• Techno Page
• One dance too many
• Tress Trends
• Where beauty reaches the skies
• Clothes Line
• Final call for Starlight
• TV Times

Techno Page

By Harendra Alwis

Layers and grouping to move a triangle

Think of layers as transparent sheets (yes, the kind you put on overhead projectors).

Well, you can think of the Flash 'drawing area' (which we will henceforth call 'The Stage') as a desk or a work area where you can stack these transparent sheets. You can add them on by clicking on the tiny '+' sign that you'll find at the bottom left-hand corner of the timeline and delete them by clicking the trash can icon (Please see pic 1).

To name the layers double-click on the text ('Layer 1', 'Layer 2') and type in the name you want to give that layer. This is one of the good habits you need to get used to as naming your layers will save you a lot of time and confusion when working on bigger projects. 

There are two independent timelines for the two layers. (Please see pic 2)

When you start to animate multiple objects in Flash in different paths, you will have to have them in different layers because even if you are allowed to have many objects in the same layer, you cannot move them in different paths. Do yourself a favour and remember this tip so that you will have fewer headaches.

Making something move on the stage is quite simple. When you open a new file in Flash, notice that there is one layer and the 'first box' (which would be better known as the 'first frame') in the timeline has a darker outline than the rest. You will learn that this will be the sign that there is already a 'blank key frame' in the first frame. 

A 'key frame' is a point that you will define in the timeline where you want an object in a particular layer to change the direction of its movement, its speed, its shape or any combination of the above properties.

If you have saved the triangle from last week, open the file or create a new file and draw a basic shape such as a circle or a box on the stage. 

(Remember, the 'stage' is just a posh name for the white drawing area, but it is useful to know the terminology anyway). Now notice that there is a black dot in the first frame in the timeline. This is a 'key frame'.

The difference between a 'key frame' and a 'blank key frame' is that you will have a blank key frame in places where you do not have an object in that particular layer. 

When you insert an object at that specific frame on the timeline of that layer, Flash will automatically insert a key frame or just show that there is an object on the stage by showing a key frame which is symbolized by the black dot. 

When you insert a key frame in the time line, Flash automatically copies the contents of the key frame that is immediately before it onto the work area, whereas when you insert a blank key frame, Flash does not copy anything to the stage from a previous frame in the same layer. 

(If you are confused take a break and actually try this out in Flash)

Select the layer that contains the shape you just drew. Now Right-Click (in Windows) or CTRL + Click (in Macintosh) on frame 10 in the timeline and select 'Insert Keyframe'. 

Then while the layer is selected, chose the 'Transform' panel in the panel set and change the size to 50% and make sure the 'constrain' check box is checked. (If you cannot find the 'Transform' panel, activate it from the Menu bar by selecting WINDOW>PANELS>Transform) Then select the whole object with the mouse and move it to a different position on the stage. 

Then click on the layer that contains the object and select 'Shape Tweening' from the frame panel.

Now select CONTROL>TEST MOVIE from the menu bar. Save your work for next week, when we will go deeper into different kinds of 'Tweening' methods and talk more about the timeline, frames and object grouping.

So until next week experiment with Flash and let me know what happens. If you have any problems don't hesitate to write in.

Shortcuts

http://download.thaiware.com/program4/antimos.zip

http://www.thaiware.com/software/util/UL00608.htm

http://screenshot.lockergnome.com/mosquito.png

This program can keep mosquitoes away from your computer. The radius measures out near two metres. You can easily change the language from Thai to English and it will run from the system tray. You can change the frequency to whatever works best at the moment; the most effective levels are between 3 and 5. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: who needs this? Well, consider this scenario: you have a laptop, it's a nice evening, and you want to work in the patio. The bugs will eat you alive. Well, next time have this thing running in the background. Will it work? I have no idea. It hooks into your sound card and emits a "repellent" which should keep those flying nuisances at bay. It's worth a shot. And, if nothing else, it's for those of you who've already downloaded "everything".

http://w1.182.telia.com/~u18202752/efdsk101.zip

http://www.ministars.com/ed/

http://screenshot.lockergnome.com/effectivedesktop.png

This is a set of utilities to extend your Windows desktop and make it cleaner and easier to use. ExplorerX: hides any tray icons in the system notification area, changes the logo and text in the Start button, and makes desktop icon backgrounds transparent (not activated by default). TaskbarX Adds more functionality to the Windows taskbar: a calendar and an analog clock. TaskbarX requires Active Desktop to be installed and activated. WindowsX provides multiple virtual desktops. Third party add-ons include: ShareMon (monitors share access) and EZLaunch (loads your favourite applications)." This will bring certain Windows XP taskbar features to other versions of Windows, although it will also enhance and extend the XP taskbar.