- Getting started
- About animation
- Understanding the project file
- Animating position
- Changing the pacing and timing
- Animating transparency
- Animating filters
- Animating transformations
- Editing multiple frames
- Changing the path of the motion
- Swapping tween targets
- Creating nested animations
- Easing
- Frame-by-frame animation
- Animating 3D motion
- Exporting your final movie
- Review questions
- Review answers
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Animating 3D motion
Finally, you’ll add a title and animate it in 3D space. Animating in 3D presents the added complication of a third axis (z). When you choose the 3D Rotation or 3D Translation tool, you need to be aware of the Global Transform option at the bottom of the Tools panel (see the sidebar “Global vs. local transformations”). Global Transform toggles between a Global option (when you select the button) and a Local option (when you deselect the button). Moving an object in Global mode makes the transformation relative to the global coordinate system, whereas moving an object in Local mode makes the transformation relative to itself.
GLOBAL VS. LOCAL TRANSFORMATIONS
When you select the 3D Rotation or 3D Translation tool, be aware of the Global Transform toggle button found at the bottom of the Tools panel when one of the 3D tools is selected. When the button is toggled on (and highlighted), Global mode is engaged and the rotation and positioning of 3D objects are relative to the global, or Stage, coordinate system. The 3D display over the object that you’re moving shows the three axes in constant position, no matter how the object is rotated or moved. Notice in the following image how the 3D display is perpendicular to the Stage.
However, when the Global Transform option is turned off (the button is not highlighted), Local mode is in force and rotation and positioning are relative to the object. The 3D display shows the three axes oriented relative to the object, not to the Stage. For example, in the following image, notice that the 3D Rotation tool shows the rotation relative to the object, not to the Stage.
Click Scene 1 in the Edit bar to return to the main timeline. Insert a new layer at the top of the layer stack and rename it title.
Lock all the other layers.
Insert a new keyframe at frame 120.
Drag the movie clip symbol called movietitle from the Library panel onto the Stage.
The movietitle instance appears in your new layer in the keyframe at frame 120.
Position the title in the empty sky at X=180 and Y=90.
With the movie title selected, choose Create Motion Tween.
Animate converts the current layer to a tween layer so that you can begin to animate the instance.
Move the playhead to frame 140.
Select the 3D Rotation tool. The 3D Rotation tool is hidden in the additional tear-off tools at the bottom of the Toolbar (you’ll have to add it to your Toolbar to use it).
The 3D rotation control appears on the selected movie clip.
Deselect the Global Transform button at the bottom of the Tools panel to put the 3D Rotation tool into Local mode.
Drag the left arm of the green Y control to rotate the title around the y axis to angle it so that it seems to recede into the distance. Its angle is at about −50 degrees. You can check the rotation values in the Transform panel (Window > Transform).
Move the playhead to the first keyframe, at frame 120.
Drag upward on the right arm of the Y control to rotate the title around the y axis in the opposite direction so that the instance looks like just a sliver.
The change in the 3D rotation becomes a motion tween, so the title appears to swing in three dimensions.
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