Step-by-Step Tutorials	#11 - Animation
A series by RomanDA

Listing of other DX Tutorials: Click here
Today's Lesson: "Animation"

Ok, So.. I lied.  Well I didn't Lie, I really was done, but this one was really simple and I saw some people asking about this, and I had just finished making just this thing.  I figured why not.
So call it a bonus for me becoming a Master.. or call it, I was bored.

We will be Using the SCRIPTED Animation check you have seen in the Object "Animation" tab.

For this and all the Step-By-Step DX Tutorials you will need to purchase DesktopX for $14.95 from Stardock.

Lets get started.

STEP 1 - Create the objects

---

We are going to make a single object here, but its more complicated then normal.

First thing you have to do is make a PNG that has multiple images inside it.  There are a LOT of ways to make this kind of PNG.

I have used FLASH to export a series of images, then they all need to be complied into one image.
Like this:

The trick with the frames (objects) in this kind of image is that the need to be EXACTLY The same size, and they have to be spaced EXACTLY the same as well.
In this case the image has 4 frames, I numbered them for you so you will be able to see the animation in action.

Create a NEW object, call it "TEST" or whatever. 
You can (save-as) the above image, and use it for testing.  The Catch here is make sure you change the ANIMATION TAB in the STATES tab of the properties to show:

(4) Frames, and SCRIPTED is checked.

STEP 2 - Moving Ahead - Add a Script

---

Create a SCRIPT on the object we just created.

ANIMATION Code
	Function Object_OnLButtonUp(x, y, Dragged)   If Dragged = False Then     CurFrame = object.CurrentFrame + 1     If CurFrame < 4 Then       object.CurrentFrame = CurFrame     Else       object.CurrentFrame = 0     End If   End If End Function

Lets look at the above script.
First we use the same function we use all the time to handle click:

ANIMATION Code
	Function Object_OnLButtonUp(x, y, Dragged)   If Dragged = False Then

Here is the main part of the script.  The script looks at the object to see what its Current Frame is.
CurFrame = object.CurrentFrame + 1
This is based on 0-3 not 1-4, even though there are 4 frames in the animation.  We START at 0 not 1!!!!

Then we check to see if CurFrame its less than < the max number of frames (4 frames of animation).
If so, then we make the current frame the new CurFrame.

Or else the object's CurrentFrame is set to 0 (the first frame of the animation).

ANIMATION Code
	CurFrame = object.CurrentFrame + 1     If CurFrame < 4 Then       object.CurrentFrame = CurFrame     Else       object.CurrentFrame = 0     End If

CONCLUSION

---

So, that's about it.  you click on the object, and it changes the current frame up 1 each time till it gets to the last frame, then it goes back to 0.
I used this in something I'm working on right now.

I hope you took the time to enter the code (not just copy/pasted the entire thing) so you could work thru the tutorial step-by-step and see how things work. 

This one was very simple, but I know I didn't know how to use this till I had to, so I hope it helps everyone out.

This REALLY will be my last tutorial for a while.  I hope you have enjoyed this step into DX.

Enjoy, RomanDA AKA: David A. Roman http://romanda.wincustomize.com

A new month is here, but now it's time to take a look at back at the week and see some of the skins that you might have missed.  Being that it's a new month that also means the new edition of "This Month in Dreams" is out.  You can find that feature here.

May was a great month for submissions, so let's make sure June is just as great.  Now on to the picks!

 

Pirates for CursorXP
By Artur Berk

 

 

Artur has created another awesome cursor, this time with a pirates touch.  Great work.

 

 

 

 

 

Vienna in DesktopX Themes
By gef

 

 

This DX theme is based off the WindowBlinds skin by vStyler.  It comes with a variety of objects.  Be sure to download this one.

 

 

 

 

Spout for Dreams
By TheMasterBaron

 

 

I really like this dreams as the "water" appears to stick to your screen for a moment.  Very nice work.

 

 

 

 

Q's Varient X2 in Wallpapers
By Qx9

 

 

 

This is a very cool looking abstract wallpaper.  This is one you definitely want to download and check out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Athena in WindowBlinds
By vStyler

 

 

Another port from vStyler of a very clean and usable skin.  Be sure to download this one, you won't be disappointed.

 

 

 

Well May seemed to be a great month for skins, and this week was a great end to the month.  Remember to keep the community updated with the things you are working on by posting teasers in the "what are you working on" thread in the forums.  See you next week!

 

 

The end of this month snuck up real fast, but I did not forget about "This Month in Dreams".  This was another month of some fantastic submissions, and some of the creators are pumping out dream after dream.  Just as it gets hard to pick weekly skins, it's just about as difficult to select Dreams every month.

This Month in Dreams - May '07

The dreams in this months edition are:

• ATI Ruby
• High-Tech
• Orange Tube
• Star Destroyer Convoy
• Falling Rain
• Living Blue Wallpaper
• Shark Pit
• Spout
• Desktop Collage

Another dream I wanted to feature this month was Necromancy: Inferno.  Due to a strange codec problem I was unable to include it in this months video, but be sure to check it out.

To use these animated wallpapers you need Windows Vista Ultimate, and Stardock DeskScapes.  For the free DeskScapes download and more dreams, visit:

• Dream.WinCustomize.Com

 

Step-by-Step Tutorials	#10 - Hide & Seek
A series by RomanDA

Listing of other DX Tutorials: Click here
Today's Lesson: "Hide & Seek"

This will be the last in this series of Tutorials. I hope you have enjoyed them, and managed to get something out of them.
In this lesson we will do some basic DX operations on one object from another.
We will cover the following:

• HIDE/SHOW one object by clicking on another
• SLIDE/HIDE one object by clicking on another
• EXPAND/SHRINK one object by clicking on another

For this and all the Step-By-Step DX Tutorials you will need to purchase DesktopX for $14.95 from Stardock.

Lets get started.

STEP 1 - Create the objects

---

For this tutorial we will be using 3 objects: (right click and SAVE the images to your pc)

Mask
Button
Target

• Create 3 objects. (look at the old tutorials for info on how to do this)
• Create an object called Mask
  • width: 260
  • height: 90
  • Group Tutorial10
  • Widget Tutorial10
  • NOTE: we will later change the transparency to 0, but for now we want to see how the mask makes things work.
• Create an object called Target
  • Make its PARENT object MASK
  • place it at 0,0 for top/left.
  • Group Tutorial10
  • Widget Tutorial10
• Create an object called Button
  • place it above the TARGET/MASK object (like you see in the table above, just above it)
  • Widget Tutorial10
  • NO GROUP!!!!
• We will make a VERY simple script on Button to hide/show Target.

STEP 2 - Add a simple HIDE/SHOW Script

---

Add the following script to Button:

BUTTON Code
	Function Object_OnLButtonUp(x, y, Dragged)   If Dragged = False Then     If desktopx.Object("Target").visible = True Then       desktopx.Object("Target").visible = False     Else       desktopx.Object("Target").visible = True     End If   End If End Function

Lets look at the above script.
Its VERY simple, we look at the Visibility of Target and see if its True (is it visible), if so, we HIDE it (False), if its Hidden (False) we Show it (True).

BUTTON Code
	If desktopx.Object("Target").visible = True Then 'is Target Visible?   desktopx.Object("Target").visible = False 'If so, HIDE it Else   desktopx.Object("Target").visible = True  'If not, SHOW it End If

That's all there is to it. 
SAVE the code.
Click Button to see how it toggles Target on/off.
The MASK will stay there, but that's ok for now, we will play with that NEXT.

Here is what you will see:

Normal View	CLICKED

STEP 3 - Sliding Target

---

Now, lets change things up.  Lets make the TARGET SLIDE up into the menu.  We do this by making a script that has a few Timers (in order to slow up the sliding).
The script is a modified version of my script I used in another tutorial.  The basics are this.

• The Function Object_OnLButtonUp(x, y, Dragged) is the button being pressed (well released)
  Inside here we look at the TOP position of the TARGET.
  If the TARGET's top is = 0 this means its being shown and is at the normal position, so we want to HIDE it (Timer 200).
  If not then we want to SHOW it (Timer 100).
  We kill the timer just to be sure, then we set the correct timer to start.
• In the timers we simply look to see if the top is at 0 or at -90 (shown / hidden).
  All we do to HIDE the TARGET is to move it 5 spaces at a time UP
• Because we have the TARGET's parent as a MASK it will move up past the Visible area the mask shows, so it will look like its vanishing.
• In the Timer we keep moving it UP until it reaches -90 (the object it 88 pixels tall), then we kill the timer.
• When we click the button again it sees the TARGET.top position is -90 and it SHOWS it by doing the opposite as it does to SHOW it.
• We move it DOWN 5 pixels at a time till its back to 0, with the mask setup it looks like its sliding from nowhere.
• We are using this
  Sub Object_OnScriptEnter
  desktopx.Object("Target").top = 0
End Sub
To set the initial TARGET position to 0, just so that it shows the menu on startup.  If you wanted to have the menu HIDDEN on startup, you would change the 0 to -90

Here is the script to SLIDE the TARGET UP/DOWN: (this code goes in the BUTTON)
REPLACE the code from the "HIDE/SHOW" above. 

BUTTON Code

Sub Object_OnScriptEnter   desktopx.Object("Target").top = 0 End Sub Function Object_OnLButtonUp(x, y, Dragged)   If Dragged = False Then     If desktopx.Object("Target").top = 0 Then       object.KillTimer 100       object.SetTimer 200,10     Else       object.KillTimer 200       object.SetTimer 100,10     End If   End If End Function Sub object_ontimer100   If desktopx.Object("Target").top < 0 Then     desktopx.Object("Target").top = desktopx.Object("Target").top + 5   Else     object.KillTimer 100   End If End Sub Sub object_ontimer200   If desktopx.Object("Target").top > -90 Then     desktopx.Object("Target").top = desktopx.Object("Target").top - 5   Else     object.KillTimer 200   End If End Sub

This would end up looking like this (when you click the button it goes UP then DOWN):

To make this look a LOT better you could go in and make the MASK's transparency = 0 so that its basically invisible.
You can use whatever objects you want, you would only have to change the -90 to the correct height for the object you want to use.
Again, these are just samples for you to work with.

STEP 3 - Shrinking / Expanding

---

Ok, so we know how to HIDE/SHOW by clicking the button, and we can make it SLIDE UP and DOWN too.  Now lets make the TARGET EXPAND / SHRINK.
To do this we will use some of the same functions as above.  Only now we want to not MOVE the TOP, we want to change the WIDTH of the TARGET.
The targets "default" size is: 255x88  What we want it to do is shrink down to 30x88 (so that it EXPANDS out from the left to the right).

One of the things we need to do is change the ADVANCED settings on the TARGET image.
Click on properties, then States then ADVANCED:

This will make it so the 3d EDGE of the TARGET stays the right width, and the insides kind of Expand.

 

BUTTON Code

Sub Object_OnScriptEnter   desktopx.Object("Target").top = 0   desktopx.Object("Target").width = 25 End Sub Function Object_OnLButtonUp(x, y, Dragged)   If Dragged = False Then     If desktopx.Object("Target").width = 25 Then       object.KillTimer 100       object.SetTimer 200,10     Else       object.KillTimer 200       object.SetTimer 100,10     End If   End If End Function Sub object_ontimer100   If desktopx.Object("Target").width > 25 Then     desktopx.Object("Target").width = desktopx.Object("Target").width - 5   Else     object.KillTimer 100   End If End Sub Sub object_ontimer200   If desktopx.Object("Target").width < 255 Then     desktopx.Object("Target").width = desktopx.Object("Target").width + 5   Else     object.KillTimer 200   End If End Sub

This would end up looking like this (when you click the button it EXPANDS / SHRINKS):
It wont look exactly like this, the edges should stay and the middle should shrink (I just dumped this into flash, so its not the same).

In the case of the EXPAND/SHRINK, you do NOT need the MASK, so you could delete that object.  I left it here only for reference.

CONCLUSION

---

I hope you took the time to enter the code (not just copy/pasted the entire thing) so you could work thru the tutorial step-by-step and see how things work. 

This tutorial is actually 3 in 1.  But they are related, so I wanted to make this last Tutorial a good one.

This will be my last tutorial for a while.  I hope you have enjoyed this step into DX.

Enjoy, RomanDA AKA: David A. Roman http://romanda.wincustomize.com

This is the final part of my ‘Creating Shell Animations for SkinStudio’ tutorial series. If you haven’t read Part 1 WWW Link and Part 2 WWW Link I suggest to go through them before proceeding with the final part.

In this part I will show you how to use the ‘Explode’ effect that is ideal to use for the ‘Empty Bin’ and ‘Permanent Delete’ animations. To get started either open the source file with which you ended up at the end of Part 2 or click here WWW Link to download it.

------------------------------------

STEP 1
First we need to delete the right folder as we don’t need it in this tutorial. To do this select the ‘Selection Tool’ and select the folder (1) and press key ‘Delete’ on your keyboard.



------------------------------------

STEP 2
Next we need to remove the second half of the animation as we will replace it later on with the 'Explode' effect. Click on the last keyframe (1) and press 'Shift+F6' to remove it.



------------------------------------

STEP 3
Now we need to remove the 'Motion Tween' of the second half of the animation. First click on the frame next to the middle keyframe and press 'F6' to create new keyframe (1) and then right-click on it and select 'Remove Tween' (2) from the drop-down menu. We needed to remove the tween because the 'Explode' effect can't be applied properly on the 'Motion Tween'.



------------------------------------

STEP 4
Now the fun begins. Right-click on the object you wish to 'Explode' (LOL) and select Timeline Effects>Effects>Explode (2) from the drop-down menu.



------------------------------------

STEP 5
After completing STEP 4 an 'Explode' window opens. I suggest you to try-out different settings until you get the desired effect. I used the below settings for this tutorial. First select the duration of the 'Explode Animation' you want (1). After that set the direction (2) in which the explode fragments should move to after the explosion. Next are Arc Size (3) and Rotate Fragments by (4). As I wanted that my fragments don't fly around too much I set them both to 20. The higher you set these numbers the bigger the explosion. Finally set the size change of your fragments if you wish to do so (5) and the final alpha of your animation (6). You should just leave it on 0% as this will make all the fragments disappear. When you set all the settings click the 'Update Preview' button (7) to see your animation. Please note that every time you change a setting you will need to hit this button to see the changes. Once happy with the explosion hit 'OK' to insert it into your flash document. You will probably need to wait a few seconds so please be patient.



------------------------------------

STEP 6
The final step you need to do is set that the explosion plays only once in case you still have some extra frames after it so it will not loop. In 'Properties' (1) tab click on the 'Loop' and select 'Play Once' (2) from the drop-down menu.



------------------------------------

Press CTRL+ENTER to preview the animation and if happy with it export it to AVI as described in Part 1. WWW Link



------------------------------------

This part completes the tutorials that you will need to create all the 'Shell Animations' so now you are ready to create stunning animations. You can download the final source file here WWW Link. Please post in comments your final results or if you have any further questions. Good luck!

I was very excited when I found out about the Pirates premium suite.  Because I'm a big fan of pirates.....pirate movies, pirate video games, you name it, and I like it as long as there is some form of swashbuckling going on.  Don't ask why, I just do.

This new suite is loaded with plenty of pirate goodness including:

• WindowBlinds visual style (XP and Vista)
• Icon package with 117 icons including ones for Vista
• Wallpapers
• CursorXP cursor
• LogonStudio skin
• Gadgets including a talking pirate!
• and much more....

To use this theme you will need to have the latest Theme Manager installed.  If you are an Object Desktop subscriber make sure you update through Stardock Central.  When you are all updated you can simply double-click the pirates suite file to begin the pirate "transformation".

With Theme Manager open, hit apply then a new window will open, select "advanced" and this is where you can choose some options.  These options include if you want to install the WindowBlinds skin, Icon pack, and the various choices of wallpapers.  Once you have made your selections, click Yes and the Pirate suite will appear.

Once that is done, it's time to open the Pirates booty!  By that I mean the extras that are included in your download, some of which are listed above.  There are a variety of gadgets included with the suite such as a media player, clock, calendar, and my personal favorite being the talking pirate gadget.  To use this or any of the other gadgets just double-click the .exe file for that particular gadget.

Also included in the pirates booty is skins for ObjectDock, LogonStudio, Bootskin, and CursorXP.  If you don't already have these just click to go to their websites for download information.  Now check out my pirates desktop....

 

Remember that Object Desktop subscribers get a discount!  To find out more information and see more screenshots, follow the link below.

• Pirates Premium Suite

Here is a video to go along with the Pirates walkthrough article. 

It's Friday already?  Wow.....seemed like just yesterday we were doing this, but that's a good thing right?  Last weeks edition was busting at the seems with submissions, and from the looks of things this week was just as good.

Now for the picks!

Oxide for CursorXP
By TYCUS

Another great cursor from TYCUS with some fantastic animation.  Be sure to download this one.

 

Xenon (2.0) in Dreams
By NGTV

 

 

Really cool animated wallpaper with blue rays of light moving across the desktop.  Great job.

 

 

 

 

SE Interface (orange) for IconPackager
By mrSkope

 

 

Beautiful set of icons.  There are other color variations, so be sure to check his personal page for more.

 

 

 

 

Black Vista Basic v3.0 for WindowBlinds
By unclerob

 

 

Unclerob has now updated his Black Vista skin to 3.0, and a welcomed upgrade it is.  Nice work.

 

 

 

Very good submissions this week again.  You can always find more great works on the artists personal pages here at WinCustomize, so be sure to stop by and check them out.  See you next week!

 

Since my switch to Vista full-time I have been having a great time customizing it and getting away from the typical "Aero" look.  Now some people have expressed to me that the like the Aero look, and I have no problem with it except it has now gotten old.  I used Aero for months and months, so now it's time to change Vista to the way I want it.

In the last few weeks some skinners have released Vista versions of their WindowBlinds skins, but I have also been running skins made for XP without problem.  There have been a few XP .msstyles I have converted and used as well, and I have been downloading skins like crazy lately.

This is my current Vista desktop....

 

Right now I'm using the Stingray skin by Z71, along with ObjectDock Plus and the matching Stingray icon pack.  I wanted a darker skin, and I liked the colors used in this skin.

These are a couple of skins I have been using over the last week or so as I change out every few days.

Vienna for Vista by vStyler

 

 

This skin also has an XP version, and both are great skins.   

 

 

 

Nuage Redux by essorant 

 

 

I really like the transparency in this skin, and it's definitely something different from the default Vista look. 

 

 

So for all you Vista users, what skins have you been using on Vista?

 

 

  

About 4 months ago, I posted a small chart detailing several of Stardock's applications, their current status running on Windows Vista, and (if applicable) their targeted "Vista-Ready" date.  Since the original list was posted in January, a lot has changed.  Some of the original dates came to pass, some didn't, and it's about time we put up a more accurate and up-to-date list for the coming months.

	Vista Status	Vista Version	Testing Phase	Targeted Beta Date	Targeted Release Date
DeskScapes	Ready	1.0
WindowBlinds	Ready	5.5
IconPackager	Ready	3.2
ObjectDock	Ready	1.9
Keyboard LaunchPad	Ready	1.6
LogonStudio Vista	Ready	1.0
KeepSafe	Ready	1.1
Multiplicity	Ready	1.1
CursorVista	Testing	1.0	Internal Alpha	Summer, 2007	Fall, 2007
TweakVista	Testing	1.0	Beta	Available to OD Subs	August, 2007
DesktopX	Testing	3.5	Internal Alpha	Late Spring, 2007	Summer, 2007
IconDeveloper	In Development	2.0		Summer, 2007	Fall, 2007
SkinStudio	In Development	6.0		Summer, 2007	Fall, 2007
SoundPackager	In Development	1.0		July, 2007	September, 2007
ObjectBar	In Development	2.01		Summer, 2007	Summer, 2007
RightClick	In Development	1.2		Summer, 2007	Summer, 2007
IconX	In Development	1.2		Summer, 2007	Summer, 2007
ObjectEdit	In Development			Summer, 2007	Summer, 2007

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Hey, where is <Insert Application Here>?  I don't see it, does that mean it won't ever get a Vista version?
   The list above is a list of applications CURRENTLY supported under Vista, and what we have on the schedule to update in the next several months.  Though the chart has items listed as "Fall" it really only goes up through the end of September/early October.  If an application is not listed here, it's just not on the schedule to see either a beta or release prior to September.
2. Wow, it looks like all you guys are doing is making Vista updates this year.  Is Windows XP development dead?
   Not by a long shot.  WindowBlinds 6.0, SkinStudio 6.0, SoundPackager and IconDeveloper are all getting significant updates that will directly benefit our XP users.  Development on Windows XP is alive and well and will be for some time to come.  Most of us still have XP running on at least one system at the office, and at home.  We want updates to XP products as much as you do!  This list is just for people concerned over when their favorite apps will make it to Vista.
3. What about 64 bit support?
   This article isn't about 64 bit support.  While we do know that many of you are very concerned over this since you moved to 64-bit when Vista came out, we currently don't have a schedule we can give you.  Certain items like WindowBlinds and IconPackager are definitely coming soon, and others such as DeskScapes and TweakVista already have 64-bit support.
4. Do These Versions Also Work on XP?
   With the exception of Vista-specific applications such as DeskScapes, TweakVista, LogonStudio Vista, and CursorVista, all applications listed above work under WindowsXP.  We try to be very clear when an application is Vista-only.

Another Friday, and the month is slowly winding down.  Summertime is getting real close and there is some exciting stuff coming up in the next couple of months.  I want to take this time (again) to thank everyone for their feedback on this weekly feature.  It has been great, and I appreciate all the comments and suggestions I have been getting.

So many great submissions this past week I might have to make this a slightly extended version today.

Now for the picks!

MB-MetalReligionCur for CursorXP
By ModBlackmoon

 

 

This cursor was made to match his DesktopX theme, but I found myself using this on it's own.  Very nice design, and very cool animations.

 

 

 

Shark Pit in Dreams
By Stardock Design

 

I really like this dream because it's something different than what I usually see submitted for Dreams. 

 

 

Black Docks for ObjectDock
By J. Aroche

 

These docks are made to match the "Black" WindowBlinds skin.  Great work.

 

 

Vienna Dock Backgrounds for ObjectDock
By messiah1

 

 

 

Another very popular WB skin is Vienna, and messiah1 has created a fantastic set of matching docks for ObjectDock. 

 

 

 

 

Enchanted Morning in Wallpapers
By Stephen Lundmark

 

 

This is a beautiful set of photographs overlooking Lake Superior.  Very nice.

 

 

 

Arran for WindowBlinds
By BoXXi

 

 

This skin caught my eye immediately with the buttons on the side of the frame.  Very unique and different. 

 

 

 

Vienna for Vista for WindowBlinds
By vStyler

 

 

Vienna for XP is a very popular WB skin, so vStyler has given us Vista users a version as well.  Great job.

 

 

So many great skins this week, even though I featured a couple more than usual, I could have kept going.  Thanks to all the artists for their work, and be sure to drop by their personal sites and leave them a note.  See you next week!