cheap flash trick
Oct. 7th, 2006 03:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
egypturnashCheap and dirty Flash asset management:
1. each setup is one file*, to work around the way Flash chokes on large files
2. animate each setup. Do not bother naming symbols - "Symbol 497" is perfectly fine!
3. use the libAppend plugin to automatically append something like "Sc1_" to each symbol's name. Only select the generic-name "Symbol 39" symbols in the library; do not select reused symbols.
4. if you need to pull one symbol out of another setup, go to the library and name it before copying it over. This is optional; at least make sure you've done the libAppend bit.
5. drop each scene into a symbol in the master file (probably using 'New Anim Clip" from the same place as libAppend)and put it on the timeline, replacing your board sketches. I tell it to use the new versions of symbols, in case I've added more mouths.
I really, really hate giving each symbol unique names. Having to think what something should be named interrupts my flow when I'm working, and Flash does that enough already. This method lets me completely ignore the need for symbol names unique to each scene while I'm animating, and not worry about cross-setup reuse bloating the SWF needlessly.
if you're doing major library animation you probably want to be giving everything sensible names, like "mary-h-1-e1-s4" (mary's head #1 from episode 1, scene 4), but if you're doing more full, one-shot pieces? Screw that.
Also:
1. each setup is one file*, to work around the way Flash chokes on large files
2. animate each setup. Do not bother naming symbols - "Symbol 497" is perfectly fine!
3. use the libAppend plugin to automatically append something like "Sc1_" to each symbol's name. Only select the generic-name "Symbol 39" symbols in the library; do not select reused symbols.
4. if you need to pull one symbol out of another setup, go to the library and name it before copying it over. This is optional; at least make sure you've done the libAppend bit.
5. drop each scene into a symbol in the master file (probably using 'New Anim Clip" from the same place as libAppend)and put it on the timeline, replacing your board sketches. I tell it to use the new versions of symbols, in case I've added more mouths.
I really, really hate giving each symbol unique names. Having to think what something should be named interrupts my flow when I'm working, and Flash does that enough already. This method lets me completely ignore the need for symbol names unique to each scene while I'm animating, and not worry about cross-setup reuse bloating the SWF needlessly.
if you're doing major library animation you probably want to be giving everything sensible names, like "mary-h-1-e1-s4" (mary's head #1 from episode 1, scene 4), but if you're doing more full, one-shot pieces? Screw that.
Also:
- never leave the library panel open when you don't need it; it slows Flash way the hell down.
- YMMV, but the more elements I generate outside of Flash, the happier I am. Backgrounds? Illustrator. Key poses? If I could easily symbolize them in AI life would be grand. Smears can be drawn in Flash with no problem, though.
- The toolbox keys stop responding whenever you've clicked in a palette. Click on the stage or in the toolbar to get them back. If this doesn't work, some people say you can get them back by going to the 'customize tool panel' or 'keyboard shortcut' prefs and hitting OK, but this never works for me. Sigh, quit Flash, and reload your project.