"Layer Changing" in animation?

[mrgr8avill]

Wondering if anyone has any ideas on this, or has seen a tutorial they could point me to:

What I am trying to accomplish is.. at the beginning of the animation, the static image would be some hollow text inside a circle. When the animation starts, the text will rotate 360 degrees closckwise along a vertical axis, while the ring rotates 360 degress counter-clockwise along the same axis at the same rate.

So far, I have done the text and the ring separately, exported them to animated gifs, and imported them into Flash as transparencies so they can play "on top" of each other.

Problem happens when the text and ring are approaching the 180-degree mark. The text should be BEHIND the left (or front) part of the ring, and IN FRONT of the right, or rear part of the ring.

Cutting the ring in half won't work, because it changes the axis point for the rotation. Logic would say that there should be two rings. Each ring would be half transparent and half filled, and then could be layered ring, text, ring.

So, my current path is trying to find out how to either a) change the axis of rotation from center to left/right edge, or b) how to make half of an image transparent in Xara3D...

Thanks for any info. you can provide. This should be a really cool effect, if I could ONLY make it work!!!!


Shannon

[mrgr8avill]

Wondering if anyone has any ideas on this, or has seen a tutorial they could point me to:

What I am trying to accomplish is.. at the beginning of the animation, the static image would be some hollow text inside a circle. When the animation starts, the text will rotate 360 degrees closckwise along a vertical axis, while the ring rotates 360 degress counter-clockwise along the same axis at the same rate.

So far, I have done the text and the ring separately, exported them to animated gifs, and imported them into Flash as transparencies so they can play "on top" of each other.

Problem happens when the text and ring are approaching the 180-degree mark. The text should be BEHIND the left (or front) part of the ring, and IN FRONT of the right, or rear part of the ring.

Cutting the ring in half won't work, because it changes the axis point for the rotation. Logic would say that there should be two rings. Each ring would be half transparent and half filled, and then could be layered ring, text, ring.

So, my current path is trying to find out how to either a) change the axis of rotation from center to left/right edge, or b) how to make half of an image transparent in Xara3D...

Thanks for any info. you can provide. This should be a really cool effect, if I could ONLY make it work!!!!


Shannon

[Egg Bramhill]

Shannon,
Welcome to the forums.
It can be done, but before I explain how can you confirm this is the effect your after? (note: There's an error here due to rendering "front face only" in the text)
Do you have Xara X ?
Egg

[This message was edited by Egg Bramhill on March 03, 2002 at 05:39.]

[mrgr8avill]

Yes! That's the EXACT thing I've been sleepless about! I usually use Illustrator, but have downloaded a trial of Xara X recently. So I am not 50% familiar with the interface yet...

Thanks for showing me it's possible! I really appreciate it! How in the WORLD did you do it?

Shannon

[mrgr8avill]

Actually, the error is mine -- I think "front face only" is the way I am going to go, but I just didn't change it for the post 'cause I was so frustrated about the "layering" issue.

Also, if it matters, the "text" I have to use is not a font, but a rendered rastor/vector conversion from a logo. It's an EMF import to Xara3D.

Thanks again!!

Shannon

[Egg Bramhill]

It will take me a couple of days to do a tutorial but I promise I will do it.
Egg

[Egg Bramhill]

As promised the tutorial:
CLICK HERE
Egg

[mrgr8avill]

Thanks so much for your time and energy in that tutorial! I hadn't even THOUGHT of editing the frames!!! I viewed the tutorial, and shall go through it step by step as soon as I can (perhaps this weekend) as I am now swamped with the "day job."

Thanks again!!!!!!!!!


Shannon