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Flash Reference Guide

Aug 22, 2003

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As a 3D artist, you may be disappointed to learn that there are no tools in Flash specifically for creating 3D designs. But that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. In Flash the third dimension is created through illusion and ingenuity.

Generating 3D effects in Flash requires that you manipulate drawings to appear as if they have depth. This is achieved by using the drawing, color, and transformation tools to make your drawings appear to be 3D.

In this guide entry you will learn the techniques that can be applied to create simple and complex 3D drawings and animations. You will use the tools available in Flash to draw your graphics and manipulate your animations.

Drawing Technique

The trick to creating 3D effects in Flash is understanding how you can manipulate the drawing tools. All of the 3D movies you create with Flash are going to be viewed on a computer or electronic device. This gives you an edge because the screen is flat. This prevents anyone from picking up your 3D model and rotating in their hands.

With the flat screen of the monitor being the constant that prevents you customers from reaching in a grabbing your models, you can create the illusion of 3D. This is done through manipulating the shape and design of an object on the screen. Yeh, a little smoke and mirrors never hurt anyone.

Shape Design

Even with 2D drawing tools you can create 3D effects within Flash because all 3D objects start out as basic shapes.

The first step in creating 3D effects is to start simple. The most used 3D effect on the Internet is the drop shadow effect. A drop shadow is often used on text to give the text additional depth. The following exercise explains how you can create a drop shadow effect in Flash. Later you will take this same technique and create a shadow for a bouncing ball.

The first step is to open Flash and create a new file. Save the file and name it dropShadow.fla.
Select the Text tool. From the Properties panel, select the color picker and change the color of the text to #999999.
On the stage write the words "Flash 3D."
Select the text you have just written on the stage and press CTRL+D (Windows), Command-D (Mac), to duplicate the text. The new text will be offset from the original by ten pixels. This will become the shadow for the first text block.
Select the new text. From the Properties panel, select the color picker and change the color of the new text block to #CCCCCC, or light gray.
The second text string is currently on top of the original. This does not really work for a drop shadow, so you are now going to make it work. Select the light text and choose Modify > Arrange > Send to Back. This moves the light gray text behind the dark gray text. Now things are looking better.

Now you have a drop shadow. In many ways this is arguably the most basic 3D effect, but even though I have seen it a thousand times, I still like it. The effect may not be mind blowing, but it is engaging.

Color

Color is an additional tool you can use to create 3D depth to the objects you have on the stage. In the previous exercise, 3D effect was added to text. The effect of the drop shadow was heightened through the two different colors. The lighter text adds depth.

In 3D programs you can change the depth of an object through light. First you define your light source and then the 3D program will apply shadows where appropriate. Flash does not have a light source that enables you to do this. That makes things more challenging.

Fortunately, Flash does have the Color Mixer panel that enables you to mix gradient colors. Gradients can be used to create very convincing light effects. The two types of gradient within Flash are linear and radial.

Linear

A linear gradient in Flash takes two or more colors and applies them to a gradient fill along a horizontal axis. In the previous exercise you created a drop shadow effect for some text. What if you want to pretend that the light source for the text is directly behind the text for the drop shadow? To achieve this effect you need to reflect the text and then bleed the color away from the shadow as if the light is fading. This can be done with Flash and the use of a linear gradient.

Begin by taking the text you created in the file dropShadow.fla. Save this new file as dropShadow2.fla.
Select the gray shadow used for the drop shadow and delete it.
Select the only text block on the stage. Press CTRL+D (Windows), Command-D (Mac), to duplicate a copy of the original text. A new copy will appear to the left of the original text.
Select the new text block and then choose Modify > Transform > Flip Vertical. This will flip the text to act as a mirror image of the original.
A shadow can appear to lose intensity as it extends away from the main subject. This is achieved through a linear gradient. Choose Windows > Color Mixer, then choose Linear from the color mixer drop-down menu. To the left of the drop-down menu you will have one color picker and two colors.
Select the first color block on the slide. Open the color picker and choose the color white. Select the second color block on the slide and choose dark gray #666666 from the color picker.
Open the Color Swatches panel. Move the cursor over the gray area beneath the swatches of color. You will see that the cursor changes to the paint pot. Click this area. A new swatch will appear. This new swatch is a linear white-to-gray gradient. The color needs to be added to the Color Swatch so that you can access it later when you want to change the color of the text.
The reflected text will need to have the gradient applied to it from top to bottom. Text can not have a gradient applied to it. For the text to have a gradient, you must first convert it into a shape. Select the reflected text on the stage and press CTRL+B (Windows), Command-B (Mac), to break the text. You will need to do this twice to break the text string to individual text blocks and then into drawings. Currently, if you apply the gradient it will be from left to right. This can be changed with a simple trick. Select the reflected text and choose Modify > Transform > Rotate 90° CCW.
Select the entire reflected text image. From the Properties panel, select the Fill Color. Choose the new gradient you just created from the bottom right of the Fill Color. Select the entire reflected text image and choose Modify > Transform > Rotate 90° CW. This places the text back to its original position.
To add the final touch, move the new linear gradient until the bottom of the "g's" touch to form the two text blocks. Here you have the illusion of a shadow moving away from the text.

Radial

If you shine a flashlight onto an object in the real world you will see a shadow cast from the object. Move the light. You will see that the object itself changes color as the angle of the light moves. The light is creating a new sense of depth. The radial gradient effect can give flat objects—particularly curved objects— the illusion of depth.

In the following exercise you will see how a flat circle can be converted into a ball with the radial gradient. Later, this new ball will be animated with its own shadow.

Begin by creating a new file. Save this file as ball.fla.
Select the Oval tool and draw a circle. From the Properties panel, change the Fill Color of the circle to #FF0000 (red).
Choose Windows > Color Mixer. Choose Radial from the drop-down menu. A color slide will appear with two colors. Select the color block on the slide on the far left. Choose the color picker and select #FF0000. Select the color block on the right side of the slide. Choose black from the color picker.
On the stage, select the Fill Color from the Properties panel and choose the new radial gradient you created. You will see that the gradient is applied to the center of the circle. This is not a very realistic. To apply a more realistic effect of light over the circle and make it appear as a sphere, you need to change where the center of the radial gradient is placed.
Choose the Paint Bucket from the Tool Bar panel. From the Fill Color picker on the Tool Bar, choose the new radial gradient you created. Move the Paint Bucket to the top left-hand corner of the circle and apply the fill. The goal is to move the fill color away from the circle’s center to the top left so that the circle now looks like a ball.

So far you have seen you have can take a static image and give it the illusion of 3D. Now you will take these objects and give your 3D objects movement.

Summary

As you can see, 3D can be easily and effectively created in Flash. Search around the Web for places such as http://www.erain.com for more information on how to create 3D objects in Flash.

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