbols.
   
   1. Movie-Clip and Graphic Symbols: The main distinction between these two types of symbols is that one is a dynamic symbol, and one is primarily a static symbol. In other words, one involves activity (animation) and interactivity, and the other involves in-activityor the lack of activity or interactivity. When a web graphic or object is dynamic, such as a movie-clip, it usually involves animation or user interactivity of some kind. Static graphics, on the other hand, are NOT usually active and NEVER interactive. They are static, still, non-moving, inactive.
      
      1. Graphic Symbols: Graphic symbols are the most basic symbol types. It is the only type that we have learned up to now, but it possesses all of the fundamental properties of symbols: they are reusable graphics, in which multiple instances of the symbol may be used without drawing more, and without adding filesize to your movie; they allow you to create motion tween animations, and they reside in the library (ctrl-L || F11). All types of symbols have these three fundamental properties, but a graphic symbol is probably the type that is used most often. As its name suggests, it is for graphics, any ordinary drawing or object that you would create in Flash. Some graphic symbols do contain animation within them; however, the vast majority will not.
         
      2. Movie-Clip Symbols: Next to graphic symbols, Movie-Clips are the most widely used type of symbol; and, in fact, for web-sites or interactive movies, they are perhaps even more widely used than graphic symbols. This type of symbol, being dynamic, often contains animation within it. Unlike simple graphic symbols, which usually contain a simple drawing of some type, movie-clips may contain within themselves entire animations. More often, however, they contain snippets of animation, brief animated sequences. Furthermore, one of the properties of movie-clips is that they may be allowed to play endlessly in a loop. As a result, those brief snippets of animation are played over and over and over again, such as an eye blinking, a raindrop falling, or a bird's wings flapping. If the sequence requires repetitive movement of some kind, then it is ideal for being placed in a movie-clip symbol. The blinking eyes here are an example:
         
         Notice that not only do the eyes blink repetitively, but they also move from side to side at about the same interval. What we have here are basically three (3) layers: an eyelid layer, an iris (colored part of eye) layer, and then the eyeball (white of eye) layer. The eyelid layer simply blinks, moving up and down; and the iris layer moves side to side. In these two layers are just two simple motion tweens. I've used the free transform tool (Q) also, to give the illusion of 3D animation, but it is really flat as a pancake 2D Flash animation. The bottom layer, the eyeball layer, does nothing, so it just has one keyframe and simply sits there at the bottom. All of this is inside a movie-clip symbol. We will cover something like this in another class, but feel try to try it on your own until then.
       
   2. Creating a Movie-Clip Symbol: Next, we will create our own movie-clip symbol. Doing this is like creating the simple graphic symbols that we have made up to now. We will start first with a drawing:
      
      1. Using the line tool (N) or the polygon tool (R - press down on the tool until the polygon shows itself, then click on options in the toolbar to select STAR) to draw a star. It may be any type of star you like, 5 points or 6 points, fat or skinny.
         
      2. Once drawn, select the selection tool (V), look closely, and select only the stroke or outline of the star.
         
      3. Now hit delete.
         
      4. Make sure the selection tool (V) is still activated, and then select the star on the stage.
         
      5. Choose convert to symbol (F8).
         
      6. Give it the name star_mc, select movieclip for behavior, and then select okay.
         
      7. Once done, it should have a blue box around it just like a graphic symbol does when it is selected.
         
       
      
   3. Nesting Symbols: The star symbol is now a movie-clip symbol; however, it is not yet animated. We must create the animation inside of the symbol with symbol-edit mode.
      
      1. As you should know, to do this we must double-click on the symbol instance on the stage.
      2. Once you do so, look in the upper left-hand corner of the stage. There, it should say Scene 1 - star_mc. This means you are in symbol-edit mode for the star symbol. If it is not there, you should try double-clicking again on the star on the stage. To proceed, you must be in symbol-edit mode.
         
      3. Now, select the selection tool (V) and select the star on the stage by double-clicking on it. Once you do so, you should be able to tell it is selected because it should have the little dots all over it.
         
      4. Eventually, we are going to put animation inside of this movie-clip symbol by creating a motion-tween. But as you can see, this star graphic has little dots all over it when it is selected, and as you know, it must have a blue box around it.
         
      5. Try not to get confused, but remember we are inside the movie-clip symbol. Try to imagine it as a completely separate movie inside the movie-clip, and if we are going to make this star into a motion tween, we need to convert it into a graphic symbol. But before we do, once again, look in the upper left-hand corner and see if it still says Scene 1 - star_mc to make sure you're still inside the symbol.
         
      6. If so, then make sure the star is selected, and then convert to symbol (F8).
         
      7. Give it the name star, select graphic and then click okay.
         
      8. Now, it should have a blue box around it when it is selected. This means you have a nested symbol. In other words, it is a symbol WITHIN a symbol. To see for yourself, double-click on the new symbol there on the stage. Then look in the upper left-hand corner again, and you should see Scene 1 - star_mc - star: the star graphic symbol is inside the star_mc movie-clip symbol which is in Scene 1 of the main movie.
         
      9. To exit symbol-edit mode, click on where it says Scene 1 in the upper left.
       
      
   4. Animating a Movie-Clip Symbol - Shining Star: Now that we have our symbols nested, a graphic symbol inside of a movie-clip symbol, we can go about creating our animated movie-clip.
      1. Select the selection tool (V) and double-click on the star on the stage to go into symbol-edit mode for the star_mc movie-clip.
         
      2. Once inside the movie-clip symbol, name the first layer star and add a second layer.
         
      3. Name the second layer shine and lock it
         
      4. Click in frame 1 of the star layer and copy (ctrl-C).
         
      5. Now lock the star layer and unlock the shine layer.
         
      6. Click in frame 1 of the shine layer and paste (ctrl-V).
         
      7. Now, click in frame 10 of the shine layer and add a keyfame (F6).
         
      8. Select the free transform tool (Q), hold onto the shift key, grab the corner of the star, and make it larger.
         
      9. After that, choose the selection tool (V) and select the star on the stage by clicking on it one time.
         
      10. Then open the properties bar, click where it says color, and set the alpha to zero.
          
      11. Now click in the timeline between the two keyframes, and add a motion tween.
          
      12. Also in the timeline, drag the shine layer so that it is below the star layer.
          
      13. Next, click in frame 10 of the star layerand extend the duration (F5).
          
      14. Finally, exit symbol-edit mode by clicking on Scene 1 in the upper left-hand corner.
          
      15. Save and test the movie, you will see your star shining over and over in an endless loop.
          
          
      
       
      
   5. Animating a Movie-Clip Symbol - Floating Note: