Basic Effects in SWiSH Max - Timeline Manipulation

Many effects in SWiSH Max require manipulating the timeline. Without an understanding of how the timeline works, the effect you're trying to achieve won't work properly, if at all. This tutorial will cover the basics of the timeline itself and how movie control options can affect it.

Looking at the timeline in SWiSH Max, you see that it is a bar divided into segments, each one representing a frame in the movie. Every fifth frame is a larger block which makes counting easier. A basic movie starts at the beginning and moves to the end of the timeline. If the Stop playing at end of movie option has not been set, then the movie will start playing over again from the first frame. All effects are played in the order they appear in the timeline.

As a simple exercise, open SWiSH Max and draw a box shape. Draw another box shape beside it and add text (for example, click here or click to move, or simply click). Group the second box and the text together. Rename the two shapes to tell them apart easily.

Click on the first box and add an effect. Looking at the timeline you see the effect along the frame segments. Playing the movie as shown in the example picture would cause the animation to exit or loop after frame 20. This can be changed by adding a Stop at the end of the second effect. In the timeline, click on Scene, then right click on frame 21. In the next menu go down to Movie Control, and then click on stop in the next menu.

Add another effect or two after the stop on the effect box, and then click on the second box with the text. Click on the Script tab and make sure it is in Guided mode. Click the Add Script button, and in the first menu select Events. In the next menu select Self, and in the last menu click on onSelfEvent (press). Click the Add Script button again and in the first menu select Movie Control. In the next menu select gotoAndPlay, and in the last menu click on gotoAndPlay(FRAME). Now look at the bottom of the Script Panel at the options for the gotoAndPlay function. Select current scene from the Target dropdown options and change the Frame to 21.

Prevent the click button from being pressed too soon, causing the effect box to jump to the end of the first animation and start the second one, by adding a Place effect at frame 20. In the timeline, select the button and right click on frame 20. Click on Place and look at the timeline. The Place effect should be at the end of the effect on the box. Test your interactive animation and export it.

Understanding basic timeline manipulation will help you create a variety of interesting effects in SWiSH Max. You can make animations from simple to complex, and even add interactivity. Your own creativity is your only limit.