Flash CS3 object transform tutorial: Difference between revisions
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== The Subselection tool == | == The Subselection tool == | ||
This tool allows envelope transformations or rather fixing envelope transforms made with the Transform tool in envelope mode. | This tool allows envelope transformations or rather fixing envelope transforms made with the Transform tool in envelope mode. Handles work like in the Envelope transform tool. | ||
; Distortion points | |||
* The little squares are distortion points you can drag anywhere. | |||
* You also can drag them along the stroke before you drag them out | |||
* You can delete these. Move the cursor over one of these and when the cursor changes shape, click first, then hit delete. This will simplify a stroke. | |||
; Curve control handlers | |||
* The little dots are curve control handles with which you can adjust the curves. | |||
* To get curve control handles click on a distortion point or move it. | |||
I you can't see anything, zoom in (like 400%) | |||
== The erase tool == | == The erase tool == |
Revision as of 01:45, 31 August 2007
This article or section is currently under construction
In principle, someone is working on it and there should be a better version in a not so distant future.
If you want to modify this page, please discuss it with the person working on it (see the "history")
Sorry this is not done yet :(
Go back to Flash
The Free transform tool
This tools allows you to
- Scale, rotate, skew and distort
- Envelope transform
- Distort (but see the selection tool)
Envelope transforms
Let's make a designer chair.
- Step 1 - Draw a rectangle
- Do it with the rectangle tool
- Step 2 - Go into envelope transform
- Select the object first, i.e. the rectangle
- Click on the Free Transform Tool
- Select the Envelope option
- Step 3 - Transform
- Drag any little square. These are called distorsion points.
- Once you start transforming you also get curve control handles (the little circles). You can turn these in order to smoothen out curves. See the screendump just below.
The Menu Modify->Transform gives you the choice of several kinds of transformations
- Select the object(s) to be transformed first
- Then select from several options
Basically it let's you all you can do with
- The Free Transform tool and its options
- The Subselection tool
The select tool
The select tool (arrow on top) strangely enough has two functions
- Select objects
- Distort objects
Default behavior of the select tool
If you click on an object or if you select it with a selection box you see this:
- A hooked cross icon
- A white circle in the middle of the selected object (or selected objects)
You then can move it around, but that's not what we are interested in right now.
Let's make a banana
Let's start with an oval drawn in object mode. See the picture above.
- Make a rounded banana with the selection tool
- First, deselect everything (including the banana), e.g. click on the gray workspace area
- Select the select tool
- Then move it close to the stroke (outline).
- When the cursor turns into a curve, then hold down the mouse and drag
Here is a result, a nice banana:
- Make sharper ends
- Copy the banana
- Again, deselect everything
- Then hold down the ALT key and slowly search around the ends of the banana.
- If you see the angle icon, then drag.
Result: two bananas of different shape:
The Subselection tool
This tool allows envelope transformations or rather fixing envelope transforms made with the Transform tool in envelope mode. Handles work like in the Envelope transform tool.
- Distortion points
- The little squares are distortion points you can drag anywhere.
- You also can drag them along the stroke before you drag them out
- You can delete these. Move the cursor over one of these and when the cursor changes shape, click first, then hit delete. This will simplify a stroke.
- Curve control handlers
- The little dots are curve control handles with which you can adjust the curves.
- To get curve control handles click on a distortion point or move it.
I you can't see anything, zoom in (like 400%)
The erase tool
The erase tool allows you to carve objects. In the options / controls in the tool panel, you can change the way the erasor works.
Erasing shapes (drawn in merge mode) and graphics objects (drawn in object mode) doesn't lead exactly to the same results. When you carve an object it remains an object. When you carve a (single) shape it will divide into other shapes.
We not explain much here, better try it out ...
- Draw three nice fat ovals with a fat stroke. Two of them overlapping
- Then, select the erasor mode. This works like the paint tool
- Use Ctrl-Z to undo what you have done .... so you can try other options.
- Erasor modes
Here are the modes:
- Erase normal: Will erase as you paint
- Erase fill: Will only erase fills (paint)
- Erase lines: Will only erase strokes (lines, contours of objects)
- Erase selected fills: Will only erase fills that you have selected (hold down the SHIFT key to select several)
- Erase inside: Will erase fills inside an object if you start erasing inside the object.
- The faucet
- Will kill any shape on which you click. It makes a distinction though between the stroke and the fill of an object.
- Erasor shape
- You can select different sizes of circles and rectangles
- Use rectangles to carve off rectangles and circles to carve of round stuff.