Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Flash Shape Tweens


Flash shape tweens are a lot like flying trapeze acts or dangerous stunts. The can be spectacular...
...but if something goes wrong they can be horrifying.

7 comments:

Linda Davick said...

Is this an example? If it is, it's pretty funny.

How's The Animation coming? Not rushing you! Just curious.

Namowal (Jennifer Bourne) said...

Hi Linda,
Yes, this is an example where his eyes have gone barmy! Usually I shy away from shape tweens for this reason.

I'm about 2/3 done with the animation. I'm working overtime and weekends on my real job but I try to squeeze in a little work each day.

GhostBuild said...

I remember experimenting a bit with tweening in the 1980s. There was a paint/animation program called Fantavision (see the Wikipedia), and together with DeluxePaint my friends and I burned many hours meant for homework.

Keeping the endpoints of the vectors took care... I can't name how many times we'd have figures walk or skateboard across a screen and watch spiky tumors suddenly launch out of our poor protagonist as he suddenly imploded in 320x200 pixels of polygonal horror.

Ok, maybe I'm being a tad dramatic.
;D

Sally said...

Ghostbuild, I remember an even earlier version, from NYIT, where you had to make a map of each drawing so you would draw it in the same order for your second tween element. The people who developed it all went on to be really rich and win awards...

Sally said...

ps Namowal, we can't wait to see it. Sure you know about adding shape hints, but another work around is adding key frames after you start out with the tween-- can sometimes make it less crazed.

GhostBuild said...

Hello Sally, I just looked up NYIT's Tween. Thank you! Very interesting to read about those pioneering efforts that very likely had an impact on what we experience today.

Namowal (Jennifer Bourne) said...

Hi GhostBuild,
I've seen that kind of weirdness, both in shape tweens and roto splines from other programs. Since I've done a lot of roto, I thought I had the does and don'ts of spline tweening down...
...but flash is full of surprises.

Hi Sally,
Thanks for your enthusiasm about the project.
Shape tweens are Exhibit A in the expression "A computer doesn't do what you want it to do. It does what you tell it to do."
I often find myself fighting a stubborn tween with shape hints, extra key frames etc.. ...and end up just drawing what I had in mind.