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Is it possible to draw shapes in various colours, and then do animation in Xara 3D?
For example, is it possible to draw something like shown below and then animate?
Without having to copy and paste different parts and then adjusting line spacing and sizes etc - which gets rather messy!
Attachment 92428
The 3 shapes are on a transparent background.
You can make a vector object any color you want. But when you paste the shape into X3D it will be black.
You need to select the shape in X3D and then add the color.
Create the vector shapes in Designer or Web Designer, copy to the clipboard, and paste in the X3D.
Rik you cannot draw within Xara 3D Maker it is designed to work with text and/or an imported vector shape. Colors are not brought into the program but you can assign a color to a letter or shape by selecting it using the text cursor.
I know I can assign separate colours to vector shapes etc, but that means importing shapes individually.
Which then means that you have to start messing around with line spacing and sizes.
OK. I can see that what I want to do cannot be done in Xara 3D.
Is there a programme that allows importing of shapes or anything you draw, and then animate?
Any decent 3D rendering app should have an animation capability that would do what you need.
I haven't tried it, but would using Dingbats work?
Bob.
Hi Rik,
To do this you will have to create 'sizing pixels' Egg did a tutorial video on how to achieve this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b1kf...feature=relmfu
Thanks for the link, salaam.
It was useful viewing!
If the pixels cause a problem by being too visible then there is another similar but slighltly more complicated method. Let me know.
Hi salaam.
If the shape to be animated was a regular shape and didn't need different colour, then there would not be a probnlem.
My question is more to do with having shapes, and even text, of different colours, that has transparent space in between.
Then in this case, I think in Xara 3D, it's either not possible or very difficult.
But, I would love to hear from you as to what your suggestion is?!
Hi Rik,
If I understand you correctly, you can colour objects in X3D using a bitmap texture. You only have to do this once for the whole lot of 3D objects. This texture can be created from the original image as long as it is the same size as the vector shapes you pasted into X3D. For example you could use that bitmap image you initially posted.
Hi salaam.
I hope you don't think I've been wasting your time.
I just hadn't thought the process through properly, I think.
All you need to do is to paste the original that you've drawn into Xara 3D.
Then texture that with the original that you've saved as a transparent png.
Job done!
EDIT: Animation example attached.
Salaam, I would be interested in knowing what that similar but slighltly more complicated method is.Quote:
Originally Posted by salaam
I am glad you have worked it out Rik but why have you chosen an example with only one shape/ object spinning around? I thought you wanted many objects.
No problem Larry
It is different shapes. There are 4 of them. Shown in 4 different colours.
Like I said. It's been me, not fully understanding what I could do.
What I realised was that no matter what I draw, I can simply paste that into 3D, and then texture that with the drawing, itself.
I thought I might have to save each shape that has a different colour and then paste that onto different lines in 3D and then adjust the line spacing.
I'm waiting to see if anybody does this animation! Come on animators!! :p
Which animation are you talking about, Beret?
Multiple animations (4), copied and pasted together using gif animation editor...
An altenative (non-obrusive) method to the 'sizing pixels' is to create a 'sizing frame':
- Create your shapes.
- Draw a rectangle/ frame around it. Line with no fill.
- Place 2x one pixel width eclipes at each corner (diagonally opposites) of the frame.
- Group the 2 eclipses and paste them into X3D.
- Ensure that X3D is set to zero and the ‘aspect ratio’ set at 100%.
- Change the box line width to 0.001
- Then [Convert line to shape]
- With each shape you paste into X3D, paste the frame with it.
- (To make the box visible to you but not to X3D, give it a line width.
Hi Rik,
You only needed to pasted your shapes in one go as they all share the same attributes. They all animate as one, the X3D text colour and tint are the same and the extrusions are also identical. Also for your example you would not need to mess around with a 'sizing pixels' or 'sizing frame'.
Nice work lwc, although you could have done that all in X3D.
Which gif animator did you use to do this?Quote:
Originally Posted by lwc
Have a look at this thread: http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthre...-loading-a-gifQuote:
Originally Posted by Rik
The last post has a link for the freeware that I use...