Flash 3 HINT: Movie Clips...

[David Baldeschwieler]

Hey Folks,


Just in reading a few of the posts that have been on here lately, I

thought I'd give you all a big hint about some new Flash 3 features:


Experiment with Movie Clips (the new type of symbol behavior).


Movie Clips are one of the most powerful new features of Flash 3. They

allow you to create things that you would never have dreamed of in Flash

2. Things to know about movie clips are:


1) THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER! - Movie Clips do not

function in the editor. They ONLY function in the Player. So in order to

see a movie clip in action, you need to export the .swf or use the

internal "Test Movie" function. 


2) Movie Clips are not "slaved" to the main movie timeline. 

- In other words, a movie clip exhists in its own timeline, separate of

the main movie. The main movie timeline can be STOPPED, and a Movie Clip

can still be playing. (This is different from the animated symbols in

Flash 2, which are now called "Graphics", because an animated "graphic"

only animates in sync with the main movie playback head).

- This makes it EASY to make animated buttons. All you need to do is

create a movie clip for each button state that you want to be animated.

Once you have created tha movie clip you want for the "UP" state, for

example, simply drag that movie clip from your library into the "UP"

state of your button (while you are editing the button itself) and

position it as you like. BUT REMEMBER, in order to see the animated

button in action, you need to place it in your main movie and use TEST

MOVIE, or export it as a .swf the traditional way and view it in a

player/browser.


3) Unlike "Graphic" symbols, and "Button" symbols, actions placed within

the timeline of a "movie Clip" symbol DO WORK. AND, buttons placed

within Movie Clip symbols ALSO WORK. In order to create pop-up menus,

check box menus, complex games, etc., you need to start using actions

and buttons WITHIN a movie clip to get the interactivity you want.


4) When you have a movie clip placed anywhere within your movie, you can

give it an "instance name", by opening the instance properties of that

movie clip (double click it on the stage), and going to the "Definition"

tab. Then, enter a name in the designated text entry field on the lower

right.

- Once you have a "named instance" of a movie clip, you can make that

movie clip a "target". But remember, you NEED to give it an instance

name first.


5) When a movie clip is given an instance name, button actions and frame

actions can "Target" that movie clip's timeline, instead of the main

movie timeline.

- Imagine having 1 frame in your main movie timeline. In that 1 frame,

you have a movie clip animation of a person jumping, and a button that

"targets" that movie clip with it's actions. Each time you press the

button, you can make the person jump, by "targeting" the movie clip with

a "play" action on your button. Without having to make the main playback

head in your movie do anything, you can have animated interactivity.


I know this may sound confusing at first. You need to open up Flash 3

(got your beta yet?) and start playing around with it for this to make

any sense at all. That's why I am calling this a "hint" rather than a

"how-to" or a "tutorial".


Experiment and see what you can come up with. This is powerful new stuff

that you have never seen in Flash 2. It will take some time to

understand and get used to, but once you have the hang of it, you can do

REALLY complex games and animations using movie clips and tell target

actions.  ...This sort of interactivity is what you need to make things

like a score counter in a game (for example).


AGAIN, MOVIE CLIPS ONLY FUNCTION IN THE PLAYER. YOU NEED TO EXPORT THE

.SWF TO SEE THEM IN ACTION. SAY IT IN YOUR SLEEP...  "Movie clips only

work in the player. Movie clips only work in the player. Movie clips

only work in the player..."


Hope this helps! Keep on Flashin'!


- DB


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