Blends and Animations

[MerryOtter]

Is there an easy way to take a blend and transform it into an animation?

Consider these examples:

1) I want a circle to expand from 3 pixels to 300 pixels diameter... one pixel at a time, one frame at a time

2) I want to move an object from left to right, 2 pixels at a time, for a length of 600 pixels

These are super-simplified of course... Ideally i'd like to be able to apply different colors, morphing shapes, blend along a curve etc., click the blend, and choose a "create animation command" or something like that.

Mucho thanks in advance!

[Soquili]

Hi Bill,

I'm not aware of any way to transform a blend into an animation.

The simplified animations you describe can be created in Xara Xtreme, however the file sizes would be large. Your first example would require 100 frames and your second 300 frames. These simple animations would be fairly easy to create, although a bit time consuming.

The first example would begin with your 3 pixel circle in frame 1. Copy the frame then increase the diameter of the circle, repeat 99 more times using the newest frame as the source for the copy.

Same approach for moving the object from left to right.

Oh, if you wanted the animations to work in both directions then you would need to double the number of frames.

Sorry, but no shortcuts to doing it; that I am aware of.

[Ron Duke]

Bill,
I did a spinning globe which swooped in and I used about 30 frames. I created the simulation by using a blend of the globe from small to large on a curved line. The file was huge!
ron

[amoore]

You're much better off doing animations like that in the flash format. Even QuickTime would be better size-wise. The file size for an animated gif is just way too large.

I use SwishMax (www.swishzone.com) primarily. I've also used KoolMoves (www.koolmoves.com). I'm sure there are other low-cost flash authoring apps out there.

Where do you intend to use the animation?

[RedWombat]

I agree with amoore. Things like that are much better done with Flash. In Flash you set your first object, create your second object then make the animation tween between the two.

[Intbel]

Just to find out how long it would take and what size the resultant file may be using Xtreme:

[Intbel]

Alternatively:

[gwpriester]

Flash is definitely the way to go for something like this. Vector objects are described by their outline, and so a circle can be described by 4 points each connected to the next point by an arc of so many degrees and length, and the fill color of the circle and outline color if any.

A bitmap of the same circle, depending upon the size would be described pixel by pixel with anythere between 4 and 8 bits of infomation for each color.

I would create the blend on frame 1, then copy the frame and remove one circle, copy the frame and remove one circle, etc. And then export the frames one at a time and reassemble the frames in a Flash front end editor.

Gary

[Intbel]

I would create the blend on frame 1, then copy the frame and remove one circle, copy the frame and remove one circle, etc. And then export the frames one at a time and reassemble the frames in a Flash front end editor.

Flash is definitely the best option - I just wanted to find out.

Actually... you'd copy the blend and remove 299 circles.. then 298...

[sallybode]

There's another program that did that, R.A.V.E. and it is exportable to Flash, but it has its troubles. Xara has lots of flexibility with its animations. If you want to do the blend thing, R.A.V.E. shipped with CorelDRAW 10 thru 12, no longer available with X3.