Skip to Page Content

Chris Cassell Dot Net

• Home
• Log
• Portfolio
• Projects
• Classes
• Contact

• GDT 260 Home
• Class Overview
• Class Notes
  • 1.15
  • 1.17
  • 1.22
  • 1.24
  • 1.29
  • 2.7
  • 2.12
  • 2.21
  • 2.26
  • 2.28
  • 3.7
  • 3.12
  • 3.19
  • 4.4
• Assignments
• Student Work
• Links

GDT 260 Animation for the Web: Winter 2002

1.24.2002

Managing Content on the Stage

Grouping Objects and Editing Groups

• Can group anything on stage, including lines, fills, symbols, other groups
• Groups have thin blue outline
• Double-clicking group -> edit group mode. edits group in place, other elements dimmed down
• Can have groups within groups (nested groups)
• Flash shows how many levels of nested group on top of timeline
• Can't edit groups on main timeline, but can delete groups from main timeline

Ungrouping

• Modify > Ungroup
• Ungrouping only affects currently selected group, not nested groups

Locking Groups and Symbols

• To lock: Modify > Arrange > Lock Can't select locked items
• To unlock: Modify > Arrange > Unlock All Unlocks everything

Grid

• To show grid: View > Grid > Show Grid
• To snap to grid:
  1. View > Grid > Snap to Grid
  2. Click in center of object to snap center to grid, click near corner to snap corner to grid. (Cursor gets heavy black circle around it)
• To change grid settings: View > Grid > Edit Grid
  • Color
  • Spacing between lines
  • Snap Accuracy: how close before snapping occurs
• Snap works even if grid is invisible

Rulers and Guides

• To show rulers: View > Rulers
• Rulers' origin: top left
• Rulers display height and width of selected objects: black lines
• Drag guides out of rulers
• Remove guides by dragging back to rulers
• Snap: View > Guides > Snap to Guides
• Lock guides: View > Guides > Lock Guides

Alignment

Window > Panels > Align

• Select multiple objects, Flash aligns them in relationship to each other based on button clicked
• To Stage button aligns objects relative to stage
• Alignment is based on bounding box, ie. left edge of bounding box, center of bounding box, etc.
• Distribute ensures equal space between respective edges/center of objects
• Match size applies size of largest object to selected dimension
• Space puts equal space between selected objects

Transforming

Scaling

Modify > Transform > Scale or Transform button in Options section of toolbox

Scaling Symbols

• Corner handles scale in proportion
• Edge handles scale horizontally/ vertically, both ends from center

Scaling Drawings

• Corner handles maintain proportion
• Edge handles scale from that end only

Rotating and Skewing

Modify > Transform > Rotate

• Corner handles rotate
• Edge handles skew

Scaling and Rotating Numerically

Modify > Transform > Scale and Rotate or Tranform panel

Removing Transformations

Modify > Transform > Remove Transform removes all transformations ever applied to object

Stacking Order

• Only symbols and groups have modifiable stacking order with layer
• Ungrouped drawings all sit at the same level on the bottom of the layer and are merged together
• Symbols and groups are automatically stacked in order created/ placed on stage
• To change stacking order, use the following:
  • Modify > Arrange > Bring Forward: Moves selected object one level up
  • Modify > Arrange > Send Backward: Moves selected object down one level
  • Modify > Arrange > Bring to Front: Moves selected object to top of stack
  • Modify > Arrange > Send to Back: Moves selected object to bottom of stack

In-class Discussion

Break into 2 groups. Discuss the following sites, specifically the following criteria. Regroup and compare the two sites.

Sites

1. The Chopping Block
2. Fourm

Criteria

• Concept/ branding/ design
• Pacing
• Animation
• Navigation/ Interface elements
• Usability
• Load time