(Easy) motion path trace question?

[Gaptooth Columns]

All,

Sorry if this question is dumb. I like tweening along paths in animate cc--specifically, I have some complex mathematical functions like hyperbolic spirals that I want to have little particles follow in animate. The problem I'm having is that these are not amenable to my shoddy pen-tool hand--they need to come from sreen shot jpegs.

This seems like it should be easy but hasn't been. Take a simple b+w spiral--i can get a screenshot of arbitrary thickness. Now, though, trace bmp results in a mesh of varying paths (like thousands of closed loop paths to approximate the spiral graphic rather than a single, open path curved spiral vector motion path).

Approach 2, come from Photoshop. Now, I have the same screen shot, and I do a path trace. The result is a closed path spiral (the vector path runs along the perimeter of the spiral line, so eventually the path repeats). I can use this though I'd prefer the single line open path--ill just classic tween the particles along part of the spiral. But wait! The import of the .psd file results in a box with the image inside (the closed path spiral)--the spiral is like a flattened image again...the Photoshop vector path is gone. Tracing bitmap now results in the same problem discussed above.

Can't I just have a path (pure black and white single path, like sin x) as an image file and do some sort of 1-d trace without absolutely without question HAVING to do it by hand?? Some of these could take forever, and it seems like such a stupid thing for me to have to do when the image file is crisp and exactly smooth already.

[kglad]

are your settings too crude when you use trace bitmap?

[Gaptooth Columns]

I don't think so. The simple b/w spiral is about 500px square in area,

about 20 pixel thickness (which I can control), perfect clarity, no other

traces or anything on the stage or anywhere else. After I select 'trace' in

animate there are only two quantities I can control, one that has to do

with a color range or something and I think it's at 50 (whatever that

means, there are only two colors) and a 'minimum pixel area' (or similar).

The latter is set at 10, and results in many vector closed paths that

accumulate to approximate the spiral. Set to '1', the small paths either go

away or become so small I can't see them--either way the resulting 'traced'

spiral no longer shows any vector paths (just a pixelated spiral up close)

that still will not tween with my object beneath it--i use a guide layer

with a circle dot as the object to follow the (spiral) guide defined in the

guide layer.

I'll attach the animate file when I get home so you can see--thanks very

much for helping me.

Patrick

[kglad]

start with 10 for color threshold and 3 for min pixels

[Gaptooth Columns]

Here is the fla file with the simple spiral already in it--I put it on a download page at Downloads (www.cesaranotechnologies.com/Downloads.html).  I'm also putting the original jpg and refined photoshop psd spiral images for download if you want to trace the path that I went down (no pun intended). I cannot make the spiral into a motion path.

Patrick