Motion Paths

[mschultz]

I have a truck icon set up to move across the screen along
a freeform motion path (non-straight line).

I have number of additional screen items set up under
Custom Animation to change their Emphasis Line Color. Some
of these are defined to run sequentially before the motion
path animation and some are defined to run sequentially
after the motion path.

The problem is any of the animations scheduled to run
after the motion path, do not begin until after the motion
path has completed (because some of them are defined
as 'Start After Previous').

I would like to show the truck moving across the screen,
independent of the other custom animations. In other
words, I would like to show the truck movement at the same
time the other animations are run sequentially, in
essence, don't make the Emphasis animations dependent on
the timing of the motion path.

Any ideas?

 

[B]

Asking this group if they have any ideas is like asking Satan if he has a
light... of course!

The problem you are having is in the manner you are thinking of the
animations. The silly computer is doing what you are telling it to, not
what you want it to (unlike my kids that operate independent of both).
There are 3 stats to the animation control. I know you know this, but bear
with me.

1) On Click -- This requires that the slide is in a resting state, in other
words, all active animations be completed. If clicked prior to this resting
state, then the active animations will jump to their completion.

2) After previous -- This will fire the animation after the previous
animation is complete and is only fired when the slide completely returns to
a resting state (no active animations). It is like saying, "the next time
nothings happening, click again".

3) With Previous -- This means that several animations will become 'active'
in the same time frame (it does not require that they all fire at the same
time, just that they begin).

It is common to think of a motion path as being completed once it has
started, when in fact, it does not complete until the motion stops. Try
this:

For each animation that is to fire while the truck is in motion:
- set it to start with previous
- under the animation's timings, set the delay to the time between the
truck's motion path starting and the time for this animation to start.

You may end up with 8 or 20 animations "starting together", but since most
of them will be waiting for the correct moment to fire, there won't be a
problem.

Hope this gets the ball rolling (spinning ani with motion path)...
B