Rotate Image Backwards

[Tony Falla]

I have seen in Vista Screen Saver, using photographs, an effect where images are flipped by rotating backwards into the screen and wondered is it possible to create this effect using Objects & Animation. It would mean that to get the effect the image would have to be distorted as it flips, ie the top would decrease in size and the bottom increase in size, and I cannot see a way of doing that or am I missing something.

[Lin Evans]

Hi Tony,

There is no good way to accomplish this type effect with PTE. You can flip an object by holding either the X or Y coordinate constant in size while decreasing the opposite as in my "Morgan Dollar" filp example. I used a side to side but it would have been just as easy to go top to bottom, etc., but there is no accurate way to distort completely an object at the top while holding the bottom constant. That would require "Z" axis manipulation.

Actually, it is possible to "somewhat" manipulate the "Z" axis in PTE but it's not simple nor is is simple to explain. It's done with the parent/child relationship and rectangles. I used this abiliy to rotate a helicopter rotor blade in a horizontal direction and also to simulate the "Z" axis distortion in a sample.

Here are links to three examples of axis distortion:

first a "Z" axis distortion simulation:

http://www.lin-evans.net/pte/distort.zip

next the horizontally rotating helicopter rotor blade:

http://www.lin-evans.net/p2e/helicopter.zip

finally, the Morgan Dollar flip:

http://www.lin-evans.net/p2e/dollar.zip

Let me know if you would like a link to one of the AVI tutorials I made on how to do the horizontal rotation of the helicopter rotor. This will give you an idea of how the "Z" axis distortion was accomplished.

Best regards,

Lin

I have seen in Vista Screen Saver, using photographs, an effect where images are flipped by rotating backwards into the screen and wondered is it possible to create this effect using Objects & Animation. It would mean that to get the effect the image would have to be distorted as it flips, ie the top would decrease in size and the bottom increase in size, and I cannot see a way of doing that or am I missing something.

[Tony Falla]

Hi Lin

Thanks for the information, I had already downloaded the Dollar Flipping tutorial and experimented with that. Although it is quite satisfactory for a vertical flip, I find that because there is no distortion when you do the same thing for a horizontal flip it looks unnatural. I can see from your Distortion example that you have managed to achieve the kind of thing I am looking for, but I am in the dark as to how you did it. I would therefore be grateful if you could point me to any tutorials which would help.

Tony

[peterandjean]

Hi Tony,

There is no good way to accomplish this type effect with PTE. You can flip an object by holding either the X or Y coordinate constant in size while decreasing the opposite as in my "Morgan Dollar" filp example. I used a side to side but it would have been just as easy to go top to bottom, etc., but there is no accurate way to distort completely an object at the top while holding the bottom constant. That would require "Z" axis manipulation.

Actually, it is possible to "somewhat" manipulate the "Z" axis in PTE but it's not simple nor is is simple to explain. It's done with the parent/child relationship and rectangles. I used this abiliy to rotate a helicopter rotor blade in a horizontal direction and also to simulate the "Z" axis distortion in a sample.

Here are links to three examples of axis distortion:

first a "Z" axis distortion simulation:

http://www.lin-evans.net/pte/distort.zip

next the horizontally rotating helicopter rotor blade:

http://www.lin-evans.net/p2e/helicopter.zip

Hi Lin Evans

Yes please I would like an AVI tutorials on how to do the horizontal rotation of the helicopter rotor.

Regards

Jean

finally, the Morgan Dollar flip:

http://www.lin-evans.net/p2e/dollar.zip

Let me know if you would like a link to one of the AVI tutorials I made on how to do the horizontal rotation of the helicopter rotor. This will give you an idea of how the "Z" axis distortion was accomplished.

Best regards,

Lin

[peterandjean]

Hi Lin

Yes I would like an AVI tutorials on how to do the horizontal rotation of the helicopter rotor please

Regards

Jean

[Lin Evans]

O.K. guys, here's a link to the tutorial on how to manipulate the rotorblade on a helicopter into a horizontal position for rotation rather than the default vertical position for object rotation.

A similar method of distortion using two rectangles was used for the distotion effect in my sample of the Volvo car. I can't give you a step-by-step because there are so many variables. In the case of the Volvo I applied the rectangles distortion to the entire image rather than to a png object, but the essential permise is that you can manipulate the shape of any object in compound ways using the two rectangles which will eventually be made invisible via the opacity control.

To do a really good vertical flip will take lots of work and even then may ultmately not be as good as what you are looking for. Perhaps eventually PTE will have true "Z" axis manipulation such as you can do in Photoshop but for now this is as close as I can come to approximating what needs to be done. Essentially you are making a "square" into a "pyramid" in the ultimate distortion. Of course it's not necessary to go to that extreme, but that's the general approach.

Perhaps when JPD (Jean Pierre) has sufficiently recovered from his medical woes he can shed more light on this type of animation. He's really the master at this type thing but has not been able to post for some time. I understand he is recovering nicely from his coma and perhaps will be able to join us some time in the new year. We really miss his insightful thinking "outside the box"....

Best regards,

Lin

Here' the link to the AVI:

http://www.lin-evans.net/tutorial/rotorbladeavi.zip

[Tony Falla]

Thanks Lin I can now see how you made your distortion example, but I don't think that I can do what I want to do using this. It was worth asking the question as it made me look at one or two tutorials and you always pick up something new when you do that

Tony

[JudyKay]

I have been experimenting by attaching a picture to the corner of rotating rectangles to create a smooth bezier-type path. (I want to use this for a reverse-waterfall type diminishing perspective text effect) So far, not too satisfactory. But I think that concept could be applied to z-axis distortion with some really cool results. If someone smarter than me wants an idea to try....?

jk