Flash :: Drawable Motion Guides?

[as3] Motion Guides And Motion Code
Adobe's touting Flash CS3's "Copy Motion as AS3" feature as a bridge between designers and developers. For the most part, I bet they're right. And there are probably other applications for the Animator class that we can't forsee at this time.

But I thought this feature's greatest use would be representing complex animation elegantly in a programmatic way. Simple animation can just be coded; it's the tough stuff that we'd prefer to animate in the Timeline, then convert to code. And Adobe seems to agree; their demonstration for this feature uses a motion tween that uses a motion guide, which is translated into Motion XML. But if you look closely at the XML, it doesn't describe motion at all: when you copy motion along a path as AS3 code, it'll first convert the entire tween to keyframes. That means, if you want to make the XML animation twice as long, you'll need to properly adjust the keyframe positions for each frame that was in the animation. That doesn't cut it for me.

On the other hand, if you just copy and paste the motion to another object, the guide will also be copied. This makes more sense; the Animator should be able to rely on a motion guide just as the Timeline seems to do.

Go ahead and give it a try. Make a little motion tween that uses a guide, copy and paste it as AS3, and look at the XML. Isn't it impractical?

Motion Guides
I would like to know if you can make more than one object or symbol follow the same guide. I would like each object to start in a different place on the guide. Is this possible? If so, is it also possible to attach objects to a closed path?
Thanks for you help, it is much appreciated!

xxx Far

Motion Guides
I'm doing my scarlet letter project with flash and want to put two motion guides in one scene? ist possible?

How Many Motion Guides
Can anyone tell me the maximum amount of motion guides I can put in anyone flash(5) movie?

After having put 2 in, and needing to do a lot more, when I try to put in a 3rd (select object layer, choose insert> motion guide), it doesn't add the motion guide layer

can anyone help?

Thanks

Motion Guides?
Hi all,

I am trying to animate a "marching ants" effect along a path to illustrate a continuous stream of data, and I cant come up with the best way to do this.

Basically, I have a path that the "dotted line" has to move along and follow (kind of an "S" shape), but without animating a million little dots with motion tweens, I cant think of a good way to pull this off.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks.

Motion Guides
I want to know if it is possible to get more than one object can follow the same motion guide.

If so can you tell me how

and if not is their any other way of achieving the effect

Motion Guides...
Ok...ne good tutorials on motion guides?
As far as I know, you make an object, go up some frames, make motion tween, then hit motion guide, draw something in the layer above, then snap the object to the beginning in frame one, then to the end in last fram...sounded easy enough but my objects just go from point A to B without following the lines...suggestions?

Motion Guides--help
I have a photo. I want to emulate a camera move. So I have drawn a curved motion path. I have a keyframe and I set the registration point of the photo (a graphic symbol) on the starting point of the guide. Then I create a second keyframe 20 frames down the road and in that keyframe I drag the photo so that its registration point is on the ending point of the guide.

But when I motion tween, it just gives me a diagonal straight-line tween, completely ignoring the motion guide.

HELP please!!

Motion Guides
Yeah, Im not exactly an expert with this :P

Im having trouble moving one of my imported .gifs across the guide I created. I created the transparent line, snapped the graphic to the line, ect. What am I doing wrong?

Please fix the file and tell me what I did wrong:

Motion Guides
hi everyone. I'm playing with motion guides and just don't seem to understand how to do it...
Do I make a motion guide layer and have the symbol on it, or link it in some way?

I've done the tutorials but I'm still lost.

thanks.

Motion Guides
Can someone please help me. Look at the image attached. I want to create that circular shape in Flash and have just the blue colour spinning around (the circular shapes stay stationary). I know that I have to use a mask and a motion guide but the two won't go together. Is there any other way in which I could do this?

Using Motion Guides
hi all. i just wanted to know if there is a way of enabling a motion guide itself to be tweened to move from one part of the screen to another. what i am tryin to do is have my animated character 'walk' along a path that is defined by the path of the motion guide. on another layer i have the background also moving from right to left as the character walks. but when i try to tween the motion guide, it breaks the path of the walking character. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME?! Thanks.

p.s. i can send you my file and show you what i am trying to do if this helps.

Motion Guides
Can anyone explain to me how to use a motion guide? Even just getting a circle to move from one side of the stage to the other... I can't figure it out.

Thanks!

Motion Guides
I need some help on how to drag a movie clip on a motion guide and all I have is the following code:

pinnav_mc.onPress = function() {
this.startDrag(true);
};

pinnav_mc.onRelease = function() {
stopDrag();
}

I'm nearly there but it just drags all over the place.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Motion Guides
I am not sure if this is possible but I would like to draw a line in flash following a motion guide.

Most examples I have seen show a shape moving along the path using motion tween, I want to start drawing a say 5px wide line at the start and it to draw till the end.

Any help on this would be great.

Motion Guides
Can you clear up a small fact guys....
can you tell me if it's possible to have more than one motion guide and on different layers?
I'm sure it's gotta be possible but I tried putting another one into a file I was creating earlier today and it gave me the option of tween but I couldn't get the motion guide option in the menu.

any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

many thanx once again,

Mike....

Motion Guides
howdy.
i was wondering if you can get more than one movieclip on the same motionguide?

Help With Motion Guides
I have one layer under a motion guide that works flawlessly, but I tried making another layer under the same motion guide and the second layer won't work. It completely ignores the motion guide and goes straight from point A to B. I've tried looking this up everywhere but have found no solutions. Please help.

Adding Motion Guides ?
I am searching for a tutorial on how to add a motion guide to an elipse shape & have symbols follow that shape in a motion tween.

If someone could point me in the right direction ?

Thanks in advance,
GlennB31

Mayhem With Motion Guides
I've got a movie clip which I want to move in a circle. I add a motion guide, but it keeps getting on top of my movie clip, and if I try to get it under it transform the motion guide into a normal guide, making the movie clip go directly from point to point...

How can I hide the motion guide? And is it possible to use part of the background as a motion guide without having to copy it into a new layer (overlapping the background)?

Please help!

One Graphic Using Two Motion Guides
I am trying to build a working automobile engine in flash 5. I just started last night, so I haven't done a lot to it. I did run into a problem right away. I couldn't make the connecting rod do what I wanted.
For those who don't know what a connecting rod is, it is the piece that is connected to the crankshaft at the bottom, and the piston at the top. The circular motion at the bottom creates a straight up and down motion at the top.
I can get the circular motion at the bottom just fine. However, with the top portion, it doesn't follow a straight vertical line. It sort of bounces along. It isn't severe, however it is noticeable. Is there a way to use two motion guides for the one graphic? Any ideas other than a motion guide? The only other way is to created the motion, convert to all keyframes, fix individually. Oh, right now I am simply rotating the top of the connecting rod graphic to keep it on the vertical line. Perhaps this is the wrong way to do it, hence the "bouncing along". Any help, or just some tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jason

Masks And Motion Guides
Hey, im relatively new here, I've got a question?

I'm wondering if I can have animated mask follow a motion guide?
I've been trying numerous techniques and nothing seem to be working.

I'm trying to reveal a graphic with a mask in a circular motion.

Can anyone lend me any suggestions??

Stop Motion Guides
When the user clicks something in my flash movie I want everything to stop. So naturally I put in the stop(); But!!! The movie clips that are on motion guides continue to move... What am I doing wrong?

Thanks!

Masks And Motion Guides
can anyone help me applying motion guides to my masks? Thanks in advance

Motion Guides With MX 2004
I've been unable to find a tutorial for MX 2004, so I've been trying to work on MX 2004 with a guide for Flash 5.

My problem is with motion guides - I know how to add a guide, and I think I'm creating it right. But then I cannot actually make it guide anything, and I certainly can't find any options.

How do I actually make an item follow the guide? Also, is it possible to use things like circles and lines as motion guides, or must it be done with the pencil tool only?

Masking Motion Guides?
ive been searching for too long trying to get an answer for this so hopefully you guys can help me.

Im trying to simply mask all the layers that are following a motion guide but it is not working. Is it even possible to do this, it sounds completely logical but it is not working.

Layers are ordered like this:
layes 2 and so on need to be masked...

1. Motion Guide
2. Object following1
3. Object following2
4. etc...

[F8]motion Guides In Actionscript?
i know how to use normal motion guides where i know where i want the clip to go to but is there a way to make a movie clip follow a guide/path produced by actionscript.

heres an example to help you out:

in a cutscene of a game you may want the character to move to a certain location.

[CS3] [AS2] Actionscript With Motion Guides?
Hi,
I need movie clips to follow a winding path, but with variable speed depending on other factors. This path could be anything, winding in on itself, etc. Is there some way to move a movie clip along a motion guide using actionscript? It would also really help if there were some way to know which movie clip was farthest along the path.
Thanks

Multiple Motion Guides
When inserting multiple motion guides on separate layers, what is the secret to keeping an object being inserted a separate layer from snapping to a previous motion guide on a different layer?

Double Motion Guides?
Hello,

Is there a way to add 2 motion guides on one single object?

Just imagine: my object is a horizontal line, and both line ends are following the path of an arc. But the arcs do not have the same circle diameter.
At the moment, I am using one motion guide to follow the path of the first arc, and the "Rotate" transformation the get the motion for the second arc. As this rotation is minimal (object size = +/- 700 pxl and the rotation = 0.5 degrees over 15 frames), the rotation happens not smoothly but has the intension to jump. Suggestion?

Many thanks in advance,
Johnny

Masks Under Motion Guides?
Is this possible? I need to mask out parts of a movie that follows a mation guide, but when I try to mask out a section with a square on the layer above the mask option isn't available.

Motion Guides When Using Mask
Does anyone know how I can use the motion guide when using masks? I tried it with just 2 layers..the mask and the masked. Tried to add a motion guide but nothing happens. Am I doing something wrong? I've used a motion guide before but not with masks.

Also, how do you create more than one mask with motion without the below maks messing with it? If that makes any sense.
I'm pretty much a beginner at Flash and trying to learn it on my own at home, finding it a bit tricky! I'm using Flash 8.
Thanks in advance for any help!

Multiple Motion Guides?
Hey all,

Is it possible to have an MC with three possible motion guides in it, and obviously a graphic that will follow any three guides?

Based upon a variable the graphic will follow either of the three guides.

cheers,

Neb

Movie Clips And Motion Guides
Hi All - I have a movie clip, and I want to make the movie clip follow a motion guide - everytime I try, the motion clip follows the guide, but the motion clip doesn't play - it looks like a single graphic - where am I going wrong??
I have a movie clip of a boy walking on the spot, and all I want him to do is to walk across a scene.

Motion Guides + Masks = Impossible?
Why can't you mask any layers using motion guides? Or is this possible and I have never found out how? Any ways around this Flash pitfall?

Dust

Growing Lines With Motion Guides ?
I' m new to flash. Is it possible to make an object grow only along a motion guide path ? I' m trying to make a rounded square grow length wise along a motion guide path around a sphere sort of like a ribbon growing in length around a globe. I read around the forum and thought it might have something to do with masks but don' t have any clue as to what to do.

Frustrated With Simple Motion Guides...
I have searched every tutorial that I could find about motion guides, and I cannot get them to work! I follow the steps, but whatever image I have on the guide simply goes in a straight line! I am using mx 2004 professional, so can anyone help me with this basic skill?

Combining Motion Guides And Masks?
Is it possible to combine motion paths and masks.

I know how to make a moving mask or how to move something along a defined line using a guide layer, but it doesnt seem possible to put the two together.

I can make the mask move by moving it frame at a time in the mask layer, but thats a little slow and tedious. I wanted to use the guideline method to draw the path for the shape and tween it along a motion path, while still having it function as a mask?

Is this possible, or does anyone know a way to achieve the same end result?

ActrionScripting Thumbnails On Motion Guides?
so I'm making this microsite for a skool project and I have no idea where to begin with the actionscripiting side. The interface is a series of circles (the motion guides) which circular thumbnails follow around in a circle continuously almost like a solar system. when the user rolls over a thumbnail, the other images which are related to it on different motion guide circles need to rotate around the motion guide and stop close to the thumbnail which the mouse is over. If the user clicks that thumbnail then the motion guides with the images still "attached" to it need to expand, and a larger version of the selected image will appear within the newly opened circular space. I have uploaded a prototype animation for how this should work here

http://www.mediafire.com/?skm5jnpew2f

I know how to do some of the simpler things involved in the coding, but I really have no idea how to run the motion guides through actionscript so that they be continuous and do not have to rely on key frame animation. If anyone has any ideas or could point me to something which could help i'd really appreciate it.

Mc Tweening Prototypes And Motion Guides
I want to use the lasczo movieclip tweening prototypes with a motion guide but it doesn't seem to work. I have a movieclip attached to a motion guide on the stage. on the movieclip I have this code:

menu.onMouseDown = menu.tween(["_x","_y"],[490,375],3,"easeInOut")

however, the movieclip, when pressed, moves directly to those coordinates instead of following its motion guide. Is it possible to use these two things together and if it is what do I have to do?

Motion Guides Or Plotted Points?
I have designed a CD cover and tour promos.(see sample attached)

I am now trying to make a Flash site. I have recreated most of the graphics in Flash and now I am adding movement. The star/musical note dust needs to revolve around her. I have found script for the Disney-like Glitter mouse, that can be adapted. I cannot figure out how to attach it to a motion guide instead of the mouse movements....

Is it true that there is no way to attach a movie clip programmatically to a motion guide layer?

Am I best off figuring out the X, Y, Z positions to script a path such as in the Trigonometry and flash tutorial?

Can someone point me in the right direction? If you are interested in helping me figure this out, I'll post the glitter mouse code.

Thanks!

Create Movie With Motion Guides
Hello All
I am currently using action script 2 and I created a fla/swf of an airplane doing a loop along a motion guide. I want to make it into a movie. I go through the process of making it into a movie and test it when I'm done however the plane just flys across the screen and doesn't do the loop. Basically it's not following the motion guide how do I incorporate the motion guide into the movie?

Thanks All

these are the steps I am taking to create the movie

I. Highlight all layers

II. Edit>>Timeline>>Cut Frames

III. Insert>>New Symbol>>Create Name>>choose Movie Clip>>OK

IV. Select First Frame
Edit>>Timeline>>Paste Frame

V. Return to Scene 1

VI. Delete all but one Layer

VII. Highlight all extra frames except frame 1
Right click and choose remove Frames

VIII. Bring out new movie to your stage

IX. Control>>Test Movie

Actionscripting MC's To Move Along Motion Guides
Hi, does anyone have the code to make MC's move along a path (through actionscript) - sort of like the interpolateTo command in Director.

Or anyone have any idea of how to locate points along paths such as defining the x/y position of a point 30% along a path (and defining the direction of a path).

many thx

Masking Motion Guides Aargh
Right i am fairly new to Flash MX but am learning quick however have hit a point where i am a bit baffled.

The project i am working on shows a piece of machinery and i am trying to show the flow of gasses through pipes as the machine works.

I have created a motion tween in a layer that is guided along a curved path via a motion guide. this gives the arrows moving around the system.
Now i want part of the arrow animation to be masked from view (in sections of pipe that are not cut away) so i thought no problem i will create a mask layer and include the visible areas..right?

Would appear wrong, it does not work. for some reason i am not allowed to select "masked" the tweened animation layers.

Anyone got an idea why? please help me as my head is hurting from smacking it on this wall

cheers in advance

Motion Guides/Showing The Guide
Hey all...

What I am trying to accomplish is having a motion guide that as the ball rolls over the guide displays the guide.

So, the guide acts like a trail, as the ball passes the guide the guide appears behind it.

any ideas?
Thanks
Caden

Using Motion Guides With Duplicated Movie Clips
Is there any way to set a duplicated movie clip to use a certain motion guide? I want different duplications of a single movieclip to have different motions paths. If I can't make a duplicated movie clip move along a motion path, then how could I use action script to make a movie clip move in a parabola like shape?

Dynamically Attaching Movieclips To Motion Guides?
If it possible to dynamically attache a movie clip thats linked from your library to the stage, and attach it to a motion guide?

If this isn't possible... I'm trying to come up with a way to get objects to scroll to the right while following a curve. I know there is some nasty math I can do to achieve this, but I'd rather find out if the easy way is possible first.

Here's what example.

http://www.triotalentagency.com/newsite/

The pictures on the bottom are what I'm talking about. They have to scroll to the right while following that curve.

Any point in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

Motion Guides, Scrubbers, And Frame Control
Greetings All,

I am developing training material for pilots. A lot of gauges and annunciations change as the aircraft hits certain mildstones in the movie. Quiet often the pilots miss the changes and have to watch the entire movie over and over. I want to use the aircraft as a scrubber so they can scrub back and forth (while it's on the motion guide) to watch the annunciations change.

I've tried a number of ideas but none have worked. I haven't gotten to the code part because when I use startdrag(), I lose the motion guide.

Any ideas?

Dynamic Scrolling Textfield(ticker) W/ Motion Guides
I'm tryin to create a ticker that scrolls text, I want it to also follow a motion guide as well as have the text change in size.

So far I plan on parsing the text, which i'm getting from a text file character by character. I have a textfield in a movie clip that is set on a motion guide. I plan on duplicating this clip, and then setting the textfield character by character, and destroying the clip when that character has cleared the ticker...

I just wanted to see if that sounds reasonable, or if you guys know of a better way to do this...

If anyone has seen an example of this plz post a link out