How can I . . .

[alkolka]

. . . create a rotating shape with separate front and baCK jpg textures? Apparently X3D5 doesn't explicitly let me specify two textures, and the Insert Page Break feature didn't get me there either. Now, I tried generating two different animated GIFs, with unique textures and using common settings, but I got lost trying to combine them into a single GIF inside XaraX.

I swear Egg has shown us just this type of combination. Can someone point me to a solution?

http://home.attbi.com/~alkolka/alkolka.gif

[alkolka]

. . . create a rotating shape with separate front and baCK jpg textures? Apparently X3D5 doesn't explicitly let me specify two textures, and the Insert Page Break feature didn't get me there either. Now, I tried generating two different animated GIFs, with unique textures and using common settings, but I got lost trying to combine them into a single GIF inside XaraX.

I swear Egg has shown us just this type of combination. Can someone point me to a solution?

http://home.attbi.com/~alkolka/alkolka.gif

[Egg Bramhill]

I can remember doing it some time ago via import into XaraX and manipulating it as an animated gif in there. I have another idea, which might work and be easier. I'll try to get back asp.
Egg

[Egg Bramhill]

and by far the easiest method. I dont know how complex your shape is.
Basically it's a shape with the texture applied to front & back only, the sides has the texture unticked.
Ensure you Start the animation with the SIDE full on.
Select 'front face only' in the animation dialogue window.
Export the animation as ani1.gif.
Now go to Text Texture and load the second texture, ensuring you change nothing else.
You will need to retick the side as no texture.
Now export this animation as ani2.gif
Now import ani1.gif into XaraX.
Then import ani2.gif into XaraX above the first animation.
Then export as an animated gif.
You may have to mess about a bit with transparencies etc (This is due to XaraX's animation bug that they never fixed !!!!)
The attached animation is pretty naff as I had to make it quickly and very small.

Egg

[This message was edited by Egg Bramhill on March 15, 2003 at 20:06.]

[weldorman]

There is a way to do this within X3D.
Make sure you have middle alignment set in the text window.
Import your shape into X3D,hit enter
Import again
With the little I-beam icon selected,highlite the first shape and give it the texture you want.Choose front and back only for this.From the extrusions options uncheck back face and extrude the shape to what you want.Add bevel if any.
Highlite the second shape and repeat the same as above EXCEPT uncheck front face.
With the second shape still selected click on the bold T to bring up the text window and with the baseline shift move the second shape up even with the first.
That should do it.If I wasn't clear enough on this let me know.

Mike

[alkolka]

Thanks Egg!

I had gone done that route but made the error of click-dragging the separate animated GIFs into XaraX which caused a massive alignment problem. I must have made other errors as well.

At any rate, your sequence worked perfectly.

Since my first attempt still results in a 319kB file, I didn't post it here but rather put it on my server:

Our cats, Kona and Brutus.

http://home.attbi.com/~alkolka/alkolka.gif

Thank you Egg.

[alkolka]

Weldorman,

I'm running into dificulties with your method. I'm using photos for the textures and a XaraX square as my shape, all 200x200 pixels. Using your method, the squares are reduced in size, no longer matching the resolution of the photo textures.

Any ideas?

http://home.attbi.com/~alkolka/alkolka.gif

[weldorman]

Al,I believe if you open the texture options(the X in the left panel)you can resize the texture on the face of the square.I did this to resize the bitmaps I used for the textures in my example.Hope this helps.



Mike

[alkolka]

Weldorman,

Thanks. In the end I didn't need to resize the textures. While they were stacked one above the other, they scaled incorrectly since X3D5 saw the GIF as having a different size than the texture(s). Once I used the baseline offset to overlap one on top of the other, the original sizing was reestablished and everything looked OK.

My current effort looks good but is way too large: Our cats. I need to adjust sizes, pallet size, optimization, dithering type, number of frames, and probably my choice in India Pale Ale brand.

Between your and Egg's methods, I have two ways to get there. Thanks all.

Gary, maybe Egg's and Weldorman's ideas can become Xaraxone tips?

http://home.attbi.com/~alkolka/alkolka.gif

[Egg Bramhill]

That solution is excellent and far easier and cleaner than mine. (anythings better than using XaraX's animations with all it's bug's) Thank's for that.
I didn't realise you could do that.
Egg