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Thread: 3DFA Beginners Text Tutorial

  1. #1
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    3DFA Beginners Text Tutorial

    Getting Started in 3D Flash Animator 4
    Working with Text
    Created by Merrie Schonbach - User

    Introduction

    This will take you step by step through 3D Flash Animator and show you how
    to work with text elements. It will give you a quick start with using the program and how the program works. In addition to these very basic tutorials you will find other excellent ones at the Forum here just search for 'tutorials'.

    Lets Get Started

    Open your 3DFA program.
    Click on ? Help in the top row of links, use that information as you go, it will help. For now close the help window.

    Start a new project, click on the little icon that looks like a calender. Top of window, second row, first icon. If you run your cursor over it, it will say New Movie.

    A New Movie Window will pop up. Here you can name your movie, set the size of your movie window, frame rate and frame background color.
    First lets name your movie, call it Text Fun - leave everything else as it is. Click on Create Movie.

    Properties Window

    Now you have two new windows. To the left is a white window which is your working area titled 'Text Fun'. To the right is your 'Text Fun Properties' window where you will do most of your clicking.

    This is a very important window, get to know it. Lets take a look at a neat little feature that will explain the first four buttons at the top of the window. Click on the icon in the upper right hand corner of the properties window that has a yellow ? on it. When your done reading that just hit the icon again to close it. This help window appears on each of the different windows.

    Certainly poke around the window and try things out, but for now leave it as it first came up.

    Creating our Text

    Now lets create our text, click on the button labeled 'Add new element' on the Properties window. Take a moment to look over the sub-menu that pops up, you will find alot of handy goodies here.

    Click on the Text Icon, upper left hand side of the menu, second section.
    Another window pops up 'New Text' window. First thing is to name your text string. So type in 'Text Fun'.

    In the window directly below that type in 'Text Fun'

    Please take a moment to look over this window, you can change the font, language, height, set it bold or italic, alignment, line color and text color.
    Do not change any of the setting right now (unless you really want to ) then click 'Create Text'

    You will see the text object appear in the working window on the left. Now we can start having some fun with it. Lets go over some important buttons to change our text object. Direct your eyes to the row of gray buttons along the left hand side of the window.

    Hover your mouse over each one of the buttons to get its name. Lets start with the first button 'Move Point' click on it and move it over your text object. This object allows you to resize your object. Left click on one of the small handles on the object. (If you don't see the handles, left click on the text.) then drag it a bit, you will quickly see how this one works.

    Now click on the second button down that looks like a four way intersection, this button allows you to move your whole text object around the window. Left click on a handle and take your text for a run around the window.

    Go ahead and work through the rest of the buttons to see what they do.

    Adding Motion to our Text

    In the properties window, click on 'Add New Event' button.

    Then click on the little blue ball, left side of menu, second section, Show Elements.

    Another little window will pop up, put a checkmark in box next to Tx and click 'Ok'

    The Show Properties window will pop up. Click on the button with the sun, Choose Transition.

    You will see all types of effect here, experiment with them. Click one and it will preview in the little window. Study this window a bit. I choose 'Bounce in', when you are done looking at the window and selecting and action just close it with the X.


    Seeing It In Action

    Now we can test our text and see it in action. At this point we should save the file. Click on File - Save As and type a name and choose a location. As you work on your masterpiece all you have to do to do a quick save is hit the little black icon that looks like a single file in the top, second row of the window.

    Now you can play your movie a few different ways but I'll show you two. In the Properties window just click on the right, green arrow. Another widow will pop up on the left showing your movie. Just click on the X to close your running movie.

    You can also click on the bright green, right arrow at the top of the window, second row, toward the right.

    See It In Your Browser

    You can also see the movie in your browser. In the Properies window click on the button that says 'Export Movie' Another few buttons will pop up, click on the blue Internet Explorer one.

    Here are a couple of other important buttons for you to transfer your movie to the web, take a peek at the information behind the button called 'Show the Exported HTML' also you can upload your creation directly to your server by using the, you guessed it 'Upload to Server' button.

    Thats it for this tutorial, we hope you found it helpful. Good luck!
    Last edited by Merrie; 11-27-2005 at 08:09 PM.

  2. #2
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    If the Mod's think this is good enough, can we make it sticky? Thank you!

  3. #3
    KoolMoves Moderator blanius's Avatar
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    Ok

  4. #4
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    question

    question, how do u make it so that after the object bounces in, it doesnt keep bouncing in?

  5. #5
    Game Master ConnELITE's Avatar
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    say at top "stop movie when finished", or after the scene make a "stop movie" action. If your making an intro for a game or something and you dont want the movie to stop, make a child movie, do the intro, have movie stop when finished, that way the main movie will still work.
    BC

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    ok thanks, i just added event, the stopped the movie.

  7. #7
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    Eyvallah kardeş +rep

  8. #8
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    Updated tutorial

    I updated your tutorial. I have provided a MS Word Source and pdf version.
    Keep up the good work!
    Jan Zumwalt

  9. #9
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    great

  10. #10
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    Sorry if this is the wrong thread,

    I've tried a few times but so far i haven't managed,

    what I want to do is make an object that I can move with the keyboard,
    I'm not that good with javascript at the moment so I'm not sure how to do this ,
    Plz can someone help me here?
    Thanx in advance

  11. #11
    Senior Member sadako232's Avatar
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    keyboard element,

    then under the script make

    element ("whatever").velocity.y = whatever

    then for a different key

    element ("whatever").velocity.x = whatever

    mess around with it

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