Swift 3D help..am new...need LINGO help! :)

[whispers]

OK..I just got SWIFT 3D..never had Version 1 either.

So I guess I got a couple of questions since there is a LACK of tutorials..and help on this APP.

ok....

1.What is the Extrusion Editor?..and how is it used?

2.What is the LATHE Editor..and how is "THAT" used?

3. WHen I tried to "SAVE" something....I have NO export option...so how do I save to a .swf format?

4.When I import an .eps file from flash...how come it looks BLOCKY..and not a smooth bevel?

5.How do I get get a rotation..to loop...and look SMOOTH..like it isnt a LOOP?...In flash you could copy/paste frames...so the last frame in the loop..could be the same position of the first frame..

I am SO frustrated with this....I cant seem to do ANYTHING.....just looking at this interface..and all these familiar options/panels...SCARES THE PISS OUTTA ME!!!

I tried to follow POPES tutorial...but either its for the wrong version..or I am more of an idiot than I thought. It says to drag the frame thing to frame 10...but it wont let me do anything unless I click that animate button..to the right!! I guess I just need some direction..on what to try first....maybe some building blocks on hwo to do some simple animations...as well as some COMMON tips/tricks for making stuff with SWIFT 3D.



So any direction woudl be great. Thanks

-whispers

[NitroCharged]

1. The extrusion editor let's you draw a 2d image and then gives it depth. It allows you to draw straight angled lines, or bent curves which if you click on, allows you to adjust the bend by dragging those blue arms that pop up. Try it! Select the 'Extrusion Editor' panel - Draw a few points - some bent ones at the top as you map out a square shape and some right angled ones down the bottom. Click on one of the bent ones at the top. You can drag those blue bits around to change the shape. So, if we draw 2 right angle points at the bottom and two bent ones at the top and adjust the top ones to give a smooth arch and then draw a simple box inside and then go back to the 'Scene Editor' - we get this:

=

So, as you see, when you turn your image (click on it so a box appears around it - now go to the trackball in the lower left and hold your mouse down over the image and move it around ) you can see your flat left/right - up/down drawing now has a 3rd axis -depth.

2. The lathe editor is best thought of as when you were in workshop class at school - if you wanted to make a baseball bat - you stuck a piece of wood in a lathe and carved it to the right shape. Sorta the same thing here. You 'draw' the shape you want on one side and the image will spin 360 to give you the result. ( This can be adjusted but for now will do as an explanation.) So you are defining the ouside shape of the finished product. So if I draw a glass section in the 'Lathe Editor', I get this:
e.g.

=


3. To export a flash file (*.swf ) you must first go to the 'Preview and Export Editor' and click 'generate single/entire animation'. Now that it has produced the swf animation you can go to file and export it as *.swf.

4. *.eps files from flash will be blocky and it is a good idea to go to the extrusion editor once the object is selected and remove a lot of the points. This will clean it up. If the shape changes, click on the nearest point and adjust as per above to fix the shape back up.

5. To get your first smooth rotation loop - use the preset animations in the lower right hand corner of swift. Just drag and drop the animation you want onto the object you have made and swift will do it for you.

Hope that's a start for you


[Edited by NitroCharged on 03-23-2002 at 12:26 AM]

[whispers]

Thak You...finally some direction...I really appreciate it....you should start your own Yahoo (or whatever) Group..wher you can help SWIFT 3D newbies...get some direction! Anything more you can add would be great. Your directions were good...Thank You. I really need steps like that..goto file>>options>>etc>>>.etc>>>etc>>

it hlps me understand more...as long as I know "WHY" I am doing it..what what effect it produces!
Thanks Again!!


-whispers-

[slinky2000]

ah yes! , i finally found out what the lathe thinggy is for! woohoo!

[wcoleman]

Nitro gave a very nice description of the two editors, but I would like to point out that there are tutorials on both of those features (as well as many others) at http://www.erain.com - the statement in the first post that there is a lack of tutorials is not correct.

Cheers,

Flick