Path

What Is It?

A path player is an invisible player that defines the motion of a visible player. For example, a path player might move a sprite along a curved line.

A path player is playable.

Why Use It?

Use a path player to animate a visible player.

How to Create It

To create a path player, go to the Players toolbar and click on Path. A new path player appears in the Players window, already selected. You will now:

  1. Set path properties.
  2. Preview and edit the path.

Setting Path Properties

To set the properties for the path, go to the toolbar and click on the Properties button. In the Property sheet, set the path properties.

Under the Path tab:

Property Purpose
DURATION To set the time it takes for the player to move between the start and end points.
EASEIN To specify the point to which the player accelerates onto the path.
EASEOUT To specify the point at which the player starts decelerating out of the path.
PLAYER Name of the player that actually moves along the path. It can be a picture, sprite, text, box or button.
FLIPINTERVAL Time interval between image flips (if the player on the path is a sprite).

Under the Curve tab:

CURVETYPE Make the path straight, circular, or Bezier. These properties can be set more easily with the Control toolbar.

If you specify a Bezier curve, you can set:

  • CONTROLPOINT1 and CONTROLPOINT2 to define the shape of the curve.

If you specify a circular curve, you can set:

  • CLOCKWISE to move the player clockwise on the path
  • CONCAVE to give the circular path an arc greater than 180 degrees
  • RADIUS to control the size of the curve's radius
  • STARTSIZE and ENDSIZE to change the size of players moving along the path. To use these properties, you must also set the SCALETOFIT property for the player.

Many of these operations are more easily accomplished in the Layout window.

STARTPOINT ENDPOINT Specify the start and end points of the path player.

A path also has playable properties.

Previewing and Editing the Path

To preview the path player:

  1. Highlight the curve of the path in the layout window.
  2. Go to the Control toolbar and click on Play.

If you don't like the way it looks, change the shape or size of the path and play it again immediately.



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