Need to mask a movie clip that follows a motion path

[designer_shrink]

I have a flying bird that follows a motion path. Works fine.

It needs to go on the main timeline which is a room interior so I need a mask of the window so it looks like the bird is only flying outside the window - not within the room.

On my main timeline, I have the bird mc and its motion path. I thought I'd just put the window mask over that but I haven't been able to get it to work because both the motion path and the mask need to be directly over the bird mc. I can get EITHER the motion path OR the mask to work fine, but I'm stumped about how to do both.

Help?

Susan

[designer_shrink]

Actually, let me expand this question. I also need to make an aquarium with fish swimming around in it for this same room. The problem seems similar to me. There will be maybe 20 or 30 separate mcs of fish, plants, etc. that will ALL need to be contained by one mask. I tried putting the mask on the main time line over the aquarium mc, but I just need the inside part of the aquarium masked - not the hood and the trim on the bottom. So it seems like the mask SHOULD go inside the aquarium mc - but again, how do I mask a whole group of items like that?

I think I'm missing something easy - but I haven't been able to figure it out.

[n. tilcheff · Accepted solution]

What you are missing is expanding your understanding of nested symbols.

Put the bird and the motion guide inside a Graphic Symbol container.

Mask that.

Same with fish. All fish will be inside a symbol. Each one animated on its layer with a motion guide, if you need.

On the outside mask the container.

ps. As a side note, do not use Movie Clips for non-interactive animation. Use Graphic Symbols.

[designer_shrink]

Thanks so much. I'll try that. Somehow I knew you could put graphic symbols in movie clips but I didn't know the reverse worked.

Also didn't know you could use animate graphic symbols and use those instead of movie clips.

I'll go play around with it. Thanks again.    🙂

[n. tilcheff]

Good luck!