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Is there a tutorial on how to create animated knobs, buttons etc.? What I'm looking for is something with a vertical or horizontal strip of images that show a knob animated for 32 or 64 steps. Is this possible with Xara Xtreme?
:confused:
Note this isn't for a website but for an application.
I'm not sure I know the answer but just out of curosity, what is the application? And what format does the animation have to be in?
Xara can create a GIF animation if that is any help.
If so, there is a very simple animation tutorial in The Xara Xone Workbook 36 and a more complex tutorial January 2001 Xara Xone Tutorial and a Flash tutorial in February 2001 Xara tutorial and a more complex Flash tutorial in [url=http://www.xaraxone.com/tutorials/mar01/index.htm] the March 2001 tutorial.
Gary
Hi Imekon,
Welcome to Talkgraphics! I would say xara Xtreme can do the task you require. Most likely the output has to be a bitmap (.bmp) for a windows application. I would suggest an 30 bitmaps one for each position of the dial. Unless you can now layer graphics and use transparencies. then you could get away with 2. :)
It seems to me like the poster wants to be able to export 32 (or 64) discreet images, each showing a knob at a different rotation. I know only two ways to accomplish this:
a) have all permutations laid out in a grid, overlay them with slicing rectangles, then "Export as slices" or,
b) contruct it as an animated GIF, export the animated GIF, then use a program like "Animation Shop" to save out the frames from that GIF individually.
If the poster needs a single "strip" of images, then he would have to duplicate the original image 31 (or 63) times, then rotate the permutations one by one.
Merry
Is there no way to automate the rotation, or do I have to do that by hand?
Various knobs and controls for VSTi - virtual instruments or soft synths.Quote:
Originally Posted by gwpriester
A good example of this would be here .
Any format - GIF, PNG, BMP...
To the best of my knowledge, you would have to do them individually. There is no "transform again" command or macro feature in Xara Xtreme.Quote:
Originally Posted by imekon
Merry
MerryO;
Not sure I really understand what is wanted, but couldn't you make two identical objects, rotate one, do a blend X times between them, then recolor one of the end objects of the blend?
That is one of the first things I tried when I first got Xtreme... the program will translate each item in the artwork "linear-ally" as opposed to applying the rotation incrementally (see picture). I have a suspicion that blending a bitmap that is rotated would work, except there seems to be a bug associated with this.Quote:
Originally Posted by jclements
If you do a 0 to 90 degree blend then copy and flip em you can get all 360 degrees. Here are some quickies. 5 degrees rotation...
Here's my attempt at a very simple knob using XaraX to create a simple animation.
Egg
Of course this is were Flash excels. Here's a link to a swf file with 22 seperate interactive sliders which can be moved up and down and the value returned.
http://www.xlwebdesign.co.uk/fun/rad...s/slider1.html
The whole thing.... 6Kb's!
Egg
John, I'm not sure I see how limiting the blend to 0-90 is helpful, as the knob is constantly changing size? The poster needs to supply a "strip" of images that the destination application will use like a "flip book" when animating the knobs.
Merry,
If he creates 1 knob, then clones that knob and rotates it 90 degrees. He will have 2 identical knobs. If he then moves the copy away from the original and does a blend between the 2 knobs, he will have multiple copies of the original knob rotated. All he needs to do then is convert the blend to editable shapes and ungroup for many versions of the same knob. If he saves each version of the knob as knob001 through knob360 he can just call any of the knobs easily enough in a program. :)
As both your image and my image shows, the knobs get smaller in the middle of the blend. Furthermore, if you look closely in the example below, you see that the little "marker" on the knob is not actually being rotated, it's moving along a straight line (and the distance between it and the edge of the knob is changing).Quote:
Originally Posted by John Rayner
A copy of your image with selected knobs highlighted shows they do not look alike.
He would do better to use the blend tool between two identical, unrotated images, break it into editable shapes, ungroup, and apply the rotation individually. But rotating the ending knob and blending is definitely not an option.
Hi Merry,
I see what you mean about the indicator moving. I could not duplicate the size difference tho. That must be caused by the bevel. :)
John, I copied your JPG and drew a line over the last row to show the size difference. The first and last knobs touch the horizontal rule. The middle ones do not. (They are smaller.) I also boxed four of your knobs that look very different from each other.
Another way of doing it is to use Xara3D. Here's one I created using this method. You could make as many frames as you wish this way. The other point is that whilst the knob turns, the light source would remain fixed and not turn with the knob.
egg
That is one of the finest knobs I've seen, Egg :)
Egg - Very nice animation! (makes me dizzy to watch it, but very nice!)
Bill - I noticed the change in size when I tried to make a blend, just like in John's image. When I tried to duplicate it again today, it retains the original size for all the blend steps. I don't think I installed a newer version between the two attempts. Regardless of the size, the straight line for the knob indicator still makes it not workable for the knob animation steps.
Biil, I think it depends on just how much the copy is rotated before you apply the blend between it and the original.
John, that is exactly what causes the size difference. I saw your post and made another attempt and increased the rotation of both objects before making the blend.
Hey MErry,
I could not duplicate it on very simple knob without a blend or a fancy fill. That is why I said it must be an error in the blend routine. Maybe it confed inner and out blends, do not know for sure. My example was just a quickie doodle, showing that it could be rotated. Will have to see if I can get this to work. Good excuse to pway for a while. :)
Merry, flattery will get you everywhere!Quote:
That is one of the finest knobs I've seen, Egg
Phenollic plastic circa 1950's, or from early Television sets.