new clock example

[blanius]

I did another little clock example. this one dosen't rely soley on rotation to maintain time and as a result is much more accurate over longer periods. This also was an attempt and better graphics. File size is still fair. take a peek

http://deadyeti.com/blanius/newclock.html

After looking at it again I think I need to make a tweek that sets the hour hand better, right now if it's say 10:50 the hour hand will point right at the 10 and that is not quite right, I need to account for the mintues.

[kusco]

Bret,

That's the coolest looking clock I've seen yet!

Cheers,
Kusco

[blanius]

Originally posted by kusco
Bret,

That's the coolest looking clock I've seen yet!

Cheers,
Kusco

Thanks, I did make the tweeks I mentioned above now the hour hand is better, every minute it is update to the fractional rotation of the hour.(that sounds weird)

[JDE]

I like the clock too. Looking at it reminded me of a simple question that for some reason I haven't figured out yet. How do you make a perfect circle in 3dfa? I'm used to drawing programs where you create the circle by holding down the shift key while dragging out the circle. How do you do it in 3dfa?

[kusco]

Hello JDE,

I've had to get some circles happening myself just the other day and found out how to it. Here's my step by step on how I did it.

1. Create a paint object
2. pick your circle type. ie. filled or not filled
3. draw a circle - doesn't have to be perfect
4. on the left of the IDE (Interface Development Environment) you'll notice some black buttons in a single column - click on the top one so it's pressed in. This will allow you to move a single point.
5. you should see 3 points for the circle, a center point, and then two more that a diagonally opposite to each other on each side of the center point. Click and hold down one of them.
6. Move the one you've got 'picked up' directly on top of it's diagonal counter part and let it go. You should now see what looks like only two points on the screen - the center and the one you just dropped on top of the other.
7. at the bottom of the IDE you will see Line, Position, Length and Color. We're interested in Length here.
8. Pick up the one you've just dropped again and watch the Length values. As you move the point around the values will also change. If they are the same value then the circle (in this case) will be 'perfect'.
9. ajust the size of the circle by keeping these two values the same whenever you move one of the outer points.

HTH
Kusco

[flashenstein]

Thanks for your suggestion kusco. Your comments on circle building are a pretty good example of a problem in Inane Animator that has not been fixed promptly by the developers. I brought this to their attention more than a year ago on their old forum. It is a very unfriendly way to build a circle.

I tried creating a circle once and saving it as a bitmap etc so I could just import my circle object when I needed it. Talk about a convoluted way of doing things. Usually now I just use snap to grid which by the way I am grateful that they did see fit to add.

And now just watch my post will probably be pulled by the moderator.

RR

[zoranvedek]

Why not just turn on snapping to grid and draw your cirlce from corner to corner on a grid of even length and height(ie., a square)?. I don't get why it should so diffucult to draw a circle.
Am I missing something here?
-Jason

[kusco]

Hi Jason,

Can you point me in the right direction as to where I might be able to find this feature in 3DFA? I've searched all over and not found it.

Cheers,
Kusco

[zoranvedek]

It's in the background area underneath where you set the color.............

-Jason

[kusco]

Jason,

Thanks for that. I wish I had have seen this before. It will now make my life so much easier.

Cheers,
Kusco

[JDE]

I've used the snap-to-grid to make circles. I'd just like to see a more straightforward way to do it. So many drawing programs out there allow you to make perfect squares or circles as a norm, it seems 3dfa could make this a normal feature as well. The point-dragging approach should be used to make the distortions, not the circle.

[flashenstein]

... and as well as using snap to grid you can use scaling to fine tune the size(and position) of the circle. Either by entering in new values in the properties box or by watching the "length" indicators as kusco previously suggested.

Or will that scale the whole paint object? Oops! I guess it would. This is frustrating. Oh well, one circle at a time I guess.

These suggestions, I hope, are a work around. It is not ideal. Holding down the shift key would be much better. I thought it was practically a standard in a drawing program.

RR

[habboguy]

how do u open flash?

[dkerr]

Clock is great, Brett - very nice. And on Sydney time, too!

Regards