Digital Workshop

Hello Everyone,

I'm trying to show flow through a piping system and I was wondering if there was anyway I could animate a vector to do this.

I attached a sample.
First I inserted a Tween. Inside the Tween, I tried using the Straight Line tool to outline a certain pipe. On the Tween timeline I tried deleting one node, then it does something funky. If anyone out there knows how to accomplish this, please let me know!

Thanks!

Not sure what you're trying to achieve from the example. Is the pipework a fixed schematic with the animation of water flowing through? Is this interactive and varying or a simple / repeating animation?


Mack

Hi Mack,

It is a fixed schematic with fluid flowing through.

Here is the effect I'm trying to achieve, but with straight lines connecting on a piping schematic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn1GG20V ... re=related

Thanks!

There are probably various ways of achieving an animation like this depending on the end required. The example I posted in the wish list was created by using a PNG with the transparent path cut out. In Opus, I simply had an object follow that path.

The attached example is again a simple version that uses the drawing tools. Simply left click on the page once and then click again where you want your pipe to end. Continue clicking until you have drawn the pipework. Finally right click to see the pipes fill with blue.

You could also use the tweening. In the simple example, the pipe and water initial state are set at key frame zero. At key frame 60, I've move the water to the far end and Opus fills in the rest. If I wanted a down pipe, I could then add that at key frame 60 and then at key frame 120 move the water to the bottom. Hopefully you get the idea. If all the pipes are straight with right angled bends, then tweening might take time, but is probably quite easy to construct.

Mack

We have done things similar several times. Create a Slideshow object with two graphics and have a Wipe Transition from slide one to two. Your first graphic has no fluid (pick a color like red, for example). The second graphic is a copy of the first, but it has the red fluid showing. When you trigger the Transition, it looks like the fluid is "moving" through the pipes.

Trying to use an animation is much more difficult and time consuming.

Hi
this may be too simple, but for what it's worth...

Hi again-
I looked at the video and realise I may have missed your point slightly-
this imp with the same name is slightly different and may be closer to what you want...

cheers
Mac

Thanks for the help Mack and demofred,

I'm going to use a mix of both techniques presented in this discussion. My original plan was to use Adobe After Effects and make the stroke effect there and export it as a flv. or swf. But Opus Scorm had trouble playing both files.

Thanks again though.

I thought FLVs were for Flex only, but the help implies otherwise. They certain don't seem to like Plexus and mess up the CP creation. Personally, I'd avoid them if at all possible because there appears to be no way to control playback.

SWFs on the other hand will play in Plexus but from memory if you create them with Adobe tools, they don't always work. What wonderful irony!

Mack