Skater World: Part Four

1
Skater World Part Four

• By Deborah Nelson
• Duke University
• Under the direction of
• Professor Susan Rodger
• June 1, 2009

2
Overview

• Make Billboards by bringing 2D images into your
  Alice world.
• Learn how to animate them like any other object .
  
• Finish the opening scene by learning how to use
  3D text as a title.
• The story continues Using two billboards, we
  will simulate a plane taking off.

3
Make Billboard takeOff.jpg

• Pictures can be saved and imported into your
  world, this is known as Make Billboard
• Right Click on camera in the object tree. Set
• point of view to Dummy Objects, watchTakeOff.

• In the menu bar, select File. Then Make
  Billboard. Select takeOff.jpg. Click Import.
• This image should have been downloaded with the
  tutorial. Or download it now.

4
Position

• Billboards always appear in one default position
  in the world. Right click on takeoff in the
  object tree. Select methods, move to,
  doNotEnterSign, the entire doNotEnterSign.
• Drag takeOff into the middle of the scene.
• Click on
• Add Objects
• to see it better

5
Make Billboard Plane.jpg

• Select File, Make Billboard. Import Plane.jpg.
• Right click on Plane in the object tree. Select
  methods, move to, takeOff.
• Use the position buttons to turn the images like
  this. Use quad view if needed

6
The Story

• takeOff is an image of a plane sitting on green
  grass. Plane is an image of a plane in the air
• Even though Billboards are images, they can be
  animated like any other object.
• In this scene we will use these images to
  simulate an airplane taking off.
• takeOff will move across the screen. As it moves,
  it will gradually become invisible while Plane
  gradually becomes visible. Then Plane will lift
  up into the air and continue moving.

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Set Plane Vehicle

• Click on Plane in the object tree. Set vehicle to
  takeoff

• Keep in mind, the camera position and the size
  of the billboards may be slightly different from
  mine. Thats ok for this animation

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Position takeoff

• With the position button, move takeOff to the
  right hand corner. Plane will follow since its
  vehicle is set to takeOff.

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Position Plane

• Drag the Plane so that it is covering takeOff.
  Then drag it up slightly so you can see the
  bottom of takeOff.
• Click on Plane in the object tree. In
• the details
• area, set
• opacity to 0.0

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Plane orient To takeoff

• To make sure they are facing the same direction,
  right click on Plane in the object tree. Select
  methods, orient to, takeOff.

11
Brighten the images

• The images are too dark. In the local gallery,
  open the Lights folder. Drag stageSpotLight into
  the world.
• Drag the spotlight over to takeoff. Use the
  resize button to make it bigger

• Right click on spotlight in the object tree.
  Select methods, turn to face, takeoff
• Use the move and up buttons until your picture
  brightens

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Make spotlight invisible and set vehicle

• Click on stageSpotLight in the object tree.
• Set isShowing to False.
• Set the vehicle to takeOff

• The light still shines, even
• though the black box is
• invisible.

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• In the scene, move takeoff over to the right so
  just the edge is showing.
• Click Done to exit the gallery
• Click on world in the object tree
• create new method. Name it
• airplaneTakeOff.
• Click OK

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Write airplaneTakeOff

• Drag the following code into the method, using
  skaterGuy2
• Set the first event, when the world starts, to
  call world.airplaneTakeOff
• Play your world

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• Click on Plane in the object tree. From
  properties, drag opacity into the Do together.
  Set to 100.0.

• . Set duration to 4.5 seconds

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• Drag in the rest of the code. The complete
  method

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Play your world.

• Your flight and speed may vary because of slight
  differences in our camera/billboard positioning.
  Make sure the plane flies all the way across the
  screen.
• Now, we want the airplane to take off repeatedly.
  First we will use invisible objects to store the
  initial position of Plane and takeoff, then we
  will write a method to reset the positions.
• Click on Add Objects and go to the Shapes folder.

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Storing the billboard position

• Drag two cones into the world. These will be used
  to store the current billboard positions. Rename
  cone4 saveTakeOff. Rename cone5 savePlane

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Positioning continued

• Right click on saveTakeOff in the object tree.
  Select methods, orient to, takeoff
• Right click on saveTakeOff, select moveTo,
  takeoff. In properties, set its isShowing to
  false
• Then Right click on savePlane. Select methods,
  orient to, Plane. Right click on savePlane,
  again, select move to, Plane.
• Set Planes isShowing property to false in the
  details area.

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Write airplaneReset

• Now well write a method to reset the billboard
  positions to saveTakeOff and savePlane. Click on
  done in the gallery. Click on world. Create a new
  method. Name it airplaneReset. Click OK.

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The complete airplaneTakeOff

• Click on the airplaneTakeOff tab and drag
  airplaneReset
• at the end

22
Calling airplane takeOff

• We will use a new event to call airplaneTakeOff
  so it will happen repeatedly
• create new event, select when the world starts.
  Scroll down in the event pane to see it
• Right click on this new event. Select change to,
  while the world is running

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• In the During, click on None, and select
  airplaneTakeOff in the drop down menu
• Play your world to watch the airplaneTakeOff
  repeatedly.
• Change the very first event, when the world
  starts to call world.myfirstmethod

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Make a Billboard, as a scene

• Billboards dont have to be animated. Theyre
  also great for improving your scene.
• Right click on camera in the object tree. Select
  methods. Set point of view to,Dummy objects,
  originalPosition
• Go online, find an
• image of a scene.
• Make Billboard and
• drag it into your
• original scene.

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Adding a title using 3D text

• Text can also be added to your world. Click on
  Add Objects. In local gallery, scroll over to
  Create 3D text. Click on it. In the pop up
  window, type A Skater Story. Click OK.

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Position 3D Text

• Right click on 3D Text in the object tree.
  Select methods, move up, 3 meters.
• Use the position button to turn the text to face
  the camera.
• Click Done to exit
• the Gallery

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Properties of 3D text

• Click on 3D Text in the object tree. Click on
  properties.
• If you want, change the color, the fillingStyle,
  or the font.
• 3D text can be animated just like any other
  object.
• Click on the methods tab.
• Create a new method. Name it Introduction. Click
  OK

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Write Introduction

• Drag the following instructions
• Drag extrusion from 3D
• Text properties into the
• Do Together. Set to -5.0

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• Complete the Introduction method

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Call Introduction in world.my first method

• Click on world.myfirstmethod in the object tree.
  Drag Introduction into the method as the second
  instruction.
• Play your world

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How to use sound in your world

• Finally, lets add a bit of sound to our world.
• Click on skaterGuy in the object tree. Edit his
  celebrate method.
• In his properties, expand the beside Sounds.
• Click record sound

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Record your sound

• Click record sound, say Wow, Awesome!
• Click Stop
• Name it yell.
• Click OK.

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Drag sound into your method

• From properties, drag yell into
  skaterGuy.celebrate
• Play your world, make sure your volume is turned
  up on your computer
• You can click on import sound to bring other
  sounds

into your world, like the sound of an airplane
taking off.
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Commenting your code

• Finally, it is always a good idea to comment.
• A comment is not code that will be animated. It
  is for a person to read when they look at your
  code, to help them understand it
• In world.my first method, drag comment above your
  first instruction

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Type inside your comment

• Type in Created by and your name
• For practice, go back and look at each method you
  wrote. Add a comment at the beginning to explain
  what it does.
• In the future, you can comment as you code.

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The final World.myfirst method

• Congratulations on completing your Alice world