Computer Graphics Survey

Animation Visuals Timeline

Using Director 7 on MacOS Computers

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Before beginning the project

Read the information that pertains specifically to the way the ACG Lab operates. This section of the directions may not apply if you work on the project elsewhere.


Tutorial Goals

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Basic Setup

  1. Use the Control Strip to check that the computer display is set to 256 colors.
  2. Reset Director to factory defaults by trashing the file 'Director 7.0 Preferences' (it's in the 'Preferences' folder inside the 'System Folder' on the startup disk).
  3. Find and launch Director, then use File-->Open to retrieve the animation file you started to work on last time.
  4. Make sure the windows required for this stage of the project are open (use the Window menu if necessary to open them):
  5. Given the small size of our stage, we'll turn off the display of additional information by unchecking the View-->Sprite Overlay-->Show Info command. This should reduce clutter somewhat.
  6. Place your background image, so it can be used as a reference to position other elements.
  7. As always, make sure to save your work as you go along, using the File-->Save command.

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Foreground Moving Image

  1. Make sure frame 1 is still selected in the Score.
  2. Option-drag the first in the sequence of pictures of your animated character from the Cast to the Stage. Option-dragging to the Stage will add a sprite to the movie for a single frame only. The Score window should immediately show an entry to reflect this.
    drag Cast Member to the Stage
  3. To eliminate the white box around the picture of the animated character, make sure the sprite is still selected, then change the Ink menu from 'Copy' to 'Background Transparent' (the Ink menu is in the top margin of the Score window).
    set ink effect to Background Transparent
  4. Continue to drag pictures of the animated character to the stage to indicate the path of its motion (don't forget to change the Ink setting as appropriate).
  5. In the Score, you will find a column of entries referring to the cast members you just dragged.
  6. Use the Modify-->Space to Time command. In the dialog, leave the number of frames of Separation set to 1, then click OK.
    the Space to Time dialog
  7. The pictures of the animated character are now arranged in consecutive frames. On the Stage, the path of the character's motion is represented by a series of connected dots. If you play the animation (Control-->Play), you will see the character move.
    Score cells after Space to Time
  8. In most cases, however, the duration of the background will not match the length of the animation. We will fix this problem in the following steps.

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Background Still Image

  1. The duration of the background was set to some default number of frames (the factory setting is 28). It needs to be adjusted so it will stop when all other animation(s) stop (the end of the last entry in the Score sets the end for the entire movie as well).
  2. Click on the entry in the first channel (representing your background image) to select it. Make sure you can see where it ends (you may have to scroll or enlarge the Score window).
    Score window widened to see all background cells
  3. Click on the handle (the small white box at the end of the selection), and drag it to the same frame where the character animation(s) end.
    changing the duration of the background image
  4. If you play back the movie now, you will see that it ends (and restarts) just as the character animation ends.

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Write Script

  1. While you can force the animation to repeat with Control-->Loop Playback (as mentioned earlier), this setting won't be retained in the final Shockwave file. Programming (also known as scripting) gets around this problem.
  2. A script is created by typing appropriate instructions in a special text window called the Script window.
  3. In the Script window you will see some text already entered for you. The insertion bar is flashing at the beginning of the second, blank line, sandwiched between on exitFrame and end. Without moving the insertion point, type:
    go to frame 1

    line 1: 'on exitFrame'; line 2: 'go to frame 1'; line 3: 'end'
  4. If the program was entered correctly (exact spelling is absolutely essential), the animation will continue indefinitely whenever played, regardless of whether Control-->Loop Playback is checked or not. Again, use Control-->Stop when done.
  5. You have now completed the visuals for your animation. In the next session we will set Director and the completed visuals aside to focus on the soundtrack. Later we'll return to Director to combine sounds and visuals.

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Notes

Lingo

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Score

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Motion

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Programming

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Information specific to the ACG Lab

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This document originally at <http://acg2.fullcoll.edu/FACULTY/CORSI/LEARN/OVERVIEW/OV080/MAC1EN_P.HTM>
Copyright 1998-2000 by Sandro Corsi.
Last modified 2000-03-08.
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