FlashMX Workshop

2. Workspace

flashmx workshops

toolbox

The FlashMX toolbox includes the toolbar as well as a host of panels that provide access to components and libraries. The property inspector provides contextual information about objects and frames.
The Flash toolbar contains tools that you will use to create and edit artwork. It provides access to almost every tool you will need to create and modify FlashMX objects.

Just like with other Macromedia products, each primary tool has an associated keyboard shortcut. We just explored shape and fill; now let's look at text and drawing tools.
Some resources include:

Exercise 3

Text Boxes
  1. Unconstrained Text.
    Select the Text Tool, click the stage (inside an active frame!) and begin typing. Flash will keep writing a straight line -- even if it goes off the stage!
  2. Constrained Text.
    Select the Text Tool, click and drag on the stage (inside an active frame). Flash will create a text box with a fixed width. How do the two boxes differ in appearance?

Exercise 4

Drawing Tools
  1. Pencil
    There are three modes: Straighten - Flash will connect your lines into straight segments; Smooth - Flash will convert your lines into smooth curves; Ink - the least amount of modification

    Open strokes.fla [from Flash MX 2004 H.O.T.]

    Select the "squiggle" then look in properties inspector. With the line selected, change the stroke with the stroke style drop-down. Increase the thickness by adjusting the stroke-height.

    Move the cursor over the open arrow - note the small curved line that appears next to the selection tool. This indicates a line segment.

    Select the lower-right line segment. Notice you can select only part of the object. Adjust stroke height in the properties inspector.

    Using the inkbottle, click on the outer edge of theh snowboard shape. This adds a stroke to the shape. To delete the stroke, double click the outer edge with the selection tool, then press the delete key.
  2. Brush
    Five modes: Paint Normal - Flash acts like a normal paintbrush; Paint Fills - Flash will paint only fills, not lines; Paint Behind - Used for painting backgrounds; Paint Selection - Flash will paint only objects that are selected; Paint Inside - Flash paints inside the first object you click with the Brush.

    Consider painting backgrounds on a separate layer that sits behind the layer containing your objects.

    Select the brush tool and draw a circle. Notice it uses the fill color, not the stroke color.

    Decrease the size of the brush by clicking the brush size menu at the bottom of the toolbar. Draw a smaller circle inside the first one.

    At the bottom of the toolbar, select the brush shape menu. Select the 5th shape from the bottom. It will change the shape of the next circle you draw - try it!
  3. Pen
    This tool creates precise straight and curved lines (Bezier curves). [H.O.T. pages 87-93]
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