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Playing with animation
During my childhood I loved to watch cartoon films. Well-known cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse, Superman, Donald Duck and Thunder Cats were my favourite. My teacher says that until a few years ago creating animation were difficult. Artists needed great precision and skill to paint every movement of the cartoon characters and this process was extremely time consuming. But with the passage of time, things became easy, as the Multimedia software that makes it possible for artists to work faster making less mistakes came into being. It is through this technology that animation are not just confined to the field of cartoon making, but a number of computer based presentations depend a great deal on animation as well. Video games are also animation based.
Definition
The rapid repositioning of objects on display to create movement is known as animation.
Making animation
Multimedia software is not only useful for professionals but it also helps learners to create animated objects and characters with great ease. If you like making animation then after following a few simple steps with the MMS you will be able to move the animation in different directions. Once you become an expert in this, you can also learn the process to make the animation jump around on your computer screen. A number of MMS used to create animation are available in the market, out of which the most popular is the “Macromedia FlashMX” software.
Get set go
To make animation you first need to install the MFMX program file. To open the program file click start———————-program file—————- Macromedia FlashMX. The working area of the MFMX consists of the following tools
1- TIMELINE: It is the area above the site screen. Frames and layers reside here.
2- SITE SCREEN: It is white and is placed in the middle. The Site Screen is used to design animation.
3- TOOLS: Towards the left you will find several options to make animation.
4- PANELS: Towards the right corner you will find tools such as colour mixer and colour swatches, which make your presentations extremely colourful and lively.
Creating Tween Animation
Animation, in which one shape changes into another, are the simplest. You may convert a circle into a rectangle and interchange colours as well, just by following these simple steps.
Design circle #1
* Select the oval tool from the set of tools available towards the left side of the screen.
* Drag and drop this tool on the site screen to make a circle.
Paint circle#1
* Click the Paint Bucket tool.
* Choose red colour from the properties given below the screen or the colour option from colour tool.
* To shade the circle click colour swatches and colour mixer, which is present towards the right side of your screen.
Set key frame for circle#1
* In timeline select the first frame. This represents the first circle on the screen.
* Then select tween shape from the property menu.
* Ease 30. The number of ease depends on how fast or slow you wish the circle to move.
* Choose Blend distributive.
Insert key frame for circle#2
* Now move to frame #15 and right click the mouse.
* Select insert key frame from the list of options.
* This will create a link from frame#1 to frame#15.
* Keep in mind that at the moment you are on frame#15 and presently this frame does not represent a shape. (Frame #1 has circle).
Paint circle#2
* Make another circle following the same procedure that was mentioned above; this is circle # 2. You can change the colour of the circle from red to blue.
* If you want another shape instead of a circle then press delete and draw a rectangular shape with the help of the tools.
* Go to the window menu bar and click Tools———-Controller. This will create buttons (just like that of a tape recorder) on the screen.
* Press play to see the result.
* You can use loop play and other play options available in the control menu bar to play the animation continuously.
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