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Thread: Noob needs help with SIMPLE use

  1. #1
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    Noob needs help with SIMPLE use

    Hello. I'm trying to make a very simple business presentation, in flash. Basically it consists of a voiceover, with a few different jpgs entering, zooming, panning, and drawing circles around a few things. Very simple.

    This is the first affordable flash kit that looks like it could do the job, but the complexity (tons of features I don't need) is overwhelming. Can anyone point me to a fairly simple sample where an image is manipulated as described above? Or maybe just tell me generally how to do it? Or is there some other affordable program better suited to this job?

    Thank you.

    Greg

  2. #2
    Game Master ConnELITE's Avatar
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    Hi, did you view the samples? If you click samples there are plety of simple samples that should show you how to make what you want. If you're still having trouble I'd be glad to make an example for you.

    You may also want to turn on "Advanced Options" to view the seperate scenes in some of the samples.
    BC

  3. #3
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    need help please

    I looked at the samples. I don't see anything remotely like what I need to do. Seems to me I only have a couple days left on the trial... Can anyone HELP me??

  4. #4
    Game Master ConnELITE's Avatar
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    You can use scenes to show/hide images you import from 3DFA.
    BC

  5. #5
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    Brent


    I don't understand. I think you're trying to sell software here, but I can't make heads or tails of how this things works. It seems to me that my needs are very simple, and I think the software can do it, but if I can't figure out how to use it, I'm certainly not going to buy it.
    It annoys me that you post such non-helpful help, but even more it confuses me. Don't you want a new customer?
    Greg

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by gw123
    1. It seems to me that my needs are very simple,
    2. and I think the software can do it,
    3. but if I can't figure out how to use it, I'm certainly not going to buy it.
    1. true
    2. true
    3. true

    I think it does not get any simpler than how you do it in 3dfa,
    - you load you image (add new element-import file)
    - you move it where you want it to be. (just move the image with your mouse)
    - you tell how you want your image to appear (add new event->show elements->choose transition ... pick one how you want to show... or make you own one)

    Samples are good way to learn and first "text effects" sample works fine in this case. (text, single letter or image, they are all alements that can be animated)
    Other than that I could imagine Openoffice or MS powerpoint might offer even simpler way to do business presentation, OO might even export as flash, but I'm not sure if it animates anything at all..?

  7. #7
    Game Master ConnELITE's Avatar
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    Why do people always think I work for 3DFA -.-?

    And yeah, sorry for not being more specific, I just didn't have a lot of time to explain it then.
    BC

  8. #8
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    Noob runs away with question marks over head

    I'm a long time computer user, long time programmer (mainly business apps). I did spend an hour or two trying to use the program on three different occasions. I had no success whatsoever. Here's my feedback.

    I think it must be pretty powerful if you can make those sample games with it. I haven't the slightest understanding how that was done. I poked around the scenes and elements, but didn't even find the editor for the programming that must have been necessary.

    I tried to make a rudimentary image zoom/pan, but got nowhere. I tried to dissect the sample logo animation, but when I saw the timeline, it appears to be a long tedious process to get that relatively simple result. Maybe there's a way to automatically generate the animation series for each element, but having one element for each letter and so on looked overwhelmingly tedious. Worse, I wasn't able to manipulate the timeline in any way (such as lengthening, or shifting), so I actually couldn't even make any headway with playing with the sample. Very frustrating.

    Someone commented that "it couldn't be easier than with 3dfx". As for me, I've probably used 2000 applications in the past couple decades, and I cannot recall one with which I was not able to get anything done at all. I don't recall ever feeling totally "locked out" by an interface as I did with this one.

    Again, it appears there's great abilities. I think there's a big market for an affordable and easy-to-use flash animation generator. I hope this feedback might be helpful.

    I searched for a week, trying several programs, before I settled back on powerpoint. It's not nearly as powerful (and has some specific lacks, esp flash), but it's simple to use and can do most of what I need.

  9. #9
    Game Master ConnELITE's Avatar
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    Here's a really really simple sample. Took about 2 minutes to make. Enjoy.
    Attached Files Attached Files
    BC

  10. #10
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    I tried that file. It just crashes the program on opening.

    My version is latest from last week, v4r5 I think. Thanks anyway.

  11. #11
    Game Master ConnELITE's Avatar
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    oh, well why don't you upgrade? That was made in 4.9.5.
    BC

  12. #12
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    gw123, sorry to hear you have had bad experience with the program, I felt same way about other flash tools I tried. I my case it was/is that I have no experience about traditional flash frame based timeline concept.
    Well, IMO 3dfa way to do things is not timeline based, at least I have not used it that way. Timeline is nice way to check errors or things frame by frame but thats all what I have used it. Surely things happen in timeline but 3dfa has made them "modular" -> events that I find very easy on intuitive way to work.

    I have not seen much of video tutorials about 3dfa basics, mayby they could be nice way to make some quickstart guides.. hmm.. ok, I made one not very smooth one as a first time use of Wink that records the screen and makes .swf output.. no sound and it does not capture every frame so might look "jumpy" at times.

    Tutorial 1: show,wait,hide
    http://www.websaitti.com/test/flash/3dfa_tutorial_1.htm
    Last edited by Finjogi; 07-14-2007 at 08:04 AM.

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