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Explanation of the Electric Rain Swift3D interface. Also refer to Adobe Flash, 3D animations, 3-dimensional, lathe, extrusion, primitives, properties, toolbars, timeline, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions

Swift3D User Interface

by Ron Kurtus (revised 25 July 2002)

Electric Rain Swift3D is a vector graphics tool that can create 3-dimensional animations in Adobe Flash. The Swift3D user interface is fairly busy and can be quite daunting at first. The major sections (using the Swift3D nomenclature) are the Editor Tabs, Toolbars, Viewpoints and Trackballs.

Questions you may have include:

• What does the whole interface look like?
• What do these major sections consist of?
• How are they used?

This lesson describes the different aspects of the interface.

Interface

As you can see in the reduced image below of the complete interface screen that there are a number of features with which you may not be familiar. By breaking the screen into logical pieces, you should be able to get a grasp on using this software application.

Reduced size view of the whole Swift3D interface

Editor tabs

The various Editor tabs display views where you can create and edit objects, according to the tab.

Scene Editor

This is where you create the 3D scenes. You can:

• Select text or primitive objects from the Main Toolbar to add to your scene
• Import objects into the Scene Editor
• Create an image in the Extrusion Editor or Lathe Editor to edit in the Scene Editor

Extrusion Editor

Whatever is drawn in 2D in this editor will become a 3D object in the Scene Editor. Drawing is done with Bezier curves, so that takes some knowledge of the techniques. Clicking on the Scene Editor tab shows the object ready for editing.

Lathe Editor

This is where you create 3D objects, using the lathe tool. You draw a 2D object and it is rotated 360 degrees into a round 3D object. Clicking on the Scene Editor tab shows the object ready for editing.

Preview and Export Editor

This is where you generate and export the final vector files or animations.

Toolbars

Each view is divided into areas they call toolbars. Some of these aren't really toolbars but rather category areas.

Properties toolbar

In the top window area, there is a list of categories of properties. Selecting a category will display settings for that category. The default categories are: Layout - Size and type of display Camera - Lens size, affecting size of view Environment - Background color

Main toolbar

Create Object buttons

The nine red buttons on the left allow you to create simple objects or primitives within your scene. Clicking on a button inserts it into the scene, where adjustments can be made.

Create Light buttons

The next four buttons allow you to create lights to be manipulated within your scene.

Camera buttons

You can create cameras that can be manipulated in the scene. There are also buttons to control certain aspects of the cameras.

Scaling button

This button allows you to scale an object.

Animate button

This button allows you to make changes to the Animation Timeline when it is toggled on.

Gallery toolbar

Clicking on a button at the upper left toggles between the galleries.

Installed materials

Installed materials can be drag and dropped onto an object in the Scene Editor.

You can select different colors and reflective materials

Installed animations

You can drag and drop an animation onto an object in the Scene Editor and then choose to play the animation.

You can select different stock animations

Viewpoints

These two screens allow you to see the image from two different views, as if you were looking through a camera lens. Front and top views are the defaults.

Clicking on the view label shows a drop-down menu that allows you to change the view. It also makes the view active, so you can move the object. One item on the drop-down menu is Perspective, which allows for a 3D perspective of the scene.

Trackballs

Rotation Trackball

Clicking on an object in one of the Viewpoint screens will activate that object on the Rotation Trackball. You can then use your mouse to rotate the ball and thus the object.

Rotation buttons allow you to lock the direction of rotation.

Lighting Trackball

You can adjust the location of the lighting by rotating the Lighting Trackball.

Rotation buttons on the left allow you to lock the direction of rotation. Light buttons on the right allow you to add or delete lights. An added light will always appear in the center, so you must adjust the trackball before adding, to get relative positions correct.

Summary

The Swift3D interface has editor tabs, toolbars, viewpoints and trackballs as the major features. Looking at the features one at a time allows you to become more familiar with them and their function.

Answers to Readers' Questions

Use tools to enhance your creativity

Resource

Electric Rain Swift3D - $159 - Easy-to-use 3D vector drawing tool that produces Flash files. Also creates 3D animation as Flash files.

Resources

The following are resources on this subject.

Websites

Flash Resources

Books

Top-rated books on Flash

Miscellaneous

Mini-quiz to check your understanding

1. What do the Editor Tabs do?

2. What are Toolbars in Swift3D?

3. What can you do with the Trackball?

If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a Champion in Flash development. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again.

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Swift3D User Interface