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Camera Query…
Hey gang, like many others I have turned to PA just recently as a way to try and help speed up my workflow. I seem to have everything else down except for one thing: No matter what I do, I can’t change the camera position without this message: “take the camera offline or move the time marker over the pose you want to change, then make adjustments”.
I have tried everything I can think of: placing the time marker over each piece of the object/camera, leaving the animation running (as it suggests in the tutorial), etc… it will not let me change any view of the animation.
I know I’m doing something wrong, and I hope it’s really simple. This program seems to be a very powerful one to have in the “toolbag”, can’t wait to get it CS5 native! 😉
Thanks in advance for any help.
-PJ -
3 Replies
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Hi PJ,
The error message means that your yellow time marker is not pointing at a camera pose. To create a camera animation, be sure to click the Camera Pose to select the pose, then set the camera position. If the Camera Pose is too small, you can click the “mountain” button on the bottom of the timeline to enlarge the view of the poses.
Hope this helps.
Best,
Edward -
Got it… DUH (headslap). I was moving it over the wrong shade of green bar. Now it works fine.
One more question: Is there a spec that is already written out there somewhere about how to properly design/prep an illustrator file for use with PowerAnimator?
I would LOVE to be able to give the spec to the guys that design our print stuff so that this process can get even easier…
Thanks again!
-PJ -
Hi Phil,
Good to hear it’s working for you now.
To prepare the Illustrator file, here are the general rules:
1) No pixel elements. This means, erase all background images that you’ve used to trace the logo, etc. Do not use pixel effects such as drop shadows.
2) Use solid fill colors. Do not use gradient fills. Do not use strokes on the objects as well. By using only fills, you can use the “Use Illustrator Colors” command, and the colors will import perfectly.
3) Separate objects onto different layers, and do not group objects together. If you would like your objects to be individual 3D objects, do not leave them in the same layer in Illustrator. By separating the objects in different layers, it will be easier to organize, and be easy to import into ProAnimator.
4) Try tracing logos with the pen/shape tools. The Live Trace tool can create quite a mess for complex logos. Cleaning up the logo may take longer than drawing the logo.
5) Save with Compression turned OFF. In the Illustrator save options, be sure to turn the checkbox off for “Use Compression”.
Hope this helps with the general logo creation process.
Best,
Edward
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