Animation along a path
Part 1
Create a new Flash document.
Use the oval tool to draw a circle on the stage at frame 1, layer 1. Select the circle and press F8 convert it to a graphic symbol naming it ball.
You should see the ball in the library (F11). Delete the ball instance from the stage and select Insert / New Symbol this time select movie clip and name it ballMC.
You will know be in the ballMC’s timeline as below:
Drag a copy of the ball graphic to the stage so that it is on frame 1 layer 1. Right click on frame 20 and insert a keyframe. Then press the add motion key button as below.
A new layer will be added above layer 1, which will act as the layer guide. Select the pencil tool and draw a line on the stage on the motion guide layer.
Then select frame 1 layer 1 and open the properties panel you should see the tween options select motion tween.
Also ensure that you select the SNAP check box this moves the item to the path. Then select frame 20 and repeat the process of creating a motion tween and snapping it to the path. Once snapped in place move it to the end of the line.
Your movie timeline should resemble above. Click on Scene 1 to return to the main time line and drag a copy of ballMC to the stage and test your movie. Control / Test Movie save your animation as ballpath.fla.
Part 2
We are going to continue to look at motion paths and also look at layers.
Create a new flash document and using the oval tool and the pen tool draw a basket ball.
Select the basket ball and press F8 to convert it to a symbol, select graphic and name it ball.
Double click on layer 1 and rename it ball.
Insert a new layer and rename this hoop.
Drag the hoop layer so that it is below the ball layer. Then use the drawing tools to draw a basket ball hoop, ensure it is on the hoop layer.
Right click on frame 25 of the ball layer and insert a keyframe. Then right click on frame 25 of the hoop layer and just insert a frame (or press F5). Your timeline should look like below
Click on the ball layer to select it and then click the add motion guide icon found in the timeline panel you did in part 1.
Select the pencil too to draw an animation of the ball flying through the air and landing inside the hoop.
Then click on frame 1 of the ball layer open the properties panel and select motion from the tween options. Don’t forget to click on the Snap check box.
Then select the ball on frame 25 and again select the motion tween option and snap. Move the ball to the end of the line point if you have not already done so.
Select the ball on frame 25 and then select Windows transform, you will see the following panel.
Click the constrain box and then type in 40%.
Now drag the hoop layer so that it is above the motion guide layer.
Then control / test movie to see the animation. Notice how it keeps looping round, we want the animation to stop once the ball has landed, therefore we need to use Actionscript.
Create a new layer, and name it actions. Right click on frame 25 of the actions layer and insert a keyframe.
With frame 25 of the actions layer selected press F9 to open the actions panel
and type
stop();
Now select control / test movie and view your animation, this time it will only loop through once.
Save your file as basketball.fla.