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Daniel-DG
Participant
May 13, 2017
Answered

From Illustrator to Flash 2015 - Layers and symbols

  • May 13, 2017
  • 1 reply
  • 431 views

Hello there Adobe Community! I am an absolute beginner in Flash animation with a few questions.

I have designed a simple character or a flash game with the parts (legs, body...) distributed in layers in Illustrator. I want to create a running animation f. I have imported the AI in the Flash 2015 library, converting the AI layers in flash layers, But I've encountered the following problem: whereas the AI file is imported as a symbol, the character parts are showed as drawing objects (I don't know if this is the correct name, my flash version is not in english), not as symbols. And if I want to move the registration point/pivot, to recreate one joint of an arm, for exaple, the classic tween doesn't support it, and the arm seems to float and rotates only in the last frame.

Is there any way to convert the content of the layers to symbols but keeping the character together (with the parts/layers inside the AI file)?

Thank you so much!

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Colin Holgate

    You could select the bits you see that are say parts of a leg, and then use Modify/Convert to Symbol (or press F8). Then all of those bits will be in one symbol in one layer in Flash. Do that for all of the unique body parts, and if in doing that something comes in front when it shouldn't, move its layer so that it's back at the right level.

    Then select one of the new symbols that isn't currently rotating around the right point, and select the Free Transform Tool (you can press the Q key to get that). When it's selected with the free transform tool you will see the corners as black dots and a white dot in the center. Drag the white dot to the location where you want it to rotate.

    When do the convert to symbol stage I think it's most likely that you want Graphic, so that each part's timeline ends up being synced to the main timeline.

    On Saturdays at 1pm Pacific time, Mike Milo does a three hour stream on Twitch.tv. Here's his page:

    Twitch

    Come to that, and you can see an expert animator in action. There is also a chat module in the stream, so you have three hours to be asking questions.

    1 reply

    Colin Holgate
    Colin HolgateCorrect answer
    Inspiring
    May 13, 2017

    You could select the bits you see that are say parts of a leg, and then use Modify/Convert to Symbol (or press F8). Then all of those bits will be in one symbol in one layer in Flash. Do that for all of the unique body parts, and if in doing that something comes in front when it shouldn't, move its layer so that it's back at the right level.

    Then select one of the new symbols that isn't currently rotating around the right point, and select the Free Transform Tool (you can press the Q key to get that). When it's selected with the free transform tool you will see the corners as black dots and a white dot in the center. Drag the white dot to the location where you want it to rotate.

    When do the convert to symbol stage I think it's most likely that you want Graphic, so that each part's timeline ends up being synced to the main timeline.

    On Saturdays at 1pm Pacific time, Mike Milo does a three hour stream on Twitch.tv. Here's his page:

    Twitch

    Come to that, and you can see an expert animator in action. There is also a chat module in the stream, so you have three hours to be asking questions.

    D
    Daniel-DGAuthor
    Participant
    May 13, 2017

    Thank you for your quick and useful response Colin. I will check the stream! I know how to convert the parts to symbols so as I can make the tweens work as expected, but the problem is that I need to replace the new symbol part on the same exact position as the non-symbol part on the same layer. I guess I could do a new layer with the symbol, place the symbol on the same position as the part to be replaced, and delete the old one layer with the non-symbol part, but I guess there should be a more efficient way to do it, isn't it?

    Colin Holgate
    Colin Holgate
    Inspiring
    May 13, 2017

    Thank you Colin, the previous method you posted worked, at first I misunderstood the selection mode and I was creating a symbol from the drawing in the library, without replacing it in the layer. If I choose the content of the layer clicking on the layer by clicking on the layer in the timeline and press F8, the content is replaced by new symbol correctly!

    But now I have another question in mind, if you don't mind. I have to recreate a symmetrical movement in the wings of a bird. Is there any whay to make an horizontal mirror/flip to existing frames?


    You could select the frames and reverse them, and you could go through each frame to select the symbol and flip that. But if you're doing wing flaps it would be simpler to put the animation of the wings flapping on the spot, as it were, into its own Graphic symbol. Then to make it move across the stage you tween that single graphic. To flip it horizontal you only have to flip the graphic in the first frame of the backwards tween.

    Watch out for you ending up with a tween of the forwards to backwards flip. To switch instantly either start a new tween, or in the existing tween put a keyframe in the frame before the flip is due to happen, then do the flip on that next frame.

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