SECTION 2 - Modeling and Detail Editor

3. Action Editor

The Action Editor allows You to set the length of animations, add various actors, set global parameters and apply special effects. In the upper left hand corner there is a box labelled "Number of Frames" which is set initially to 1. Click in this box, enter 36. You'll see that You now have 36 frames available for an animation.

Upon entry into the Action Editor, two actors are already present, these are the Camera and Globals. The Camera has several values already defined for the first frame. By default, You are in the INFO mode, which allows You to inspect and change values assigned to any actor. You may click on any of the defined bars, Size, Position, and Alignment, and view or change the default entries. At this point only look at the values for the Camera and Globals.

Next use FUNCTION/ADD to start placing the actors You created in the Detail editor. Click first in the upper left corner of the first vacant row below the Global actor, under the frame number 1. On the far right, the word Actor should be highlighted. The Status bar above should say "Starting frame is 1. Choose ending frame". Move across to frame 36, click again. You'll now be presented with three options, namely Normal Object, Light Source, and Axis. Click Normal Object. The requestor that pops up should still show the name of the last object saved, the Path, with Sphere, Tube and Path available in the upper list. Click OK. Another requestor will appear which could allow You to add State and Motion data but just hit OK for now.

Move down another row, and, as above, add the Normal Object Sphere from the list in the requestor. Repeat for the Tube object. At present, all the objects are loaded in at the same co-ordinates as those from which they were saved in the Detail editor. In a few moments, the Sphere's position will be altered.

You still need to add a Light Source and an axis to which the Camera will track. You should still be in the ADD mode. When You define the Actor bars, this time You'll select Light Source and Axis respectively, just accept the default values presented.

You now have all the actors for the animation. You still need to define the Sphere's position among the frames and where the Camera points. Change to FUNCTION/DELETE, find the Camera alignment bar. When You click on it, it will disappear. Now FUNCTION/ADD, click over frame 1 and then 36. You will be asked to chose among Tween alignment or Track to Object. Select Track to Object and type Track in the resulting string requestor, the Camera is now instructed to follow the axis named Track throughout the animation.

Go to the Sphere, use FUNCTION/DELETE and remove its position. Now FUNCTION/ADD a position bar from frame 1 to 36, when asked to choose among Tween Position or Follow Path, select Follow Path. Type Path in the requestor. The Sphere will now be positioned incrementally along the Path during animation.

The next operations will occur in the Stage editor.

IMPORTANT: use PROJECT/SAVE_CHANGES!!! Otherwise the work You have just done will be lost. You may now exit to the Stage via the menu function PROJECT/STAGE_EDITOR

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