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Creating Simple Animation
 This tutorial helps you to understand the basic techniques used in 2D&3D Animator.
We will create a spinning logo (example pictured below).
When the animation plays, the logo is spinning, and the “Click Me” string slides in from the right side.
In building this simple animation, you will learn how to create an animation background, add 3D text, create a motion for a layer, and save the animation.
Step 1: Starting a New Animation
When you start, 2D&3D Animator opens an empty Animation.
To start a new Animation
On the File menu, click New.
Step 2: Setting Size of Animation
By default, a new animation has the same dimensions as desktop area, however, you can easily resize the new animation.
Resizing an animation only changes the animation dimensions, it does not resize layers within animation.
When you mouse-over a resize handle, a resize cursor appears indicating the handle can be dragged in any direction to resize the animation.
Step 3: Setting the Animation Background
The background of an animation can be filled with colors, or with image.
We will fill the animation background with black solid  color.
To set animation color
- Select Animation Properties from the Modify menu.
- The Scene Properties dialog box appears.
- Select the Background tab.
- Click the Color
 button and choose color from the Color selection tool.
Step 4: Adding the "My Logo" string
Now we will add the “My Logo” string to the animation. It's a spinning 3D text.
To add the string
Click 3D Text from the Insert menu.
In the Animation tab, click to select the Animation Enabled check box.
In the Rotation tab, set rotation around X axis -180 degrees.
- Click to select the Last Position radio button and set rotation around X axis 180 degrees.
Positioning the "My Logo"
- Click the layer (within the selection box) and drag the layer.
f you instead click-and-drag part of the selection box itself (e.g., a resize handle on a corner), this action will resize the layer, not move it.
Step 5: Adding the "Click Me" string
Next step is to add the “Click Me” string to the animation. The “Click Me” string is an Artistic Text.
To add the “Click Me” string
Click Artistic Text from the Insert Menu.
- Click anywhere in the Document Window and drag away (in any direction) from this point to size the text layer. The layer is created when you release the mouse button.
- Type the "Click Me" text.
- Fill in the text with red color.
Step 6: Adding Motion to the "Click Me" string
You can create exciting effects by animating layers with motion. For this tutorial, we will create a linear motion that the "Click Me” string will follow.
We need to make the “Click Me” string appears a few steps after the animation starts. To create this effect, we will insert a linear motion at 5th frame and set the first fixed position in the motion as hidden.
The “Click Me” string's timeline:The “Click Me” string remains visible and stays in the last position till animation ends.The “Click Me” string has linear motion between 1st and 15st frames.The “Click Me” string is invisible till 5th frame.Frame control
To add a linear motion to the “Click Me” string
- Drag the layer the “Click Me” string to the position where its motion starts.
- Drag the frame control in the Timeline panel at the 5th frame position.
- Click Motion | Add Linear Motion from the Insert menu.
- Click the keyframe marker at the end of the layer's motion.
- Drag the “Click Me” string to left side of animation where its motion stops. A line appears showing the path of the motion.
- Motion PathLast Motion PointFirst Motion Point
To reshape the linear motion
Click-and-drag the First Point or Last Point to reshape linear motion.
Step 7: Saving the Animation
We will now save the animation to a file. In general, as you build an animation (e.g., add layers and motions), you may want to save it early on and then periodically save it again as your animation grows more complex.
To save a new animation
- Click Save (or Save As) from the File menu, .
- In the Save Animation As dialog box, select the folder and type a filename for the tutorial animation.
- The program uses the file extension .2DA for animation filenames; the program will automatically assign that extension for you.
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