Copyright: ©2001 ClickAction Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Citation: My3DAnimationPro Tutorial ©2001 ClickAction Inc. All Rights Reserved.


 My3DAnimationPro Tutorial

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Creating Your First Animated 3D Title

Chapter 2 - Screen Test Topics

Building Objects

Moving and Scaling Objects

Beveling Objects

Rotating Objects With Precision

Changing Object Appearance

Adding Lights/Creating Highlights

Saving Your Project

Animating Your Model

Making a Movie

Chapter 3 - Set Building Topics

From the Ground Up

The Theory of My3DAnimationPro

Working With Text and Objects

Scaling & Moving

Working With Objects

Circles/Ellipses and Rectangles

Cutting Polygons

Free-form Polygons

Importing AI/CDR Models

Select By Name

Setting the Stage

Setting Object Color

Don't Forget to Save

On to the 3rd Dimension

Chapter 4 - 3D World Topics

They Said the World Was Flat... Working in 3 Dimensions

Working in 3D Space

Loading 3D Objects

Top View: A View From the Rafters

Rotating Objects

Lighting The Way

Ambient Light

Setting Source Lighting

Setting Spotlights

Setting Materials

Working With Maps

Using Picture Files as Backgrounds

Next Up -- Taking Off

Chapter 5 - Director’s School Topics

Ready for Prime Time

Animating the Scene

Rendering Your Movie

Summing Up

Chapter 6 – Advanced Tips & Tricks

Rendering to Disk

Rendering Animated Sequential Image Files

Printing to Transparencies

Printing to Postscript Image Setters

Using Movies With Multimedia Programs

Using Topas Service Bureaus

Assigning Custom Metal Recipes to Metallic Objects

Assigning Compound Motions To Individual Objects

Scrolling Text/Credits Through the Frame

Creating Light Beams

Creating an Outline of a 2D Object

Making Small Files for the Web


Introduction

This online tutorial introduces you to the basics of My3DanimationPro with a step-by-step construction and animation of projects. After completing the last tutorial chapter, you should be able to create your own 3D movies.

The chapters in the tutorial include the following topics.

Chapter 1 - Creating Your First Animated 3D Title

Chapter 2 - Screen Test Topics

Chapter 3 - Set Building Topics

Chapter 4 - 3D World Topics

Chapter 5 - Director's School Topics

Chapter 6 - Advanced Tips & Tricks


Chapter 1 - Creating Your First Animated 3D Title

In Chapter 1 you will learn to create three-dimensional, animated text using the Bevel Gallery, the Materials Gallery, and the Motions Gallery.

Chapter 1 includes these topics.

Using the AutoContent Wizard

Step 1:  Select Template

Step 2:  Enter Text

Step 3:  Apply Bevel to Convert Your Text to 3D

Step 4:  Apply Material

Step 5:  Apply Motion to Create an Animated 3D Title

Step 6:  Finish

Preview Your Animation, then Create a Digital Movie (using Make Movie)

Save Your 3D Art as a Still Image (using Save Image)

Use Your 3D "Masterpiece" To Enhance Your Web Pages!


Using the AutoContent Wizard

The AutoContent Wizard walks you through the process of creating an animated 3D title.  It's a fast and easy way to familiarize you with the basic functionality of My3DAnimationPro.  When you first launch My3DAnimationPro, the opening dialog box displays the following choices --

•	AutoContent Wizard

•	Template

•	Blank Project

•	Open an existing 3D project

Select the AutoContent Wizard and the Wizard's Start dialog box automatically displays.  A map on the left portion of the dialog box helps you keep track of where you are and the steps yet to be completed.   So, let's walk through each step of the AutoContent Wizard.


Step 1:  Select Template

When you start My3DAnimationPro, your workspace is a blank canvas.  Before you create 3D artwork, you can use the Template Gallery to select the color or image you want to appear in the background.  And, the Template Gallery also provides a variety of lighting effects.  There are templates designed for video applications as well as web graphics.

Choose one of the templates that best fits the "mood" or theme that you would like to create with your 3D project, then press [Next] to go to the Text Entry page.


Step 2:  Enter Text

My3DAnimationPro allows you to enter text much like your word processing software.

Choose the font style or appearance of your text using the font ribbon.  Just select any TrueType or PostScript Type 1 font, the font size, and (optionally) select [Bold] or [Italicize].  Then type in some text (such as your name).  As you type in text, you can change the size and style of text, as well as use the mouse, <Backspace> or <Delete> key(s) to edit your text.  Once you are satisfied with the size and style of the text you have entered, press [Next] to go to the Bevel Gallery.


Step 3:  Apply Bevel to Convert Your Text to 3D

In My3DAnimationPro, converting flat 2D text into 3D is called "beveling."  Using the Bevel Gallery adds 3D depth to selected shape(s).  There are 120 different bevels from which to choose.  And, you have the option of beveling the front only or front and back faces of the text.  There also is an option to bevel the fonts so that different materials can be applied to the front, sides, and back of the 3D text.  And, there are options to set the depth and width of the beveled edge.

The Bevel Gallery displays a preview of the first letter of your text with the currently selected beveled style. Select the bevel style that best represents how you would like your text to appear.  Once you are satisfied with bevel style that you have applied to your text, press Next to go to the Material Gallery.


Step 4:  Apply Material

Add a touch of photorealism to your 3D artwork as if it has been built of, or covered by, a particular material, such as gold or wood.  There are 120 different materials from which to choose.

Select a material that you would like applied to your 3D text (by clicking on its button in the dialog).  A rendered representative 3D letter in the center of the dialog box will show you how your text will look.  If you elected to allow multiple materials when you beveled your text, you will be given the opportunity here to specify which materials you want to apply to the front, side, and back of your 3D text.  Once you are satisfied with the material(s) that you have applied to your 3D text, press [Next] to go to the Motions Gallery.


Step 5:  Apply Motion to Create an Animated 3D Title

Animated 3D titles, such as company logos, are a popular and attractive addition to any web site, banner ad, video, or presentation. There are 120 different motions from which to choose.  And, each motion offers a set of options.

Choose from the selection of motions available.  A preview of the currently selected motion will display in the dialog box.  (Keep in mind that the current position of your text will be its final position after the selected motion is applied.)  Once you are satisfied with the motion that you have applied to your 3D text, press [Next].


Step 6:  Finish

Once you've completed the steps listed above, the AutoContent Wizard has successfully delivered you to its Finish point.  But, you're not quite finished, yet...  This is the point at which you will want to preview your work.  If you want to make changes to your 3D project, simply press the [Back] button to return to any of the galleries in the AutoContent Wizard and make the desired changes.  Once you are satisfied with the 3D text and animation that you have created (with the help of the AutoContent Wizard!), you will be returned to the Working Area of My3DAnimationPro. And, you will want to be sure to save your 3D project to disk. Then, you can render an image and/or movie to disk.


Save Your Project

You can save the 3D art you just created so you can come back to it later. As with any software, it is wise to use this feature to save your work at regular intervals while working on your project.

1.	From the File menu, select Save.  (You also can save by pressing the <Ctrl>+<S> keys or click on [Save] icon in the standard toolbar.)

2.	When the Save dialog appears, choose a folder on your hard disk where you want to save your work.  In the "File name:" field, type in a file name for your work.  Then click the [Save] button.

Note: The "Save as type:" option in the dialog box is set by default to My3DAnimationPro Projects format (*.3di).  This is the 3D model and animation script information unique to My3DAnimationPro software.  You can NOT insert a 3DI project into a web page or video editing package.  To do that, you must render your 3DI project to disk as either an image (or sequence of images), i.e., .GIF, .TGA, .BMP, PCX, .PNG or a digital movie, i.e. AVI, animated GIF, or FLC (see "using Make Movie" and "using Save Image" below).


Preview Your Animation, then Create a Digital Movie (using Make Movie)

Now, you may want to see a full screen preview of the animation before generating a digital movie.

To view a full screen preview of the animation, select Preview Animation from the Animation menu or from the toolbar (or press F5).  To stop the preview animation, press the <Esc> key (or press the [Preview Animation] icon again).

If you are satisfied with what you see in the preview animation, its then time to use the Make Movie tool to render a digital movie.

1.	To create a digital movie, select Make Movie from the Animation menu (or select the Make Movie icon from the toolbar).

2.	When the Make Movie dialog box displays, give your movie a name and click on Select Folder... to specify the location of your file.

3.	Choose the type of file (i.e. AVI or GIF movie) from the Type: field.  If you plan to use your animation for web graphics, choose animated GIF.  If you plan to use your animation in a video project, choose AVI (or TGA Sequence).  Once you have selected the Type, click [OK].  My3DAnimationPro will render the frames of your logo animation, and when finished, the AVI or animated GIF movie will play back in a window.  Click [Save] (or [Delete] if you do not like what you see).


Save Your 3D Art as a Still Image (using Save Image)

You also can save a still 3D image created using My3DAnimationPro as a picture file on your hard disk.

1.	From the File menu, select Save Image.

2.	Choose the folder on your hard disk where you want to save your art by clicking on the [Select Folder...] button.  Enter a name for the image in the Name: field.

3.	Select one of the popular graphics file formats in the Image Type list. If you plan to use your image for web graphics, choose GIF, PNG, or JPEG.  Once you have selected the Type, click OK.  Then select Save.  Your 3D art will now be rendered on the screen.  And, the rendered 3D art will be saved as a "raster" image file to your hard drive.


Use Your 3D "Masterpiece" To Enhance Your Web Pages!

By saving your image or animation in the file Types suggested above, you can now insert this image file or animated movie into your web page or other document or video using the appropriate software or hardware. You can easily bring your rendered My3DAnimationPro images (and GIF animations) that you've saved to disk into your web page, using an HTML/web page editor.  Follow the instructions of your web authoring tool for importing graphic images into your web page.

Tip: The key to using My3DAnimationPro for enhancing web sites is to learn how to keep your file sizes small.  You can create good animated GIF movies that are only 5KB-15KB in size.  Here's how:

1.	Keep your working area small (such as 80x60 pixels).

2.	Keep your model simple. For instance, try using just one object, or, one or two letters rather than long words.

3.	Use a transparent or single colored background.

4.	Rotate your objects by 90 degrees around the "Y" axis, assign a Spin motion (using Apply Motion), then, in Make Movie, set the Range option so that only one-half of the scene length (in seconds) is rendered. (By doing this, when the rendered animation loops, it will look like it is rotating 360 degrees and the resulting file size will be smaller than if the entire scene length were rendered.)

5.	Keep the animation length down to about 2 seconds.

6.	Keep the frame rate around 5-10 frames per second.

7.	After Make Movie renders the GIF file, use the convenient "Colors" edit field to reduce the number of colors until the file size and image quality reaches a good balance.  Note that when you stop editing the number of colors, the animation's color palette is automatically re-optimized.  Then, what you see is what you'll get.

Success!
Now that you have completed your first animated 3D title, you are probably ready to try additional features and tools available in My3DAnimationPro.  There are additional capabilities of My3DAnimationPro that will reward the creative designer when explored and practiced. So let’s get on with the show!

Go to Chapter 2 - Screen Test


Chapter 2 - Screen Test Topics

In Chapter 2 you learn to build objects and then add them to your text to make exciting 3D movies.

Chapter 2 includes the following topics:

Building Objects

Moving and Scaling Objects

Beveling Objects

Rotating Objects With Precision

Changing Object Appearance

Adding Lights/Creating Highlights

Saving Your Project

Animating Your Model

Making a Movie


Building Objects

My3DAnimationPro is an object-oriented program. The software creates text and shapes from polygons, the basic building blocks for pictures and animations. So the first order of business is to create some building blocks. Perform the following steps to get started on your first scene (the Text Wizard walks you through these same steps, but for the purposes of this Tutorial we will use the Text Entry option).

1.	If the My3DAnimationPro window does not cover your entire screen, maximize it.

  ...so it fills your screen.

2.	Set the RENDER>Working Area… to 640x480 pixels.

…Large Video setting.

3.	Click on the Tool palette's Text button [image].

The Text Ribbon under the main Toolbar on top of the screen displays the text attributes.

4.	In the Text Ribbon: select Times New Roman; 120 point size.

B (bold) should be toggled on by default. If it's not on, switch to a bold type style. The type will take on these attributes.

5.	Click the cursor in the frame, then type "3D".

(CAPITAL LETTERS)

6.	Click again elsewhere in the frame, then type in a new, separate text group: "SPACE" (all caps).

To keep the "SPACE" text group active, don't click anywhere else in the scene yet. You now have two, separate groups of text objects.

7.	Click on the Text Ribbon's [image] (Italic) button.

"SPACE" changes to italics. The Bold button should still be toggled on. If not, set the text to the bold style.

	No 3rd chances in My3DAnimationPro
Go to Next Topic


Moving and Scaling Objects

Now that your scene is populated by some objects, you can make changes to their attributes, positions, and shapes.

1.	Using the Selection tool [image] select "3D," then choose the EDIT>UnGroup command or click on the Toolbar's UnGroup button [image].

The text objects are ungrouped so you can arrange them separately.

2.	Select the text group "SPACE," then choose the Stretch tool [image].

X, Y, Z handles appear on the object.

3.	Click and drag the X handle horizontally to the left to compress the text in the X direction until it’s about 80% of its original width.

Monitor the stretch/compress % on the Status Bar along the bottom-right portion of your work-space. As you drag the X handle, "SPACE" is compressed.

4.	Click and drag the Y handle horizontally to the right to stretch the text in the Y direction until it’s about 150% of its original size.

"SPACE" becomes about 50% taller (as indicated on the Status Bar).

5.	Using the Selection tool, grab and arrange the objects in your model into the following configuration:

Go to Next Topic


Beveling Objects

1.	With the Selection tool, click on "SPACE."

Only "SPACE" should be selected.

2.	Choose the OBJECT>Bevels Gallery… command or click on the Tool Bar's Bevel button [image].

The Bevels Gallery dialog appears.

3.	Click on the lower right corner bevel on Page 5 of the Bevels Gallery.

The patterns on the buttons are top-view cross-sections of the bevel shapes.

4.	Set the Bevel Depth value to 9.2" and the Edge Width to 4.6", then click [OK].

These are the default values for this particular bevel. "SPACE" is beveled into a 3D object.

5.	Using the Selection tool, click on "3," hold down the <Shift> key, and click on "D."

"3" is selected and "D" is added to the selection.

6.	Choose the OBJECT>Bevels Gallery… command or click on the Tool Bar's Bevel button [image] again.

"3" and "D" are extruded straight out. All the objects in your screen are now 3D beveled objects. If you make a mistake, you can undo a bevel -- just select EDIT>Undo, or click on the Tool Bar's Undo button [image] . You can only undo a bevel if the bevel operation was the last undoable command you performed.

Go to Next Topic


Rotating Objects With Precision

1.	Select "3" then choose the EDIT>Transform… command. The Transform Selection dialog appears.

2.	Click the Rotate tab. Then type "-15" into the Angle field of the Rotate page; click on the Z radio button; then click Apply Now.

"3" is rotated -15° on the Z axis.

3.	In the same manner, rotate the "3": 10° on the X axis and 5° on the Y axis. Click [OK] when you have finished rotating the objects.

The object has a new orientation.

4.	Select the "D," then choose the EDIT>Transform… command again. Use the Rotate function to rotate the object: 15° on the Z axis, 10° on the X axis, and 5° on the Y axis.

You've applied the rotations to "3" and "D." Notice how the new orientation makes the letters "float."

Go to Next Topic


Changing Object Appearance

Applying different material attributes to objects will show you how to dramatically change the look of your scene in a few simple steps. With a little software alchemy, you can change the objects in your model from wood to stone to gold, and give almost any type of object a flashy reflective quality.

1.	Select the "3," hold down the <Shift> key and select the "D," then choose the OBJECT>Materials Gallery… command or click the Materials Gallery tool button [image].

The individual objects, "3" and "D" are selected and the Materials Gallery dialog appears.

2.	Click on the Marble tab.

The Marble material page becomes active.

3.	Click on the Red Marble in the upper right corner of the dialog, then click on [OK].

The marble attribute is applied to the letters.

4.	In the same manner, select "SPACE" and apply Gold 1 from the Metals material page.

Your material attributes are set.

5.	It's time to see what things look like so far ...click on the Render tool [image] or RENDER>Render menu command.

	Tip: Rendering Quality
Go to Next Topic


Adding Lights/Creating Highlights

Working on your model's lighting will allow you to highlight certain objects and to set the atmosphere for your entire model.

1.	Click on the Omni Light button [image].

You're in Light Bulb mode.

2.	Click once in the lowest, center area of the scene.

One Light Bulb is added.

3.	With the Light Bulb still selected, choose the LIGHTS>Move Highlight command.

The cursor changes to a cross-hair.

4.	Click the cross-hair cursor on the upper front face of the letter "A" in "SPACE."

The Light Bulb swings up so it is in front of the text.

5.	As a finishing touch…

Select RENDER>Set Background… or the Set Background tool [image] and then check Image. Browse the Maps folder, and select Stars1.jpg. Click [OK] to load it as the background image.

6.	Let's see the final product ...click on the Render tool [image] .

You've built your first scene.

If you need to do some fine tuning, just use the tools and skills you've picked up so far and make any appropriate adjustments.

Go to Next Topic


Saving Your Project

Now that your work has progressed this far, you'd better save it:

1.	Choose the FILE>Save command or click on the Save button [image].

If this is your first save for the file, the standard Windows Save As dialog will appear.

2.	Type in 3DSPACE as the file name, choose a destination directory, then click [OK].

Your file is safe.

The Save and Save As... tools in My3DAnimationPro save 3D elements (i.e. objects, lights, background image and texture map information, assigned motion paths, etc.) that are used by My3DAnimationPro to create images and movies.  However, neither Save or Save as... saves rendered images or animations.  Use the following commands to save rendered images and animations (movies).

For saving rendered images:
Make sure you are using the Save Image tool in the File menu and that you have adequate disk space to save the image at the desired resolution.  For web pages, you will want to select either JPEG, GIF or PNG File Types.

For saving rendered animations (movies):
Make sure you are using the Make Movie tool in the Animation menu.  Once a movie (either AVI or animated GIF) is generated, the movie plays back in a window and a dialog box gives you a choice to Save or Delete the movie.  If you want to save the movie to disk, be sure to select the Save button.

Go to Next Topic


Animating Your Model

Now it's time to get your model moving. Animation is simply a matter of assigning preset motions and a few options, rendering, and then letting your creation fly.

1.	Select "SPACE," then choose the ANIMATION>Assign Motion command or click on the Assign Motion button [image].

The Motions dialog appears.

2.	Click on the Zoom button and set up the following configuration:

Spin Axis:	X
Direction:	Zoom In
Path Length:	Extra Long

3.	Click on [OK].

"SPACE" is set to zoom into the scene while spinning on its X axis.

4.	Select the "3," hold down the <Shift> key and select the "D," then click the Assign Motion button again [image], and assign the following motion and attributes:

Motion:	Rise & Rotate
Rotate Axis:	X
Rotation Direction:	Forward
Path Length:	Extra Long

That's it. Your motions are set.

5.	Save your scene with the FILE>Save command or click on [image].

…just to be safe.

Go to Next Topic


Making a Movie

Rendering your movie can take up a lot of time (and disk space). The best way to make things easier on your computer and to be able to see the finished product in a reasonable amount of time is by using a relatively small movie resolution. You will render your animation as an AVI (Video for Windows) movie at a resolution small enough to increase rendering speed but large enough to give you a good result -- 1/4 the resolution of a 640 x 480 screen.

1.	Choose the ANIMATION>Make Movie... command or click on [image].

The Make Movie dialog box appears.

1.	Set up the Make Movie options in the following configuration:

Movie Name:	3DSPACE
Type:	Video For Windows (*.avi)
Format:	8 bit
Colors:	256
Compression:	(Default)
Resolution: 	X = 320 Y = 240
Scene Length:	2.00 seconds
Frame Rate:	30 frames/second
Pause:	0.00
Range:	Entire Animation
Direction:	Fly In

1.	Click [OK].

The animation begins rendering.

Rendering your movie can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours depending on your system performance and on the resolution and rendering options you selected.

The Make Movie function automatically saves the movie to disk with the name you entered. When the movie is done rendering in the AVI format, the My3DAnimationPro Movie Maker application automatically comes up, then compresses and plays your AVI. You can use Movie Maker to run your finished AVIs any time you like.

Click [image] above to view the finished sample movie.

You've completed Chapter 2 of the Tutorial, so play around with My3DAnimationPro -- experimenting with different objects, materials, lighting, and motions. And have fun. When you're ready, move on to the following sections for more advanced tutorials.

	Tip: Replaying your movie later
Go to Chapter 3 – Set Building


Chapter 3 - Set Building Topics

In Chapter 3 you will learn more advanced techniques for modeling and animating objects.

Chapter 3 includes the following topics:

From the Ground Up

The Theory of My3DAnimationPro

Working With Text and Objects

Scaling & Moving

Working With Objects

Circles/Ellipses and Rectangles

Cutting Polygons

Free-form Polygons

Importing AI/CDR Models

Select By Name

Setting the Stage

Setting Object Color

Don't Forget to Save

On to the 3rd Dimension


From the Ground Up

Now that you've steam rolled through your first project, let's slow down, back up, and explore some of the finer points of 3D modeling and animation. In this and the following chapters, you'll build a new model from the ground up, set the object attributes, play with different lighting effects, and try out some more advanced animation techniques. During each of these sections, you'll be constructing different elements of a model that will come together into the final production. Along the way, we'll get into a lot more of the whats, whys, and hows of working in 3D. Even if some of the basics are so basic you've already figured them out, go through the exercises -- they will all add up to your finished production. This chapter will focus primarily on using the text and polygon tool functions. But first, let's explore the My3DAnimationPro environment in a little more detail.

Go to Next Topic


The Theory of 3D IMPACT! Pro
The Theory of My3DAnimationPro

My3DAnimationPro creates an animation from a 3D model (sometimes called a scene) which contains objects, lights, mapping information (textures and reflections), and motion assignments. When working in My3DAnimationPro, all this information is automatically built into a script file, which has the 3DI file extension, and a model file, which has the MDL file extension. Together, these associated files for a single scene/animation are referred to as a project. (Projects are accessed by loading the saved 3DI file).

To make a movie, a series of sequential images are rendered based on the model and the assigned motions, then saved as a movie in the animated GIF, AVI or FLC file formats, or as sequences of individual frames in TGA, BMP or GIF formats. It's that simple.

In the following chapters, you'll build and animate a relatively complex scene. In the process, you'll get a hands-on, inside-out look at the major facets of My3DAnimationPro.

When you work with My3DAnimationPro, think of your computer monitor as a stationary camera at a movie set -- that's exactly how your point of view is handled by the program. You're the director, controlling the actors, lights and action of the scene, and everything is monitored and recorded through the camera. In a movie set, props and actors are placed at various points around the space of the location. In My3DAnimationPro, your props and actors (objects and letters) are placed at various locations around the 3D workspace.

The story begins as you are introduced to the leading players.

Go to Next Topic


Working With Text and Objects

My3DAnimationPro uses an object-based system to create scenes and animations. The My3DAnimationPro environment is occupied by objects that you build, all of which are formed from one or more flat polygons.

When you initially build text objects, they will be single-polygon objects. When you bevel or extrude the letters, they are automatically remodeled into 3D, multi-polygon objects (more on that in the next chapter). My3DAnimationPro accesses any True TypeTM fonts you have installed in your Windows system. PostScript Type 1TM fonts also are accessible, provided you have Adobe Type ManagerTM installed. In short, even the most die-hard font addicts should be able to bring the funkiest of type faces into My3DAnimationPro and work with the letters as 3D objects.

While you're typing in a word or phrase, you can always backspace to delete mistakes and then continue typing. But once you click in another area of the Working Area or select another tool or command, no further text editing is possible. The letters you typed in the frame become 3D objects and can only be modified in terms of X-Y-Z position, dimensions, and attributes. Because you probably won't be composing a Gettysburg Address with this software, a little attention to the keyboard should avoid most problems. Once you do place text in the Working Area, you can scale, stretch, bevel, and extrude the letters, and apply an array of material attributes -- all of which you'll do in the following pages. But first, you need to type some type:

1.	If you have a project up, start a new one by choosing FILE>New or clicking [image].

2.	Maximize your My3DAnimationPro window.

...so it fills the screen.

3.	Click on the [image] button.

The text options appear – choose Text Entry.

4.	Click in the top-left area of screen, then type: "GLOBAL".

(All caps).

5.	Using the tools in the Text Ribbon, select a heavy, closed-face font (no open line segments) -- bold, about 100 point size (Impact is an appropriate font to choose).

Be careful in your font selection. Heavy letters look best with the bevel you'll be applying later.

6.	Click again in the lower-left area of the screen, type: "VILLAGE" then change the font to any closed-face stylized font that looks good to you.

GLOBAL

VILLAGE

…are set as two distinct text groups you can work with easily .

Now that the text is in the Working Area, each letter will be treated as an object by the program; and each word that you typed as a separate entry is automatically grouped.

	Tip: Font Selection
Go to Next Topic


Scaling & Moving

As director, you need to whip your actors into shape. You must take charge and direct your players by shaping and moving them. In the following portion of the exercise, you'll do both.

Scaling

The Selection tool is used to proportionally scale objects up or down. Scale resizes an object's X, Y & Z dimensions proportionally and simultaneously.

1.	Using the selection tool [image]  -- click on "GLOBAL."

"GLOBAL" is highlighted.

2.	Click on one of the selection handles (the cross cursor rotates 45°), and drag until the word is scaled to cover about 2/3 of the horizontal distance between the vertical Working Area boundaries.

"GLOBAL" is proportionally scaled.

3.	Scale "VILLAGE" so it is approximately the same size.

Next you'll do some repositioning.

Moving

What do you do if your actors can't find their marks? You move them yourself. As you probably learned with the first model you built, moving is simply a matter of selecting an object, clicking on it and dragging it around. (You also can select objects within a group by holding down the <Alt> key when you click on the individual group member).

4.	Click and drag "GLOBAL" to the center-left area of the frame.

Leave some room at the top.

5.	Click and drag "VILLAGE" so it is centered below "GLOBAL."

"GLOBAL VILLAGE" should be centered vertically in the left area of the frame.

	Tip: Select Which Object?
	Tip: The Key to Precision
Go to Next Topic


Working With Objects

My3DAnimationPro provides you with the tools to create circles or ellipses, spheres, rectangles, cubes, and other polygons. It also allows you to import objects in the Adobe Illustrator (AI) and CorelDRAW (CDR) formats. By combining the program modeling tools and object editing functions, you'll find that you can create a surprising array of logos and props to accompany your featured text productions.

Go to Next Topic


Circles/Ellipses and Rectangles

Creating circles and rectangles is as easy as with any basic draw program. In the next exercise, you will create two circles and a rectangle, which will be incorporated into your model. The circles will eventually be used to create a quarter moon; the rectangle will be a long skinny bar that will be extruded to create a "floor" for the scene.

Building an ellipse or a rectangle is as easy as click and drag. Constraining the ellipse to a circle or the rectangle to a square involves one extra step -- holding down the <Shift> key while dragging:

1.	Click on the Ellipse/Circle tool [image].

2.	Click in the upper-right corner of the frame, hold down the <Shift> key and drag out a circle to about an 18-inch radius, then release.

Monitor the X and Y radii at the Status Bar. A perfect circle is drawn. (See the Note below for a tip on moving objects as you build them).

3.	Click again in the same area and build another circle with a 15-inch radius. If you build them overlapping, move them so they are separated.

4.	Click on the Rectangle tool [image].

5.	Click in the bottom-left portion of the frame and drag a rectangle across the frame to approximately 5 inches (height) x 195 inches (width) ... or slightly less than the frame's width.

Monitor the rectangle's height and width at the Status Bar. If the rectangle isn't quite centered in the frame use the Selection tool to adjust its position.

	Tip: Build and Move
	Tip: Again and Again
Go to Next Topic


Cutting Polygons

My3DAnimationPro lets you use one polygon to cut another polygon, like a cookie cutter cutting dough. You've already created a polygon to be cut as well as a cutting polygon -- the two circles. So let's cut to the chase.

1.	With the smaller of the two circles selected, choose OBJECT>Select Cutting Polygon.

The selected circle becomes the cutting polygon.

2.	Use the Selection Tool to select the larger of the circles.

The larger circle becomes an object that can be cut.

3.	Choose OBJECT>Cut Polygon.

An outline of the cutting polygon appears, attached to the cursor.

4.	Place the outline over the larger circle so that only a crescent shape remains exposed, then click.

The cut is made.

5.	Click on the Select tool.

…to exit the cutting mode.

6.	Select the cutting polygon (the circle), and press the <Delete> key to delete it.

The newly cut polygon remains.

The cutting command performs an operation similar to the program function that takes place when the letters B or D are created. The Cut Polygon operation only works with two-dimensional objects, such as unbeveled letters, ellipses, rectangles, etc. You can use groups of two-dimensional objects as either the polygon(s) to be cut or the cutting polygon. But if you try the operation with cubes, spheres, beveled letters and the like, the Cut Polygon command will be disabled. Once a polygon has been cut, you can bevel or extrude it any way you like (as you'll soon see).

	Tip: Cutting multiple polygons
Go to Next Topic


Free-form Polygons

While My3DAnimationPro is great for creating regular shapes like circles, cubes, spheres, etc., the program also allows you to create "not-so-regular" polygons. You can easily build irregular closed shapes using the Free-form Polygon tool to create line, arc, and spline (curved) segments. Each new segment is connected to the last, until you close the polygon. For this model, you'll use the Free-form Polygon tool set to form a few clouds that will float serenely over your scene. Clouds are, by nature, loosely defined. So use the following steps as a guide, but improvise and experiment.

1.	Click on the Tool Palette's Free-form Polygon button [image].

A small floating palette appears with the free-form polygon tools.

Line Tool

The Line tool creates straight lines for hard-edged objects:

2.	Click on the [Lines] button and draw out a straight line, from left to right, about 55 inches in length. This will be the base of your cloud.

Arc Tool

The arc tool creates arcs connected to the previously placed control point. You define the size and relative angle of the arc. From the control point, draw out an arc of appropriate length.

3.	Click on the [Arcs] button; then click to the upper-right of the end of the line and draw out an arc to create one curve of the cloud’s top; then release.

If a segment or series of segments don't come out the way you want, press the <Backspace> key to delete the segments, one at a time.

4.	Still using the Arc tool, click slightly above and to the right of the previous arc segment, and draw out a second small arc.

Spline Tool

The Spline tool creates irregular curves. When you make a spline object, you set the control points that the spline curves around. Spline polygons are more free-form than all the other polygons, and allow a smooth, flowing look.

5.	Click on the [Splines] button and click to set up a series of points defining curves that ascend to the left. Press <Backspace> to delete a segment you don't like.

6.	Using the same techniques, use any or all of the polygon tools to create a series of spline and arc segments until you reach the initial control point.

7.	When the last polygon segment is close enough to the initial control point to close the polygon, the cross-hair cursor will change to a box cursor. At that point, release to close the polygon.

8.	Create one more cloud polygon in the same way.

Experiment with a different shape.

9.	Use the selection tool to scale the clouds up or down to a relative size that works with the rest of the scene.

Making the clouds differ in size, creates the appearance of varying distance from the viewer.

Go to Next Topic


Importing AI/CDR Models

The FILE>Import 2D Object… command loads a 2D line art drawing (such as those created in Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW) into the current project file as polygonal objects. The 2D artwork that you are importing must be saved in either of the following formats:

•  Adobe Illustrator version 3 through 6 (the filename extension is .ai); or

•  CorelDRAW version 3 through 7 (the filename extension is .cdr)

Note: Vector files (such as AI and CDR) contain geometric (object and line) information that enable you to manipulate the dimensions and properties of the image you see on screen. However, in some cases, CorelDRAW (.cdr) and Adobe Illustrator (.ai) files are "hybrid" files in that the information stored in the file contains vector as well as "raster" information. Raster image files, also known as "bitmap" files, are composed of individual picture elements (or "pixels") and when viewed on screen appear to form a complete image. Common file extension names for raster images are: .jpg, .bmp, .pcx, .gif, .tif, and .tga. Only the vector portion of the hybrid file can be imported. To import raster image data, you can do so using the same Import 2D Object tool and by loading in the image file directly. My3DAnimationPro will automatically apply the raster image data onto a rectangle polygon.

You can create an outline of the object (using the OBJECT>Create Outline… menu) so that it can be manipulated by My3DAnimationPro (by applying bevels, materials, reflection maps, etc.). The file formats compatible with this method are:

•  Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) Format (.jpg, .jpeg)

•  Portable Network Graphics (.png)

•  Windows bitmap (.bmp, .dib, .rle)

•  Graphics Interchange Format (.gif)

•  PC Paintbrush (.pcx)

•  Targa (.tga)

•  Tagged Image File Format (.tif)

The objects created when you import a file appear in the center of the Working Area and automatically are selected.

For our current project, import the following AI file:

1.	Select FILE>Import 2D Object...

The AI/CDR Models dialog box appears.

2.	Choose (My3DAnimationPro main folder)\images\crystal.ai and click [OK].

A crystal-like logo is imported.

3.	Use the Select tool to select and scale the logo to 20% of its original size.

…by clicking and dragging on a corner handle.

	Tip: Creating an Outline of a 2D Object
Go to Next Topic


Select By Name

The time will come when selecting a particular object or group may become something like finding a needle in a haystack -- or in a bunch of other needles, for that matter. This problem can become especially daunting when viewing your scene from a top view (using the Top View tool, but we'll get to that later). The best way to deal with this problem is to plan ahead.

1.	Use the Select tool to select the crystal logo.

Be sure the logo is the only object selected.

2.	Choose the EDIT>Select... command or click on the Select by Name button [image].

The Select by Name dialog appears, with the generically named logo already highlighted.

Every item you've built or imported so far is on this list, including lights, rectangles, circles, etc. -- identified by the item type, and the order in which it was created/imported. If there is a "+" symbol next to an item, that indicates a group. Double-clicking on the group, or clicking on the [Expand Group] while the group is highlighted, opens up a list of the group members.

3.	With the logo item highlighted, click on the [Change Name] button.

The Change Object Name dialog appears.

4.	Type "Logo" into the text field, and click [OK].

The new name appears in the Select by Name list.

5.	Click [OK] in the Select by Name dialog.

6.	Use the same procedure to name the two clouds: "Cloud1" and "Cloud2."

...and rename other objects as you like.

7.	Use the FILE>Save command or click on [image] and save your scene under the name "GLOBAL."

If this is the first save for the scene, the standard "Save As" dialog will appear. Select the appropriate directory for your files.

	Tip: Select Which Object?
	Tip: Group/UnGroup
Go to Next Topic


Setting the Stage

With most of your actors on stage, you can go about changing their colors and setting them up in their proper positions. Do a Good Quality Render and then Use the Selection tool to position the objects in approximately the same configuration as the following illustration, and then click on the [image] button to Render the scene (selecting RENDER>Rendering Quality Good is sufficient at this stage of the project).

Go to Next Topic


Setting Object Color

The Color dialog provides you with your choice of 48 basic colors and up to 16 million custom colors, depending on your system setup. For most of the objects, you can use the following suggestions or choose colors that suit your taste. But some objects will have material attributes applied later that will override the object's base color.

1.	With the crescent shape selected, click on the Assign Color tool [image].

The Color Palette dialog appears.

2.	Click on a bright yellow color.

To set a custom color, you can bring up the full color palette by clicking on the [Define Custom Colors>>] button.

3.	After picking the object's color, Click on [OK].

The object changes to the new color you picked.

4.	Using the same method, assign light purple and/or pink colors to the clouds.

	Tip: Background Color
Go to Next Topic


Don't Forget to Save
Don’t Forget to Save

You'll be building on this scene from here on out, so don't forget to save it frequently as a project file (My3DAnimationPro projects are by default saved with the .3di extension).

Go to Next Topic


On to the 3rd Dimension

So far, you've laid the groundwork for the production. You've used a variety of tools and functions to create and size text, create and color objects, and arrange your workspace. In the next chapter, you'll jump into the third dimension, working with beveling, extruding, and moving objects on the Z plane. You'll also beef up the lighting in the scene and learn how to apply different material attributes to objects.

Go to Chapter 4 – 3D World


Chapter 4 - 3D World Topics

Chapter 4 provides you with background information about three dimensional concepts. You also learn to use the lighting tools, apply texture, and use reflective mapping in your projects.

Chapter 4 includes the following topics:

They Said the World Was Flat... Working in 3 Dimensions

Working in 3D Space

Loading 3D Objects

Top View: a View From the Rafters

Rotating Objects

Lighting The Way

Ambient Light

Setting Source Lighting

Setting Spotlights

Setting Materials

Working With Maps

Using Picture Files as Backgrounds


They Said the World Was Flat... Working in 3 Dimensions

This chapter is really deep. You'll dive into the fundamental concepts behind adding depth to your objects and working in 3D cyberspace. You'll build on the basic experience you got when you put together the "3D SPACE" scene, filling in the blanks with a little bit of fundamental 3D quantum mechanics. Finally, you'll learn how to enhance your scene dramatically through the effective use of lighting and by assigning material attributes to objects.

Go to Next Topic


Working in 3D Space

If you work with vector-based illustration programs, you may be familiar with the concept of Cartesian coordinates. Placing objects via X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) settings is essential for accuracy. To deal with 3D, My3DAnimationPro opens up the Z (depth) dimension. You use X, Y and Z-settings for object creation, placement and rotation.

In the previous chapter you created a basic scene from single-polygon objects -- circles, rectangles, letters, etc. Because these objects only have the depth of one polygon, you may think of them as two-dimensional, like paper cut-outs. But because you're working in the 3D world, even a paper cut-out is treated as an object rather than just a picture or graphic element. You can move or rotate any object, including a single-polygon object, in any direction you like, including the Z direction.

Any object you build will initially be created on the drawing plane. Think of the drawing plane as an invisible pane of glass placed in the middle of the 3D workspace, parallel with the computer screen. When you first create a single-polygon object, it's like a decal stuck to the glass. When you initially build a 3D object, it will be created up against, or intersecting the drawing plane. When an object is initially created, moving it in the X (left/right) and Y (up/down) directions would amount to moving it on the glass. Moving the object in the Z direction would amount to moving it in front of, or behind the imaginary glass.

Objects with depth, such as spheres, cubes, or beveled letters, are built from a group of single polygons of various shapes, joined at the appropriate angles to form 3D objects. A sphere for example, is simply constructed from a series of small, flat polygons fit together at angles so that they form the appearance of a globe. Examine a sphere rendered in wireframe Preview mode (VIEW>Preview Options… Wireframe mode) and you'll get the idea. Beveled letters also are formed from custom-fit polygons.

You'll begin this chapter's work by transforming some of your scene's single-polygon objects into multiple-polygon, 3D objects.

When My3DAnimationPro bevels an object, two primary functions can take place: extruding and/or beveling. Single-polygon objects are extruded into 3D, multiple-polygon objects -- like a paper cut-out letter metamorphosed to a wood-block letter. The 3D shape is beveled or contoured to match the outline of the selected bevel. Each bevel button in the Bevels Gallery shows a top-view, cross-sectional outline of its bevel shape.

When setting up a bevel, there are two values that are adjustable (with the exception of the straight, extrude bevel design): bevel depth and edge width. The bevel depth value determines the depth to which the polygon will be drawn out. The edge width value determines the width of the angled or curved bevel cut. The extrude bevel design has no angles or curves, so edge width defaults to zero. Some bevel styles have a set ratio between bevel depth and edge width -- changing one value will automatically change the other. This allows for a beveled shape that will be consistent with the bevel design.

Often, the best results come from experimentation. In terms of bevel depth, edge width, and the size of the beveled object -- smaller bevel values generally work best with small objects, and larger values work well with large objects. You always can scale an object up or down to get the best effect from a bevel, then scale it again. If you get a result you don’t like, always remember the power of Undo. Even if you've rendered, you still can undo your last object-editing operation, including a bevel.

In addition to letters, single-polygon objects also are great candidates for a variety of bevels, as you'll see when you apply the following bevels to the objects in your scene.

1.	With the text group, "GLOBAL" selected, choose the OBJECT>Bevels Gallery… command or click on [image].

The Bevels Gallery appears. Select the Extrude bevel on Page 1 that has a depth of 16" (you can edit the Bevel Depth Edit box to any depth, but to keep things simple, select the 16" bevel on the right side of the Gallery). Click [OK].

2.	Individually select each of the remaining objects and groups in your scene and apply the following bevels and bevel depth/edge width values:

You don't need to bevel the clouds for this project.

Object/Group	Bevel Style	Gallery Page	Bevel Depth	Edge Width
"Village"		1	16.0"	~
Crescent Moon		5	5.2"	5.2"
Logo		2	1.0"	1.0"
Rectangle		1	200.0"	~
You may notice that the extruded rectangle looks a little funny. That's because the extrude bevel, like most bevel designs, bevels out toward you. And because the rectangle was extruded such a relatively long distance, it is extended out beyond (or behind) your field of view. So now you'll move it back the same distance you extruded it out.

3.	With the floor panel selected, choose EDIT>Transform...

The Transform Selection dialog appears.

4.	Click the Move tab. Then type "-200" into the Z field and click OK.

The panel is moved back exactly 200" on the Z plane.

5.	Select the FILE>Save command or click on the [image] button.

Now that you've modified your scene in such a radical way, take a look at the results. This probably is worth the time of a Good Quality Render [image]. (Just for grins we rendered the scene with Best Quality Rendering).

	Tip: X-Y-Z…Must you confuse me?
	Tip: Custom beveling
Go to Next Topic


Loading 3D Objects

My3DAnimationPro has the capability of importing 3D objects and groups into a project. For this production, you will load two 3D object files that should be available in the Object Catalog if you performed a full installation of the software.

1.	Choose the VIEW>Object Catalog command, if the 3D Object Catalog is not already visible on your screen.

The Object Catalog appears. You can move it anywhere on the screen to place it out of the way of your Working Area, or dock it at the bottom of the screen by moving it down to the Status Bar area.

2.	Select the Fancy Cube from the Image Templates tab on the Object Catalog and drag it into the Working Area.

You will note that a dialog appears with images that will be placed on the sides of the cube. In the future, you can substitute any images you wish on Object Templates. For now, accept the defaults.

3.	Select the crystal object from the Shapes tab on the Object Catalog and drag it into the Working Area.

The crystal is a bit hard to see in Preview mode, but will dazzle you when we render the project.

4.	Use the Select tool to move the new objects to the lower right quarter of the Working Area.

Next you'll do a little redecorating.

5.	Toggle off perspective by selecting VIEW>Perspective or by clicking on the [image] button.

With perspective off, lines no longer converge in the distance and objects will now appear 2D. The 3D slab will look like a simple rectangle, for example.

6.	Use the Select tool [image] to position the Fancy Cube just slightly above and on the right portion of the rectangular slab.

7.	Using the Select tool, position the crystal on top of the Fancy Cube.

The crystal should be just on top of the Cube, and not intersecting it (exact position isn’t critical at this point). Use the Top View tool [image] to position it on the center of the Cube’s top. By holding the [Shift] key while moving an object with the Arrow keys, you can fine-tune the object’s position in 1-pixel increments.

8.	Select the FILE>Save command or click on the [image] button.

	Tip: Using Perspective
Go to Next Topic


Top View: a View From the Rafters

Now that you're becoming a little more accustomed to the idea of working in the Z plane, it's time to take advantage of a function that makes moving things around in the Z direction much easier -- top view. In Top View, the camera perspective is switched from the front to the top of your workspace -- centered on the entire scene. In this next exercise you will switch to top view to move objects in front of, or behind other objects. This will be quick and easy. You'll reposition a few objects to improve the way the scene is blocked out. Remember that in top view, the top of your screen corresponds to the rear of the workspace. So moving an object "up" in top view is the equivalent of moving it back in the scene; and moving an object "down" is really moving it toward the camera (your front-view vantage point).

1.	Choose VIEW>Top View or click on [image].

The frame switches to top view. (Perspective should still be toggled off).

2.	Use the Selection tool to move the "GLOBAL" and "VILLAGE" back about 60 inches from the front of the floor panel (on the Z axis).

Use the Status Bar to keep track of distance.

3.	Move the Fancy Cube to the front, right corner of the floor panel.

Notice on the Status Bar that you're only moving objects on the X and Z planes. In Top View, the Y (vertical) position of objects is not affected.

4.	Use the Selection tool to move the crystal onto the center of the Cube’s top.

Now you can get picky about positioning the crystal.

Next you need to select the clouds and the crystal logo. But in Top View, they can be very hard to pick out, so you'll select them by name.

5.	Choose EDIT>Select By Name... or click on the [image] button.

The Select By Name dialog appears.

6.	Deselect any item in the list that is highlighted by clicking on it, then select "Logo" and click OK.

When the main screen becomes active again, the logo is selected.

7.	Move it back a little so that it sits on the front left corner of the floor panel, set in a bit from the edge.

If you want to adjust the Z-position of any other objects in the Working Area, now's the time.

8.	In the same manner, select and move the clouds slightly in front of the crescent moon ...so they will partially obscure the lunar surface.

Because the clouds aren't beveled, they will appear only as thin lines in top view -- perfect candidates for the Select-by-Name function. Stay in Top View for the next exercise.

	Tip: Moving in Top View
Go to Next Topic


Rotating Objects

By now you should understand how to arrange objects on the My3DAnimationPro stage in X, Y and Z terms. It's time to learn how the rotate tool spins an object upon its own X, Y, and Z axes. The best way to grasp the concept of rotation is to do a little conceptualizing. Try to imagine the rotation axes as guide-wires that run along their respective planes -- through the object. The X rotation axis runs through it horizontally, the Y rotation axis runs through it vertically, and the Z rotation axis runs through it from front to back. When you rotate an object, you are spinning it on one of its three axes. To illustrate this maneuver, you'll perform two simple rotations, one on the Fancy Cube (while still in top view) and another on the crescent moon (in the front view).

1.	While still in Top View, use Select By Name to select the Fancy Cube and crystal. Then Click on the Group tool [image] to group the two objects.

2.	Click on the Rotate button on the Tool palette [image].

The X, Y, and Z rotation handles appear on the object.

3.	Click the Y handle. Rotate the Fancy Cube/crystal group approximately -20°.

Monitor the rotation on the Status Bar. You may need to UnGroup and reposition the crystal (using the Selection tool) so it rests on the Fancy Cube properly.

Notice that the objects turned on the axis that runs through them vertically. Rotation on the Y (vertical) axis spins an object in the horizontal direction. Confused? Switch back to Front View ( [image]) to take a look. In Front View, with Perspective toggled off, you can see the effect of the Y rotation you just performed.

4.	The Fancy Cube/crystal group may be floating off of the rectangular floor panel. Reposition them so the Cube rests on the rectangle and the crystal rests on the top face of the Cube.

5.	Use the Selection tool to select the crescent moon; then click on the [image] button again.

Remember to switch your X, Y, Z frame of mind to the front view mode again.

6.	Click on the Z handle and rotate the moon about -15° -- so it tilts up just a little more.

Notice how an object spinning on its Z axis spins like the hands on a clock.

7.	Select the FILE>Save command or click on [image].

8.	Now toggle Perspective back on and do a Good Quality Render:  -- [image].

Your scene is beginning to take shape.

Go to Next Topic


Lighting The Way

Among the most important elements of any movie set is lighting. In 3D, lighting emphasizes the three-dimensionality of objects and the space they occupy. The following operations use My3DAnimationPro's ambient lighting and spotlights to change the mood of your scene. These lights are totally flexible. You can position them, change their colors, set their highlights, and even animate them.

Go to Next Topic


Ambient Light

Ambient light is the level of even light in the workspace when no other added lights are present. Ambient light is spread evenly in a 3D area, having no source. The default lighting in the My3DAnimationPro workspace is one Light Bulb (a multi-directional, point-source light) and an ambient light level of about 3%. This low level of ambient light means that the side of a sphere opposite the light source (i.e., the "dark side") is dark gray, almost black. A higher ambient light setting will cause this "dark side" to brighten, or become a lighter shade of gray.

For a greater degree of 3D realism, it's generally best to work with relatively low levels of ambient light and rely on added Spotlights and Light Bulbs to illuminate your scene. Cranking up the ambient light increases the overall light level (luminance) throughout the Working Area. But because the light comes from all directions, high ambient light levels reduce shading, making your scene appear flatter and objects appear more two-dimensional.

Ambient lighting also is an important tool in matching the light level of a 3D scene to that of an imported background. If the ambient light level in a background picture is significantly different from that of the objects in a scene, the objects will appear to be out of place or incongruous with the overall picture. A darker background with relatively bright 3D objects, for example, won't come together as a convincing three-dimensional image.

To see the current Ambient Light level, and to give you a chance to play with the values, do the following:

1.	Choose LIGHTS>Ambient Color...

The standard color dialog appears.

2.	In the Color dialog, click on [Define Custom Colors...].

The custom color section of the color dialog appears.

To work with levels of white light, the red, green, and blue settings should all be adjusted to the same values -- 0, 0, 0 being black, 255, 255, 255 being white. The Default Ambient Light Lum (for "luminance") is 8, or 3% of 240, which is the highest possible Lum setting.

3.	Change the Lum to 40, then click on [Add to Custom Colors].

A new level of dark gray is added to the Custom Colors palette.

4.	Click on the new custom color field you just created; then click on [OK].

The non-colored ambient light level is brought up to about 17% (40/240 = 16.6%) -- a very subtle, but noticeable change for this scene.

Go to Next Topic


Setting Source Lighting

My3DAnimationPro provides three forms of source lighting, Spotlights, Light Bulbs and Distant Lights. Unlike ambient lighting, source lights are the equivalent of real-world light sources -- light bulbs, for instance. Their light emanates from a point of origin and only illuminates the sides of objects that face the light source. Because spotlights are directional, they only will illuminate objects at which they are pointed.

When you Render this project, you may have noticed that objects are lit from the upper-right. This is because the default Light Bulb is placed in the upper-right area of the workspace (and is visible only when LIGHTS>Show Lights is toggled on).

Regardless of where you place lights in a scene, the lighting "fixtures" (lighting experts call them "instruments") remain invisible. Only the light they cast and the effects that are enabled (like Shadows and Specular Highlights) are visible.

	Tip: Shed some Light
Go to Next Topic


Setting Spotlights

1.	Click on the Spotlight tool [image].

The cursor switches to spotlight mode.

2.	Click and hold at a point in the left of the text (don't release). The click places the spotlight icon. Holding and dragging rotates the icon using the click point as the center of light rotation.

Notice that your scene changes to Show Lights mode (and the background turns black), so you can see where you are placing lights.

3.	From the stationary point of the spotlight icon, drag out the end of the cursor until it touches the center-left of the text, then release.

Releasing the mouse sets the spot's orientation and length of the cone (light field). (The spotlight's illumination will travel beyond the cone you define).

4.	Move the mouse to adjust the cone angle until the cone width encompasses the height of the text, then click again.

The spotlight is set and pointed toward its target; and the angle of the light field is set.

5.	Add two more spotlights, at approximately the same cone-width, illuminating the center and right of the text. Draw out the cone angles so they overlap somewhat.

This may seem like a lot of light, but you'll appreciate the final effect.

When you initially set a light (Spot or Bulb), it is created on the same drawing plane that all objects, including text, are created on. So when you point a new spotlight at an object that is still on the drawing plane (its original Z position), it will only be illuminating the object from the side. The best way to orient a Spotlight or Light Bulb to the front of an object is with the LIGHTS>Move Highlight command:

6.	Select the left spotlight aimed at the text.

A spotlight can be selected like any other object.

7.	Choose the LIGHTS>Move Highlight command.

The cursor changes to a cross-hair.

8.	Click the cross-hair cursor on the lower front face of the "L" in "GLOBAL."

The spotlight revolves so it is directed at the text from the front. If more adjustment of the light's position is needed, go into Top View.

9.	Use the Move Highlight function again to reorient the other two spotlights to the front.

If necessary, go into Top View to adjust the lights' Z positions.

10.	Select the spotlight trained on the left portion of the text, then click on the Assign Color tool [image].

The Color palette appears.

11.	Pick any of the basic bright colors that strike your fancy, or define a custom color; then click [OK]. Using brighter colored lights works best.

You now have a colored spotlight which will project a soft-toned color onto the object at which it is directed.

12.	Select and color the remaining spotlights on "GLOBAL VILLAGE" in the same manner.

Choose different colors to add a little pizazz to the letters. Here is how the scene should look in Show Lights mode:

13.	To take a look at the results of your light-fest, click on the Toolbar's Render button [image].

If your letters have a color at this point, the effects of the Spotlights may be hard to see. Soon you'll be assigning material attributes to the words that show off the colored lighting to its best advantage.

14.	Select the FILE>Save command or click on [image].

Distant Lights work differently than Spotlights. The illumination from a Distant Light is similar in nature to sunlight, in that the light appears to be coming from a point source some distance away. The effect is to cause sharper shadows (as with real sunlight). Distant Lights are similar to Ambient Light, in that their illumination affects the entire scene. However, with Distant Lights, properties such as Shadows and Specular Highlights can be enabled. The intensity of a Distant Light does not decrease as distance from the objects it is illuminating increases.

Go to Next Topic


Setting Materials

Budding set designers take note. One of the most important ways to make your scenes more realistic and/or flashy is to get creative with material attributes. You can go for glitsy materials -- like gold and crystal; an exotic look -- such as snake or leopard; or an earthy gravel or granite.

Every material has at least one of three main components that make up its attributes: color, texture map, and reflection map. The combination of these three components forms a kind of recipe that sets an object's appearance attributes such as color, reflectance, shading, transparency, roughness, etc. Any colors, texture map files, and/or reflection map files that make up a material will be listed in their associated fields in the Materials Advanced Properties dialog.

Texture maps are files that give a material its "look and feel;" its surface patterns and colors. Reflection map files are the obscured, reflected maps on certain shiny materials.

The process of setting standard materials is a no-brainer:

1.	Select the word, "GLOBAL," and choose OBJECT>Materials Gallery… or click on the [image] button.

The Materials Gallery dialog appears.

2.	Click on the Metal 1 tab; click on the [Gold 1] button; then click [OK].

The Gold material attribute is assigned to "GLOBAL."

3.	In the same manner, apply the following materials to the objects and groups in your scene:

Object/Group	Material Page	Material
"Village"	Marble	Red-second button on top row
Clouds	Effects	Water 2*
Moon	Effects	Plastic 2
Crystal Logo	Effects	Crystal
Floor Panel	Wood	Pine 2
*Note: In the Advanced Materials Property dialog, change the transparency of the Water 2 material from 80% to 40% when you apply the material to the clouds.

Time to take a look at the almost-finished product. Save your file again and then Render the scene [image] -- [image].

Notice that the colors we assigned the clouds and originally appeared on some of the other objects have been obscured with the materials we just applied. The lesson here is that materials like Plastics build on the original object color, while metals and other materials replace the original object color with their own. See the Tip below for an explanation.

	Tip: Material Color
	Tip: Applying Custom Maps
Go to Next Topic


Working With Maps

Maps (image files) come from a wide variety of sources. You can bring in scanned pictures, create your own images with a paint program, purchase picture collections on disk, or download maps from a bulletin board. My3DAnimationPro supports TGA (Targa), TIF, PCX (paint file), GIF (CompuServe GIF), and BMP (bitmap) file formats. My3DAnimationPro comes with a number of map files that you can use in your projects (these files were installed when you installed the program files) or you can use your own image archives. My3DAnimationPro allows you to use map files in three different ways:

•	You can set a background scene, as you would use a backdrop on a movie set.

•	Objects can be made to look more realistic with a texture map that projects a picture -- such as fabric -- onto an object.

•	Reflection maps can be cast upon objects to make certain materials -- such as chrome or glass -- look realistically reflective.

Using the Materials Gallery (as you already have) automatically carries out one or all of these functions for you. But you also can modify the process to use your own supply of map files.

	Tip: Custom Reflections
Go to Next Topic


Using Picture Files as Backgrounds

Using a picture file as a background opens up exciting possibilities. This feature allows you to fly type, logos and other objects over any environment you can get a picture file for. Cityscapes, landscapes, or even moonscapes can be used as the backdrop for your production. Organic backgrounds, such as marbles, granites or wood grains can be effective. Or if you want a radical look, you can create a surreal abstract background image with any of a number of paint packages. For this final enhancement to your scene, you'll use a simple spacey background.

1.	Choose RENDER>Set Background...

The Set Background dialog appears.

2.	Click on the Image radio button; then click on [Browse...].

The Open file dialog appears.

3.	Choose (My3DAnimationPro main folder)\maps\Stars1.jpg; then click [OK].

Your background file is selected.

4.	Click on [OK] in the Set Background dialog.

The file is loaded and the scene is redrawn in Preview mode.

5.	Click on [image] to save your scene. Then do a Render [image].

Go to Chapter 5 - Director's School Topics


Next Up - Taking Off
Next Up — Taking Off

In this chapter, you learned the X-Y-Z of working in three dimensions; the ins and outs of beveling; some lighting tips; and some material special effects as well. Your production is nearing its final stage! Next, you will set your performers in motion.

Go to Chapter 5 – Director’s School


Chapter 5 - Director's School Topics

Chapter 5 guides teaches you about advanced animation motion combinations and explains methods for rendering images to a movie.

Chapter 5 includes the following topics:

Animating the Scene

Rendering Your Movie

Summing Up


Ready for Prime Time

In this chapter, you will delve into the animation side of the software, applying advanced motion combinations that will make the project come alive. The animation features of My3DAnimationPro are what makes the program so powerful. You'll want to use the recipe provided in this chapter as a springboard for your future animation experiments. Finally, some of the methods you can use to output rendered images to different media will be explained, and a few advanced Tips and Tricks will be spelled out in detail as well.

Go to Next Topic


Animating the Scene

For the animation phase of your movie-making career, you'll tap into the My3DAnimationPro Motions Gallery and assign a series of motion paths from the thousands of possible combinations available to you. This is where you get the chance to explore more of the possibilities for creating vibrant, eye-catching movies and animated titling sequences. You'll get a set formula of motions for the scene you have created. If you want to experiment with animation variations in remakes and sequels of your movie, go for it. But for the first production, try to stick to the combinations that are provided. They demonstrate a good range of the motions you might want to use in your productions.

In some cases, you will simply be assigning a variation of a motion to a single object. When animating a project, you have a variety of options to choose from for each of the 120 basic motions. Some will be applicable to what you want to achieve; some won't. The easiest and fastest way to try out a set of motions is to apply the motions to your objects and Preview the movie. (More on making a movie later). Once you've previewed an animation, you can easily change any motion assignments by assigning new motions over the old. And motions always can be deleted by selecting the object and choosing ANIMATION>Delete Motion or choosing ANIMATION>Delete Animation to delete all the assigned motions from a scene.

To create a more ambitious, interesting production, you also will be assigning compound motions to groups and individual members of those groups. Compound motions are one of the most powerful and fun animation features in My3DAnimationPro. Simply put, they are a mathematical addition of a dominant motion, applied to a group, and subordinate motions, individually applied to any or all members within that group. For example, you can apply an arc-in from lower-left motion to a text group, and individually apply spin motions (on different axes) to each letter in the text group. The result would be a compounded effect of the entire group arcing in while each letter spins crazily on its own axis. The iterations of compound motion possibilities are almost limitless. The more experimenting you do, the more hooked you'll get.

When assigning motions, the light icons may be distracting. If so, turn them off via the LIGHTS>Hide Lights command. The lighting still will be set, only the icons will be hidden. For the "Global" project, you will assign the set of motions that follows. Individually select each of the specified objects and/or groups in your model, one at a time; choose the ANIMATION>Assign Motion command or click on the [image] button; assign the specified motion with its respective attributes; then click [OK] after each motion assignment. It is important to remember that the position of each object to which you assign a motion is that object’s FINAL position when the movie ends.

Left Cloud	Right Cloud
Motion:  Slide 1 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:  10 Direction:  Seq. Slide Right Path Length: Extra Long	Motion:  Slide 1 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:   8 Direction:  Seq. Slide Right Path Length: Extra Long
"GLOBAL" group	"VILLAGE" group
Motion:  Zoom Spin Axis:  None Direction:  Zoom In Path Length:  Extra Long	Motion:  Zoom Spin Axis:  None Direction:  Zoom In Path Length: Extra Long
Fancy Cube/Crystal group	Crystal Logo group
Motion:  Spin 1 Tab Spin Axis:  Y Revolutions: 1 Spin Type: Standard Rotate Dir.:  Forward	Motion:  Spin 1 Tab Spin Axis:  Y Revolutions: 1 Spin Type: Standard Rotate Dir.:  Reverse
This is the motion for the entire group. Next, you'll assign motions to the individual letters -- to create a compound motion. To select the individual letters in the text group "GLOBAL," hold down the <Alt> key and click on the letter.

"G" (<Alt> select)	"L" (<Alt> select)
Motion:  Slide 2 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:  11 Direction:  Seq. Slide UL Path Length: Extra Long	Motion:  Slide 2 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:  9 Direction:  Seq. Slide UL Path Length: Extra Long
"O" (<Alt> select)	"B" (<Alt> select)
Motion:  Slide 2 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:  7 Direction:  Seq. Slide UL Path Length: Extra Long	Motion:  Slide 2 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:  5 Direction:  Seq. Slide UL Path Length: Extra Long
"A" (<Alt> select)	"L" (<Alt> select)
Motion:  Slide 2 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:  3 Direction:  Seq. Slide UL Path Length: Extra Long	Motion:  Slide 2 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:  1 Direction:  Seq. Slide UL Path Length: Extra Long
To select the individual letters in the text group "VILLAGE," hold down the <Alt> key and click on the letter.

"V" (<Alt> select)	"I" (<Alt> select)
Motion:  Slide 2 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:  1 Direction:  Seq. Slide LR Path Length: Extra Long	Motion:  Slide 2 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:  3 Direction:  Seq. Slide LR Path Length: Extra Long
"L" (<Alt> select)	"L" (<Alt> select)
Motion:  Slide 2 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:  5 Direction:  Seq. Slide LR Path Length: Extra Long	Motion:  Slide 2 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:  7 Direction:  Seq. Slide LR Path Length: Extra Long
"A" (<Alt> select)	"G" (<Alt> select)
Motion:  Slide 2 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:  9 Direction:  Seq. Slide LR Path Length: Extra Long	Motion:  Slide 2 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:  11 Direction:  Seq. Slide LR Path Length: Extra Long
"E" (<Alt> select)
Motion:  Slide 2 Tab (Seq.) Seq. Order:  13 Direction:  Seq. Slide LR Path Length: Extra Long
Individually select each of the elements in the Crystal Logo group (<Alt> Select) and apply a different spin motion to each one. Apply varying spin directions and axes for each element.

To select the individual elements of the Crystal Logo group, hold down the <Alt> key and click on each element.

Crystal Logo Elements (<Alt> select)

Motion:  Spin
Spin. Axis:  Vary
Revolutions:  1x, 2x, or 3x
Seq. Order:  N/A
Spin Type:  Standard
Rotate Dir.:  Forward

For a finishing touch, select RENDER>Shadows… and enable Object Shadows. Rendering will take a bit longer with Shadows enabled, but you will appreciate the difference they make. While you are at it, select RENDER>Rendering Quality… and click on Best before you make your movie. Now your motions are assigned and you can take a deep breath. Your project is built and you are ready to go into the movie making business. But first, save your work [image].

	Tip: Changing Motions
Go to Next Topic


Rendering Your Movie

As with your "3D SPACE" animation, rendering the movie will be the most time-consuming part of this production. And because this is a complex scene, playing back the movie also can seriously tax your computer and hard drive. So to create an animation file that is easy on your CPU, you'll render your animation at 320 x 240 screen resolution (size).

The options you'll use are exactly that, options. When creating a movie, the best options for your application depend on a number of factors, including the speed of your computer, your computer's graphics configuration, the complexity of the scene, and the amount of motion from one frame to the next. It's important to keep in mind that your movie is a separate file based on a finished project (like the one you just built). So you always can make any number of different variations of a movie (in terms of length, file type, resolution, etc.) -- all based on one project file. Exploring the detailed Make Movie information in the Online Information System, followed up with some basic experimentation are the best ways to determine the optimal settings for your movies. In the mean time, use the following settings as a starting point:

1.	Choose the ANIMATION>Make Movie... command or click on [image].

The Make Movie dialog box appears.

2.	Set up the Make Movie options as follows:

Movie Name:	GLOBAL
File Type:	Video For Windows (AVI)
Format:	8 Bit
Colors:	256
Compression:	(Default)
Resolution: 	X = 320 Y = 240
Scene Length:	2.00 seconds
Frame Rate:	20 frames/second
Pause:	0.00
Range:	Entire Animation
Direction:	Fly In

3.	Click [OK].

The animation begins rendering.

Now it's time to take a break and let My3DAnimationPro do the rest of the work. When the movie is done, the Make Movie function automatically saves it to disk with the name you entered, and the My3DAnimationPro Movie Maker application starts up and prepares your rendered sequence of files into a playable movie.

4.	Fine Tuning…Getting It Just Right

After rendering the movie, we did some fine tuning, as will you once you build your first project from scratch. We moved the crystal logo to the right, because the refractive properties of the object made it blend into the dark background. We also set a dim (150 Lum) spotlight shining on the floor in the background to soften the shadows cast by the letters, again to bring out the logo more clearly. Finally, we changed the marble material on the word "Village" to a texture with fewer dark areas to keep it separate from the background.

Go to Next Topic


Chapter 6 - Advanced Tips & Tricks

Chapter 6 provides information on rendering images to disk, transferring your movies to videotape, and other Tips and Tricks that you will find valuable in your modeling and animating.

Chapter 6 includes the following topics:

Rendering to Disk

Rendering Animated Sequential Image Files

Printing to Transparencies

Printing to Postscript Image Setters

Using Movies With Multimedia Programs

Using Topas Service Bureaus

Assigning Custom Metal Recipes to Metallic Objects

Assigning Compound Motions To Individual Objects

Scrolling Text/Credits Through the Frame

Creating Light Beams

Creating an Outline of a 2D Object

Making Small Files for the Web


Rendering to Disk

You easily can create high-quality still files of your model by rendering your image to disk. While My3DAnimationPro does not print files directly, you can import the rendered files (saved in TGA, TIF, BMP, GIF, or PCX format) into most paint and illustration programs. You can use many applications to create 35mm slides and larger transparencies of your images, and you can import the files into page layout or multi-media programs as well.

To render an image to disk:

1.	Choose the FILE>Save Image… command.

The Save Image dialog appears.

2.	Choose the appropriate options for the type of file you want to create.

Choose an output format and options that are compatible with the software you will be using to import the image file.

3.	Type your file name into the Image Name field or use the [Browse] button to call up the standard Windows Save As dialog and set the file name and destination directory.

Now you have an image file that can be imported and edited into a number of different applications.

Go to Next Tip & Trick


Rendering Animated Sequential Image Files

You can render a series of sequential image files of your animation through the ANIMATION>Make Movie… command or the Make Movie [image] tool. The files (saved in TGA, BMP, or GIF format) are separate images (and separate files) that represent your full animation. Because AVIs and FLCs are created as single, digital files, they don't allow easy access to the individual frames that make up the animation. Sequential rendering, however, creates a separate file for each frame of the animation.

Typically, sequential image files are used for:

•	Output to frame-by-frame video and personal animation recorders

•	Output in color-corrected NTSC

•	Field rendering for interlaced NTSC output

•	Storyboards of animations

•	Flip books

The Render Sequence options include image-file format selection (with bit-depth options), Field Rendering (with a Reverse Fields option), and NTSC color correction. It's important to remember that you only get to assign four-digit filenames to your Render Sequence files, because the last four digits of the eight available are assigned to the frame number.

Go to Next Tip & Trick


Printing to Transparencies

There are many "slide houses" (businesses that specialize in creating 35mm slides) that can produce a high-quality transparency directly from My3DAnimationPro TGA or TIF files. You'll need to save the image file with a 1024 x 768 (1K), 1536 x 1152 (1.5K), or 2048 x 1536 (2K) resolution to achieve photorealistic results.

Go to Next Tip & Trick


Printing to Postscript Image Setters

My3DAnimationPro gives you a variety of options when you are working with artwork that will be output on a PostScript imagesetter (such as the Linotype 330, Agfa SelectSet, or Scitex Dolev). While most high-end paint programs can accept TGA format files, your best bet for page layout packages is either TIF or EPS format, as these are more widely accepted in the publishing world. (A My3DAnimationPro file would have to be converted to EPS through a paint or photo-manipulation application). Be aware that full page EPS images at high resolutions (300 dpi and above) are very cumbersome and can reach more than 50 megabytes.

Go to Next Tip & Trick


Using Movies With Multimedia Programs

My3DAnimationPro is intended to be used alongside your other programs in order to create dazzling presentations. You can use your movies with most multimedia programs that handle AVI or FLC movies, or stills in any of the available Save Image file formats.

Some Windows movie players may not provide full resolution or color depth. Check their documentation for the maximum resolution and number of supported colors.

Go to Next Tip & Trick


Using Topas Service Bureaus

To do things right, you may want to use the services of a company that already has all the right stuff. If your video requirements are more stringent than what you can get with a home-brewed VCR setup, you should look into using a TOPAS service bureau. These companies can render your My3DAnimationPro scripts to videotape with a frame-accurate VTR setup. By using a TOPAS service bureau, you will not need to make a huge investment in hardware to get a professionally rendered videotape.

My3DAnimationPro was designed so that you can take your finished project files to a TOPAS service bureau. The bureau will take your files and (for a fee, of course) turn them into frame-accurate videotape. You can send your files to the bureau on floppies (most animation scripts and large models can be transferred on floppies) or on a variety of removable media. Check with the bureau to see what types of media they accept.

Go to Next Tip & Trick


Assigning Custom Metal Recipes to Metallic Objects

Assigning metal maps beyond the four varieties provided on the Apply Material dialog is just a matter of assigning new color combinations from within the function.

1.	With the object selected, click on OBJECT>Materials Gallery or click on [image].

...to bring up the standard Materials Gallery dialog.

2.	Pick Metals/Chrome 1 or Chrome 2.

...depending on the level of reflection/shininess you want.

3.	Click on the [Choose...] button in the Material Surface/Color row. And when the Color dialog appears, click on [Define Custom Colors...].

The color dialog will appear. And the custom colors section will open, displaying the RGB (red, green, blue) values for the metal you selected.

4.	Set the RGB fields to one of the following combinations. Then add the custom color to the palette, and apply the metal map with the customized color.

Aluminum:	R=232 	G=232	B=232
Bronze:	R=182 	G=131	B=69
Copper:	R=251 	G=160	B=70
Silver:	R=217 	G=219	B=227
Stainless Steel:	R=247 	G=255	B=255

Go to Next Tip & Trick


Assigning Compound Motions To Individual Objects

Compound motions generally work at the group>object level (e.g. a letter spins while its parent group arcs in). My3DAnimationPro won't let you directly assign compound motions to a single object (assigning a second motion will cancel out the first). But you easily can create the appearance of any compound motion on an individual object:

1.	Create a small, square "dummy" polygon.

2.	Use the Materials Gallery to assign the Effects/Invisible material attribute to the dummy object.

The object will remain visible in Preview mode.

3.	Place the dummy object inside the object you are assigning the compound motion to.

For most compound motions with dummy objects, you want the dummy object inside the visible object so they will share the same X, Y, and Z axes. Your compound motion will depend on where you place the dummy.

4.	Group the object and the dummy object together.

Now you can assign a compound motion.

5.	Assign the dominant motion to the group.

...Arc, for example.

6.	Individually select the visible object from within the group (holding down the <Alt> key), then assign the secondary compound motion.

...Spin, for example -- so the visible object will spin as it arcs into the frame.

	Tip: Motion Commotion
	Tip: Dominant Motions in Compound Motions
Go to Next Tip & Trick


Scrolling Text/Credits Through the Frame

Creating an animated scroll so that text will move up through the frame in a movie-credit manner uses the principal of compound motions. Because the motion you will assign (Slide) has a limited path length, you will apply compound motions to extend the path. This will allow text (even a text group that is larger than the frame) to scroll all the way up and through.

1.	Create and group the entire text that will scroll through the frame.

Creating it with the Zoom control set to 50% or 25% may be the easiest method.

2.	Create a small "dummy" object.

3.	Place the dummy in the middle of the text group, then group the text and the dummy.

4.	Place the text above, and completely outside the frame so it will scroll all the way through by the end of the animation.

Remember, you're building the last frame of the animation.

5.	Use the Select-by-Name feature or click on [image] to select the text group without the dummy object.

In Select-by-Name, you'll have to expand the group one level to be able to exclude the dummy object from the selection.

6.	Assign the Slide (Tab 1) Scroll Up/Extra Long motion to the text group (selected without the dummy).

The basic motion is set.

7.	Select the entire group (including the dummy object) and assign the Slide (Tab 1) Scroll Up/Extra Long motion again to the entire group.

Note that the path length is extended.

8.	Dress up your scene as you like and render your movie.

Your text should scroll all the way up and through the frame.

Go to Next Tip & Trick


Creating Light Beams

Looking to project a cool light beam effect such as light rays streaming from glowing text? It's simple:

1.	Create a 2D object and duplicate it (EDIT>Duplicate).

2.	Extrude the original a moderate amount (around 20") with the Bevels Gallery.

3.	Extrude the duplicate a large amount (around 200").

4.	With Perspective off, align the duplicate onto the original.

5.	Use the Materials Gallery to apply the Effects/Crystal material to the duplicate.

This picture uses a star polygon extruded out 200" in the Z direction.

Go to Summary


Summing Up

This last chapter brought you to the completion of your production through the application of My3DAnimationPro's animation features. You also learned the basics of rendering animations and still pictures in various output formats.

Use these lessons as a launching pad as you progress to better, more sophisticated productions. Remember to use the Online Information System to guide you through any rough spots. With a little ingenuity and perseverance, you can use the software's features in thousands of creative ways -- as a stand-alone package and in conjunction with other applications. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination and the free space on your hard drive. Happy flying.

You have completed the tutorial

Go to Chapter 6 – Advanced Tips & Tricks


A TYPICAL NOTE

When you click on a note icon, a popup window like this one appears to provide you with notes, tips, and alternative methods of performing functions.


RENDERING

You can select one of three methods of rendering your project, and each method has its advantages and disadvantages. Good quality rendering is the fastest, although it produces the least realistic-looking results. Best quality rendering produces the most photorealistic images, but takes the longest to process. All three methods are useful at various stages of your project development.

Good Quality Rendering uses a shading method called "Gouraud" (pronounced "gurrow") which calculates the color and brightness of the pixel at each intersection (or vertex) on the wireframe, and then interpolates the color and brightness values for all of the pixels in-between. The surface is created and applied, and you get a sense of how the final image will look. Good shading is fast, but some features such as shadows, reflections and bump maps are not available to objects shaded by this method.

Better Quality Rendering employs Phong (pronounced "fong") shading (both of these shading methods, by the way, are named for the mathematicians who first described them). Phong shading goes one step further, by calculating not only the pixel color and brightness for all the vertices, but also for each pixel on the entire object. Models rendered with this shading method begin to look realistic and shadows are visible, although the process takes more computing horsepower and thus more time.

Best Quality Rendering adds the elements on top of Phong shading that bring your object to life, namely bump maps, object reflections and realistic refractions. In fact, this is the only shading method that will show the interaction between objects when Auto Generate Environment Mapping is enabled. Needless to say, the time it takes to make all of the millions of calculations required to render a model with this method makes it the slowest choice. Note that when Best Quality rendering is selected with Environment Map enabled, the rendering process may happen in multiple passes. The initial rendered "scenes" take on a surreal look, as the program performs its magic to calculate the interactions between objects, lights and the environment.


3D IMPACT! Pro Text -- No Third Chances
MY3DANIMATIONPRO TEXT -- NO THIRD CHANCES

You can correct mistakes in your text as you type, but once you click elsewhere, the letters are changed into objects and can no longer be edited as text. What you see is what you get.


REPLAYING YOUR MOVIE LATER

After exiting your movie, you can play it again any time with the standard Windows Accessories applications – ActiveMovie Control, Media Player, or any other application that handles AVI movies.


MODEL:

A set of three-dimensional objects and lights that have been saved together in a given spatial relationship. Objects within the model can be rearranged, colored, and otherwise modified. Models, saved as mdl files, are one of the components of a My3DAnimationPro project. Mdl files are loaded automatically when a project is opened.


MAP:

An image that My3DAnimationPro uses to cover objects. If you map an object (with the OBJECT>Materials Gallery… command), you are projecting a two-dimensional picture onto the object in the same manner a slide's image is projected onto a screen. Reflection mapping applies a semi-transparent picture onto an object to create the appearance of a reflection. Simply coloring an object is not the same as mapping it, because there is no picture being applied.


POLYGON:

Polygons are a closed arrangement of lines that make up a two-dimensional form, such as a square or an octagon. Polygons are two-dimensional, but they are the building blocks from which most 3D objects are made. In the 3D world, even a simple polygon is treated as an object that can be rotated and manipulated just like other objects.


3D OBJECT:

Three-dimensional objects are a closed arrangement of polygons that make up a three-dimensional form, such as a cube or sphere. For example, a cube is made of six square polygons and a sphere is made up of an arrangement of polygons of varying sizes and shapes.


THE KEY TO PRECISION

My3DAnimationPro's Status Bar and Transform dialog provide precise ways to build, stretch, scale, rotate, move, and manipulate objects.

The Status Bar (bottom-right area of the workspace) provides a continuous update on the dimensions of any object under construction.

The Transform dialog, accessed via EDIT>Transform performs Move, Scale, Stretch, and Rotate functions in specified increments. Toggling on the Duplicate check box will set up the creation of a new version of the selected object, built to the specifications entered in any of the dialog's fields.

You also can nudge objects in 10 pixel increments by pressing the arrow keys. Or you can move objects in one pixel increments by holding the <Shift> key while pressing an arrow key.


FRAME:

The Working Area of a My3DAnimationPro scene -- bounded by lines representing the scene's aspect ratio. Only objects or portions of objects that lie within the Working Area will be rendered in the final movie. The frame's aspect ratio (X vs. Y dimensions) is changed via the RENDER>Working Area... command.


Font Selection -
FONT SELECTION --

When choosing a font for your scene, it's important to keep in mind how well the font's letter shapes can be beveled. In general, complicated script fonts, fonts with open line segments, or fonts with built-in styles such as "shadow" effects, won't bevel well.

You also can use symbol fonts to create unusual objects.

Most Wingdings can be beveled just like regular text.


SELECT WHICH OBJECT?

Is your object of interest buried under successive layers of stuff? Selecting an object under another object under another object... isn't really such a messy task. A simple selection trick will get you where you want to be: just click repeatedly until the object you're after is highlighted. Each time you click, the next object in the pile is selected.

You also can select objects buried under other objects by choosing EDIT>Select By Name... or click on the [image] button. the Select by Name dialog will appear. The model's objects are listed by type and the order in which they were created. Groups are listed hierarchically. You also can rename objects by highlighting them and entering new names.

Also, if the selected object has had a color applied to it, that color will be reflected in the bar on the Assign Color tool.


BUILD AND MOVE…

If you're in the process of building an object and you find that its position in the Working Area is problematic -- no problem. When using the mouse to construct an object with any of these build tools -- [image] [image] [image] [image] [image] [image] [image] -- you can move the object while you're creating it.

As you click, hold, and drag the mouse to define the size of the object, click and hold down the right mouse button (simultaneously with the left mouse button). The object under construction will move with the cursor as long as you hold down both mouse buttons. When you release the right mouse button, the object will become anchored again and will change grow/shrink as you move the mouse.

This same move technique also works with the Spotlight tool -- [image].


AGAIN AND AGAIN

You can avoid duplicating your efforts when you want to create clones of any object or group. Instead of trying to build the same object the same way, over and over, just select the object that merits replication, and choose the OBJECT>Duplicate command. Colors and material attributes also will be duplicated.

MIRROR, MIRROR…

You easily can create a "reflected" replica of an object or group using the Mirror command. Just select the object(s) or group(s) you want mirrored and choose the EDIT>Mirror command. A mirrored duplicate will be created below the original. You then can change the new object's attributes.


CUTTING MULTIPLE POLYGONS

Cut Polygon also works on multiple- objects. As long as the object(s) are selected, you can make as many cuts as you want to any object -- one object at a time, or several at once.

You can only cut 2D shapes, however. 3D objects can't be modified with the Cut Polygon command.


GROUP/UNGROUP

When you group existing groups with other groups or objects, you begin forming a hierarchy of groups and subgroups. You can build on this group/subgroup structure perpetually. Each time you apply the Ungroup command, only the highest level group will be dissolved.


BACKGROUND COLOR

The background of your Working Area also can be set to one of up to 16 million colors (depending on your graphics board). To set the Background Color: Choose RENDER>Set Background. When the Set Background dialog appears, click on the Color radio button then click on the [Select Color...] button. The standard color selection dialog will come up and you can choose the background color in exactly the same way you pick an object's color.


X-Y-Z... MUST YOU CONFUSE ME?

It's really not that bad. Even dyed-in-the-wool mathphobics can get a handle on working in three dimensions. Traditional 2D draw and 2D paint programs constrain you to working within the height -- Y, and width -- X of the page. But 3D applications also use depth -- Z.

Try thinking of the concept in terms of a racquetball in an enclosed court. Bouncing the ball straight up and down uses the Y direction; side-to-side uses the X direction; and smashing the ball with all your might against the service wall vents your frustration in the Z direction.

While mulling over 3D, pay proper homage to René Descartes (1596-1650) for founding the science of analytic geometry and geometric optics. Without his work, we'd all be stuck in a flat, 2D world.


CUSTOM BEVELING

My3DAnimationPro lets you create your own bevel from scratch, via the OBJECT>Custom Bevel command. Within the Custom Bevel window, click to set the control points that will define the cross-sectional outline of your bevel.

This is an example of custom beveled text:


USING PERSPECTIVE

My3DAnimationPro automatically uses three-dimensional perspective to give objects 3D realism. When Perspective is on (the default state), parallel lines converge in the distance, giving a greater impression of depth. But with perspective toggled off (via VIEW>Perspective or [image]), you may have an easier time aligning objects correctly.

For example in this picture the sphere looks like it is aligned with the cube when perspective is on.

However, when you turn perspective off, you can see the two objects are not aligned.


Moving in Top View: What's Forward - What's Backward?
MOVING IN TOP VIEW: WHAT’S FORWARD - WHAT’S BACKWARD?

To move an object toward you in Top View, drag it toward the bottom of the screen. To move an object away from you, drag it toward the top of the screen.

TOP VIEW MOVE HINTS

Before switching to Top View, select the object -- with the cursor or by name via the EDIT>Select By Name... command [image]. Offset an object before you go into top view so that it's easier to identify. Use different colors for each object until they've been positioned... then change the colors to whatever you want.


SHED SOME LIGHT

Always use the LIGHTS>Move Highlight command or move each light in Top View (especially if the move is along the Z-axis). When you initially add a light, it is placed on the scene's drawing-plane. If you do not move the light, objects that also are on the drawing plane will be illuminated only from the side.

You can toggle the light icons on or off via the LIGHTS>Show/Hide Lights command.

For a dramatic effect -- Try setting a cool light (blue or green) on one side of your scene, and a warm light (red or orange) on the opposite side.

But remember that Light Bulbs will tend to wash out Spotlights and white lights will wash out colored lights.


APPLYING CUSTOM MAPS ONTO OBJECTS

My3DAnimationPro allows you to substitute or apply your own texture map file as part of the Apply Material procedure. For example, you can project a corporate logo onto a cube. To get the best results when applying a texture map, you need to make sure the main face of the object is perpendicular to the front view and the entire object is in the frame. After applying the map, you can rotate the object.

Applying a custom texture map is as easy as applying a material -- with the added step of loading the custom map file. Simply choose the Materials Gallery and use the Browse feature to load the custom picture file. You can load a custom reflection map the same way.


CUSTOM REFLECTIONS

Using the Materials Gallery, you can apply a custom reflection map (in a compatible image file format) to any object in your scene. For example, a good candidate for a custom reflection map would be an 8-bit grayscale TIFF image of your scene (saved via the FILE>Save Image... command). Applying the image as a reflection map would create the appearance of the object reflecting the surrounding scene.


MATERIAL COLOR

Changing the color setting of a material that also has an associated colored texture map file will not result in any change in the object's color when Rendering.


Beveled Polygon Picture


CHANGING MOTIONS

The Animation menu provides a number of motion-related options:

•	To remove an assigned motion from an object, use the ANIMATION>Delete Motion command.

•	To keep track of objects' motion trajectories without running a preview, make sure ANIMATION>Show Paths is toggled on.

•	To assign a new motion to an object that already has a motion, simply assign another motion. There's no need to delete a motion before assigning a new one. If you decide to delete the Fade Out motion or override it with another motion, the object still will retain its invisibility. So you will need to re-assign its original material.


MOTION COMMOTION

Before you create your own compound motions, check out the predefined motions; many are already designed as compound motions -- i.e. Zoom with Spin and Rise & Rotate.


DOMINANT MOTIONS IN COMPOUND MOTIONS

Pay attention to the levels of compound motions you assign to groups and the objects within them. The motion you assign to the group will be the dominant motion. The motion you assign to an object within that group (using individual object selection) will be a secondary motion that is dominated by the group motion.


BEVEL DEPTH AND EDGE WIDTH


Creating an Outline of a 2D Object

You can import a bitmapped image into My3DAnimationPro and create an outline of the object that allows you to turn the graphic into a 3D object. The image formats compatible with this process are:

•  Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) Format (.jpg, .jpeg)

•  Portable Network Graphics (.png)

•  Windows bitmap (.bmp, .dib, .rle)

•  Graphics Interchange Format (.gif)

•  PC Paintbrush (.pcx)

•  Targa (.tga)

•  Tagged Image File Format (.tif)

Do not import the image into My3DAnimationPro using the FILE>Import 2D Object… command. Instead, load the image using the OBJECT>Create Outline… menu. Once the image appears in the window the outlining process begins automatically. When completed you can View Outline to see the finished outline. If adjustments are necessary, you can modify the default color and sensitivity as well as the Maximum Error variable. Some objects outline better than others. Generally a logo or other image that appears on a solid background with plenty of contrast between the image and background will produce the best outlining results.

When the outlining process is complete, click [OK] to load the image onto the Working Area. You can bevel the edges, apply materials, transform, assign motion and specify advanced object properties the same as you can with any vector object.

Go to Next Tip & Trick


Making Small Files for the Web

The key to using My3DAnimationPro for enhancing web sites is to learn how to keep your file sizes small.  You can create good animated GIF movies that are only 5KB-15KB in size.  Here's how:

1)	Keep your working area small (such as 80x60 pixels).

2)	Keep your model simple. For instance, try using just one object, or, one or two letters rather than long words.

3)	Use a transparent or single colored background.

4)	Rotate your objects by 90 degrees around the "Y" axis, assign a Spin motion (using Apply Motion), then, in Make Movie, set the Range option so that only one-half of the scene length (in seconds) is rendered. (By doing this, when the rendered animation loops, it will look like it is rotating 360 degrees and the resulting file size will be smaller than if the entire scene length were rendered.)

5)	Keep the animation length down to about 2 seconds.

6)	Keep the frame rate around 5-10 frames per second.

7)	After Make Movie renders the GIF file, use the convenient "Colors" edit field to reduce the number of colors until the file size and image quality reaches a good balance.  Note that when you stop editing the number of colors, the animation's color palette is automatically re-optimized.  Then, what you see is what you'll get.


OUTLINING A 2D OBJECT

You can import a bitmapped image into My3DAnimationPro and create an outline of the object that allows you to turn the graphic into a 3D object. The image formats compatible with this process are:

•  Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) Format (.jpg, .jpeg)

•  Portable Network Graphics (.png)

•  Windows bitmap (.bmp, .dib, .rle)

•  Graphics Interchange Format (.gif)

•  PC Paintbrush (.pcx)

•  Targa (.tga)

•  Tagged Image File Format (.tif)

Do not import the image into My3DAnimationPro using the FILE>Import 2D Object… command. Instead, load the image using the OBJECT>Create Outline… menu. Once the image appears in the window the outlining process begins automatically. When completed you can View Outline to see the finished outline. If adjustments are necessary, you can modify the default color and sensitivity as well as the Maximum Error variable. Some objects outline better than others. Generally a logo or other image that appears on a solid background with plenty of contrast between the image and background will produce the best outlining results.

When the outlining process is complete, click [OK] to load the image onto the Working Area. You can bevel the edges, apply materials, transform, assign motion and specify advanced object properties the same as you can with any vector object.