Exercise: Animating elements in Action
Click on the icon for a quick preview of the exercise and the final result.

Download an archive that contains the footage as well as the setups used in this exercise.
Put these files in your Flame system: for example under the /usr/tmp directory.

File size options

If the zip file is too large to download with your connection you can use one of these files instead:
Option 1: Clock_Clips_RAR.rar is the same archive but in RAR format.
Option 2: Clock_Stills is a smaller version of the archive that contains still images only. You can use the image “PBS_BG_still” instead of the back sequence in this exercise.

To learn how to load material into the Flame Library, see the exercise:
“Loading an archive”

Images courtesy of: Interface Media Group / PBS
Images are subject to copyright: please read the disclaimer at the end of this tutorial.

Start in Batch.
1. Change the setup duration to 50 frames.
2. Drag an Action node to the Batch schematic.
3. Click the NodeSetup tab to the left of the interface to modify some of the Action settings.
Under the Rendering options, turn Z-Buffer OFF.
Under the Miscellaneous options, enable Auto Image.
Turn AutoKey ON.

1. Swipe left to access the Batch Node Bin.
2. Drag the Library node to the Batch schematic to access the Library.
3. In the Library, select the clip “PBS_TW_BG”.
4. Press Load.
5. Connect the image to the Action background tab.

Start by positioning the clock in the Action scene.

1. Select in the Action Media tab.
2. Choose the option From Lib and press Add Media.
3. In the Library, select the clip “clock_fill”, hold CTRL and select the clip “clock_alpha”.
4. Press Load.
Note: Auto Image is ON in NodeSetup thus an image is automatically added to the scene.
5. Be sure to start at frame one.
Note: Remember that Autokey sets keyframe each time you change a value!
6. Select the clock axis and enter the following values:
Position X -25
Position Y 160
Prop Scale 40%

Group the clock elements under a top axis and change the pivot of the clock hands to animate them.

1. Select new media in the Action Media tab.
2. Choose the option From Lib and press Add Media.
3. In the Library, select the clip “hour_fill”, hold CTRL and select the clip “hour_alpha”.
4. Press Load.
5. Connect the main clock axis to the axis directly above the hour hand.
6. Be sure to start at frame 1.
7. Re-center the axis in order to rotate the hour hand on the accurate pivot.
Center X -3
Center Y -289
8. Move the object in the middle of the clock.
Position X 40
Position Y 296

The clock time goes forward one hour while the traffic light is red; then moves ahead two more hours when the light turns green.

1. Time is one o’clock.
At frame 1, set Rotation Z to -30°
2. When the traffic light turns off; it’s two o’clock!
Go to frame 18, set Rotation Z to -60°
3. Then it’s six o’clock already!
Go to frame 50, set Rotation Z to -180°
4. Scroll the timebar to see the animation.

1. To navigate to a keyframe (blue line in timebar) use the prev - next keyframe in the player. 2. You can delete keyframes for selected objects with the Delete Key button.

1. Select new media in the Action Media tab.
2. Press Add Media.
3. In the Library, select the clip “minute_fill”, hold CTRL and select the clip “minute_alpha”.
4. Press Load.
5. Connect the main clock axis to the axis directly above the minute hand.
6. Go back to frame 1.
7. Re-center the axis:
Center X -4
Center Y -289
8. Move the minute hand in the middle of the clock.
Position X 38
Position Y 295

Synchronize the minute hand with the hour hand.

1. Animate the minute hand; start at frame 1.
Set Rotation Z to 0°
Note: You need to enter a value, even if it’s zero, for Autokey to set a keyframe at current frame.
2. Go at frame 18 where the traffic light turns off.
The minute hand has to execute a complete tour around the clock:
Set Rotation Z to -360°
3. Go at the end to frame 50.
4. The minute hand has to execute five more tours around the clock:
Set Rotation Z to -2160
5. Scroll the timebar to see the animation.

Click on a numerical field and use the calculator for mathematical operations such as multiplication.

Scale the clock over time and change the image blending mode.

1. Select the image of the clock in the Action schematic.
2. Change the Blend mode to Multiply in the Image tab.
3. Select the top axis of the clock group.
4. Go to frame 18.
5. Set keyframes for all of the animation channels for this axis.
This way, all current axis values are marked at this point in time.
Click on the Set Key button (Below Autokey).
6. Go to frame 50.
7. Set the following values, or animate the clock to your liking.
Position X 0
Position Y 0
Prop Scale 80%
8. Scroll the timebar to see the animation.

1. Drag a Text node to the Batch schematic.
2. Double-click the Text node to access the text editor or press Edit.
3. Click in the viewer to create a text layer.
4. Type:
Critical Second
5. Choose a Font – you can use LuxiSans.
6. Set the Size to 200.
7. Adjust the kerning.
8. Set text Fill to 20%.
9. Enable text Outline.
10.Change the Outline color for white.
11.Set the Outline width to 35.
12.Set the Paragraph to Centre.
13.Return to Batch.

You need to be in Edit mode to edit a text, and in Move mode to reposition the layer. To select the text at once press ALT A.

1. Drag a Coloured Frame node to Batch.
2. Double-click the node.
3. Click on the color pot and choose a medium grey.

1. Swipe left to access Batch nodes.
2. Select the Action node.
3. Select new media in the Action Media tab.
4. Choose the option Add Input.
5. Connect the Text result tab (yellow) to both the front and matte tabs of the layer node.
6. In the Action schematic, double-click the text image to access its menu.
7. Change the default Blend mode to Simple Add.

Animate the text so it moves from outside the frame to the middle of the scene.

1. Be sure Autokey is still ON.
2. At frame 1, low down the text and move it outside the scene on the left.
Position X -1700
Position Y -650
3. At frame 25, move it in the middle of the scene.
Position X 0

The text becomes transparent during the second half of the animation.

1. At frame 25, set the Image Transparency to 0 to add a keyframe at this frame.
2. At frame 50, set the Image Transparency to 100.
3. Scroll the timebar.

Blur the text as it disappears. Blur control is on the Media layer.

1. Click on the Media tab.
2. Be sure to select the last layer that contains the text media.
3. At frame 25, set Xblur and YBlur to 1.
4. At frame 50, set set Xblur and YBlur to 60.
5. Double-click the Gaussian cell on the media layer.
This activate the gaussian blur filter which gives a smoother result.
6. Scroll the timebar.

Hold ALT to slide both Blur field together.

Set motion blur to elements that moves within Action.

1. Select the Action NodeSetup tab.
2. Activate Motion Blur.
3. Set Shutter value to 0.10
4. Set Samples to 10
5. You can press Preview to see the final result with motion blur.
6. Swipe left to access the Batch nodes.
7. Add and connect an Output node at the end of the pipeline.
8. Process the result.
9. Play the result, press Play.

Select an Output node, hold T and click on a clip to copy the clip parameters to the output.

If you want to know more about the interface and the functionalities covered in this exercise, watch the following overview:

To continue practicing with the next exercise, click on the following link: