Note: the images below are just snapshots of a real ANIMOIDS
session. You can't click on these buttons nor
make the Animoid move!
Introduction
The Conductor example teaches you how to make a Movie Scene out of existing
objects.
You'll see that it's not necessary to make your own Animoids in order to
make a Movie Scene. There are lots of existing objects that you can use.
In this example you are going to use some of the objects that were used in the
Music Conductor demo. However, in your case, the conductor is going to
be late for the show and needs to run on stage.
You can expect to take at least 10 minutes to complete the steps described
in this example.
Directions
You should plan to follow the directions below as you read this tutorial.
Each bullet point is a task you should follow. If you ever get lost, you can always
restart at the beginning.
Perform the tasks as you read each one. Don't try to read the whole tutorial first.
After you are complete you can always go back through the text to make sure you understand
how you did it!
You can print this tutorial to make it easier to read while following
the directions. (It's about 7 pages long.)
In any Movie Scene it's helpful to have a plan for what your characters are going to do
at any time. We have only one character so far and our plan is simple:
| Time 0 | Big Red appears from the left facing right. He is far in the distance and he is
running.
He takes 6 seconds to reach the center of the screen - still running.
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| Time 6 | He takes 2 seconds to turn facing the front of the screen - still running.
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| Time 8 | He runs 4 more seconds (to time 12) moving forward.
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| Time 12 | He keeps moving forward, but changes to a walk for 4 more seconds (to time 16)
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| Time 16 | He stops walking and takes a bow - it takes 4 seconds (to time 20).
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| Time 18 | We hear applause.
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| Time 21 | The show is over!
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Three-Button Mouse
ANIMOIDS works best with a three-button mouse.
If you have a two-button mouse then hold down the Alt key while
you left click
the mouse to simulate the Center Mouse Button.
(Some systems also allow you to press both buttons simultaneously
on a two-button mouse to simulate the
Center Mouse Button.)
If you are a Mac user with a one-button mouse then hold down the Opt key while
you click
the mouse to simulate the Center Mouse Button.
Hold down the Command key while
you click
the mouse to simulate the Right Mouse Button.
Glossary of terms used in this tutorial
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Main Menu
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The dropdown menus at the top of the application from File to Help.
[more]
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Main Toolbar
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The row of icons that appear under the Main Menu.
[more]
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Main Tabs
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The tabs from Start to Characters and Props that appear under
the Main Toolbar.
[more]
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3D Canvas
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is the area at the center of the main window where the 3D objects display
when you are editing an object.
[more]
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Action Panel
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is the tree that appears at the left side of the 3D Canvas.
[more]
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Action Button
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is a button that sits in the Action Panel.
[more]
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Action
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is a task that occurs when you click on the action description in the Action Panel.
[more]
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Options Panel
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is a graphical tree of options that appears at the right side of the 3D Canvas.
[more]
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Control Panel
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Control Panels appear at the bottom of the application, often as a result
of selecting an Action.
[more]
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Canvas Toolbar
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is a set of buttons that appear just above the 3D Canvas. They control
mouse action.
[more]
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Dialog
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is a small window that pops up when you need to enter some data or answer
a question.
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Starting a new Movie Scene
First we create a new Movie Scene and save it.
- Select File, New from the Main Menu.
- Select Movie Scene from the Dialog that appears.
If the Movie Scene button is disabled you need to change your Skill Level
from Novice to Beginner. Do that by closing the Dialog then select Beginner
from the Skill Level main menu. Once you have done that, restart at the first step.
- In the Dialog that appears, look for the Movie Set
called Music Conductor and click on it's icon or name.
Wait for the set to display and the Status field at the bottom of the
Dialog changes to Scene ready [Click 'Play' to start].
This set contains only one Animoid - the Big Red character.
- Select File, Save as... from the Main Menu.
- In the Dialog that appears, change the word untitled to something
like "My Conductor" the click the Save button.
Change the scene duration to 21 seconds.
- In the SCENE Control Panel change the
Duration (sec) field to 21 and hit the Enter key before
leaving the field.
- Select File, Save from the Main Menu
(or just type CTRL-S) to save your work.
Add the character motion
We'll put the Scene into record mode then position Big Red where we want him
at the key times (0, 6, 8, 12 and 16 seconds).
We'll use the mouse to make the moves.
- In the SCENE Control Panel click in the
Record button until it turns red (to indicate
that your actions are being recorded).
(If the Record button is disabled, click the Reset button
to re-enable it.)
- At the top of the 3D Canvas click the
(Move) Animoid
button
until it's border turns green.
This allows you to move the Animoid with your mouse
- Make sure the Time slider on the Control Panel
is at time 0.000 by sliding it all the way to the left.
- Click and hold the Middle button on your mouse on Big Red
and slide the mouse
to the top of the screen to move Big Red back into the distance -
until the character is pretty small.
(If you don't have a middle button your mouse, you can hold down the Alt
key and use the left mouse button.)
- Click and hold the Left button on your mouse on Big Red
and slide the mouse
to the right of the screen to turn Big Red facing to the right.
- Click and hold the Right button on your mouse on Big Red
and slide the mouse
to the left of the screen to move Big Red to the left.
It should look something like:
- Move the Time slider on the Control Panel
to time 6.000.
- Click and hold the Left button on your mouse on Big Red
and slide the mouse
to the right of the screen to move Big Red to the right of center of the screen -
still facing right.
- Move the Time slider on the Control Panel
to time 8.000.
- Click and hold the Right button on your mouse on Big Red
and slide the mouse
to the right of the screen to move Big Red to the center of the screen -
still facing right.
- Click and hold the Left button on your mouse on Big Red
and slide the mouse
to the left of the screen to turn Big Red until he faces forward.
It should look something like:
- Move the Time slider on the Control Panel
to time 12.000.
- Click and hold the Center (or Alt and Left)
button on your mouse on Big Red
and slide the mouse down to the bottom
of the screen to move Big Red closer to you - but still not "full size".
- Move the Time slider on the Control Panel
to time 16.000.
- Click and hold the Center (or Alt and Left)
button on your mouse on Big Red
and slide the mouse down to the bottom
of the screen to move Big Red closer to you - until he is "full size".
It should look something like:
- In the SCENE Control Panel click in the
red Record button to stop recording.
- Select File, Save from the Main Menu
(or just type CTRL-S) to save your work.
We'll now play the scene, just to confirm the changes.
Make the motion smooth
We'll now make the character move smoothly through the Scene.
- In the SCENE Control Panel click in the
Record button until it turns red.
- Select Action Smooth Object Motion.
A SMOOTH Control Panel will appear.
It should list 3 actions we recorded earlier.
- Click the Smooth button on the SMOOTH Control Panel.
The table should change to show the start and end of smoothing.
- Select File, Save from the Main Menu
(or just type CTRL-S) to save your work.
- In the SCENE Control Panel click in the
Record button to stop recording.
- In the SCENE Control Panel click in the
Reset button to position the Scene at the start.
- In the SCENE Control Panel click in the
Play button.
The Scene should play. You should see the character moving smoothly between
the previously saved positions.
- In the SCENE Control Panel click in the
Reset button to reset the Scene.
Add Behaviors
We'll now add walking and running behaviors from the Options Panel.
We can now play the scene again to see the latest changes.
Add Sound
All that's required to finish our simple Scene is to add sound
from the Options Panel.
- In the SCENE Control Panel click in the
Record button until it turns red.
- Move the Time slider on the Control Panel
to time 18.000.
- Select Action Button Sound
 .
- In the Dialog that appears, find and click on the
Applause Sound.
- In the SCENE Control Panel click in the
red Record button to stop recording.
- Select File, Save from the Main Menu
(or just type CTRL-S) to save your work.
We can now play the final, complete Movie Scene.
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Tutorial
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