Working on a first project in KM, an eLearning exercise involving shapes to which a 3D effect is applied. From what I've learned so far, the 3D effect can only be applied to shapes with points. (If I import an image created elsewhere without points, it can't have 3D effects applied to it.)
So, it looks like I would need to draw, with points, any shape needed for this exercise in order to be able to add 3D effects. Hmmm.. not an easy task for a non-artist like me.
An example of a needed shape is attached.
I tried to trace and add points but this gets difficult for the internal lighter grey lines. Being new to the GUI, I'm wondering if there is any way to create point-based drawings in another drawing program, then import in and be able to use to apply 3D effects to?
I had also tried building this drawing out of component squares in KM, but once grouped, the grouped item also cannot have the 3D effect applied to it as a group (must be applied to each square separately).
Any other way that avoids freehand point drawing?
Last edited by saratogacoach; 05-04-2015 at 12:43 PM.
The only way I can think to get the result you want requires several advanced tricks.
Remember, each step here assumes you did not change the selection from the previous step:
1.) Open your file that has the non-sticky MC with the rectangle and staircase shape inside,
2.) Remove the 3D effect from the MC if there is one,
3.) Open that MC and stay in it till you do all the following steps,
4.) Change the color of your staircase shape to #C0C0C0 and its line width to 0,
5.) Options > Grid > 18
6.) Tools > Select/Move points then:
a.) Sorry "Snap to Grid" does not work for point moving,
b.) Manually move the points on the staircase shape to match the points on the grid,
7.) Effects > 3D > Interlace (with all your custom settings),
8.) Tools > Add Text (type eight periods, "........") then set:
a.) Font to "Impact" (or another font that has square shaped periods, e.g. Arial Black),
b.) Size to "130" (this might differ for other fonts),
c.) Letter spacing to "-1" (this might differ for other fonts),
9.) Change the color of the text to #808080,
10.) Transforms > Break Text Apart > Convert to a shape with points,
11.) Tools > Select/Move points then:
a.) Select all the points in one period and use the arrow keys to reposition the period,
b.) Do the same for all the other periods till they lay in the right spots on your staircase,
12.) Effects > 3D > Interlace (with all your custom settings),
13.) Tools > Convert to MovieClip,
14.) Effects > Blend Mode > Overlay (or Screen, if you want it to look lighter).
Oops. Not sure how to begin, since my image was a tracing that was all darker gray with no lighter gray borders between or at edges. When I began, I wasn't able to import the original image with lighter gray borders, so created a shape by adding points that only had the outline plus darker gray fill.
If I start over, import the original png (with the lighter gray borders, like the p1.png file attached above), not sure how to get from that png to the "periods" mc. Also, can't figure out how to get points inside? When I add points, they can only be added to the outer contours, but not internally.
So, I need to start here: to import p1.png and add all of the points. Not sure how to do that?
Last edited by saratogacoach; 05-04-2015 at 11:00 PM.
Have been experimenting, trying to reproduce the same result. Can use the test w/Impact @130 font to get the 8 blocks and a 18 size grid to position them.
But so far have not been able to easily produce the "staircase." BTW, my original staircase in the MC was a poorly traced version, not symmetric or well-done. Not very skilled at tracing. Maybe there is a better way to trace skillfully?
My guess is that you used the attached p1.png, imported it, traced it with the line tool (thereby adding 12 points). Also, it appears to be re-colored to C0C0C0, but not sure how this is done: if I select the shape and try to re-color, the entire shape box is re-colored, losing the staircase shape inside. Becomes a blank C0C0C0 colored box. Hmmm...
Since I created the staircase in another app, I can re-create it with the C0C0C0 color.
Do I then import and carefully trace the staircase using the line tool to add the 12 points?
The basic idea was to have one darker gray many-part shape looking like it was embedded in lighter gray outer shape.
Do the other 19 shapes the same color design pattern?
Yes, the 19 other shapes have the same dark gray fill (#808080) and 2 px light gray border (#C0C0C0) for each cube (18x18) inside. Same color design pattern, just arranged differently, sometimes different number of cubes (8 or 9, or 10).
Last edited by saratogacoach; 05-05-2015 at 12:03 PM.
I think that I may be able to get this working if I use snap to grid to trace the imported image (add points to it). Snap to grid makes it a lot easier for me to draw.
Yes, drawing with snap to grid will save you much time and effort. You can still use two different
colored shapes with 3D FX on top of eachother if you want. Here is an FUN file with two versions,
one almost with closed boarder, and two with closed boarder (same points just snaped to slightly
different positions).
When trying to manually position selection points (for the 8 Text periods done in Impact 130), I notice there are 4 points around each period, plus an extra point under the top left point. So, there are 2 points top left for each period. If this extra point is not moved exactly to the same position as the other top left point, then a section of the period is cut off or skewed.
This has made the positioning of the points very difficult for me: I cannot select both the top left and bottom left point at the same time. So, I first select the top 4 points, move the period, then I select the extra point and try to position it over the other top left point that has already been moved. Usually the result is not successful: a part of the period is cut off or skewed. (If I delete the extra point, then a part of the period is also cut off or skewed.)
I must be doing something wrong or I don't know how to select all of the points for a period correctly?
Not sure what to do. Still cannot create one shape w/3D animation successfully.
Last edited by saratogacoach; 05-06-2015 at 08:02 AM.
Sounds like you are selecting points by clicking on them. Try moving the mouse near, but not over a point, then click and drag out a selection area which encompasses one of the periods. That way all the points you want get selected even the ones that are stacked on each other.
OK, I tried to do that, but on my Windows desktop w/ mouse, only can click on a point. Mouse over, near a point, does not select it. If I click on one point and drag, no other points are selected.
So we are "on the same page," I am beginning with a staircase shape created by line drawing around the imported png, using snap to grid. Plus a second shape which is the transparent rectangle to cover the staircase shape, to make the non-sticky MC (when I combine/convert these 2 shapes to MC). I can either convert staircase and transparent rectangle shapes to an MC or first add text periods, then combine all 3 into the MC. Not sure what to do?
Last edited by saratogacoach; 05-06-2015 at 06:59 PM.
Do you want the same coloring pattern on the both the top and side of each of the 20 things you are making? If so then you might want to change the 3D thickness setting for your periods to 14. Then, when the periods are blended with the 18 thick staircase, there will be a upper and lower margin of 2.
Please say more about your Windows. When you are in a folder, can you select a bunch of files at once by dragging the mouse over all of them? Selecting a bunch of points should work the same way.
I am using Windows 8.1. No, cannot select a group of files (or points) by mousing over them. I can Shift and click on multiple files (or points) to select them. But this means clicking on a point, not mousing over it.