There are two ways to create animations for Flash in Designer: frame by frame or by assigning the AsAnimation property to a group of transformed objects or a blend object.
To create a frame-by-frame animation, create each step on a separate layer. For example, you can create a base object, then copy it to subsequent layers and make changes.
When you export the drawing as an SWF file, Designer converts each layer to a frame, in the order they appear in the drawing.
The frame-by-frame method is a good way to show an object changing over time.
You can create an animation on a single layer by using the Transform dialog box, then grouping the objects, or by using the Blend Objects dialog box. You assign the AsAnimation property to the group of transformed objects or blend object. When you export the drawing, Designer puts each step on a separate frame.
The transform method is a good way to show movement, scaling, flipping, and rotation, where the object's shape doesn't change. You can also show skewing.
| Complex objects within the group of transformed objects must be individually grouped. |
Use blend animations to show an object changing shape and color.
| Designer does not blend grouped, bitmap, or text objects. You can ungroup grouped objects and use Connect Closed to convert them to Path objects, then use them in blends. You can also convert text to curves to use in blends. |
