Re: FLASH: Rotating Globe

[David Gary]

Nathan wrote:


  Nathan wrote, 14/2/99


 >>>The best way create the spining globle is to create the spinning globe in a

   >3D program and then export as large PICTs. Then all you have to do is a bit

   >of production work and trace the curves with illustrator - making sure that

   >you have a box around the frame for registration and that you only roughly

   >trace the curves. One you have done that you import each traced frame into

   >Flash.


  David wrote 15/2/99


  >> I would find that fairly time consuming for a spinning globe effect. A

   > 3D

   > program is really not neccessary.

   > 1st layer: Create a round mask(size of globe)

   > 2nd layer: Create a flat map of continents(whatever) and tween it from

   > left to

   > right of the mask and loop.

   > 3rd layer: create a round gradient to give 3D sphere(lighting effect


  Nathan wrote, 16/2/99


 > > Why does and easy solution have to be the best solution . You are

  >> unable to make the globe spin around forever. The earth does not spin

  >> back and forth. Sometimes you have to put in a little effort in order

  >> to create good work.


  David wrote,


  >>Yup, I totally agree. I personally always try to put in the best effort

   >in all my work. However there are a few "real world" issues to consider

   >when developing for internet.

   >1. How much is in the budget. Concept+complexity = timeline. Does the

   >client's expectations, concepts and budget meet my timeline? This

   >determines how complex a piece of Flash work might be. The concept might

   >require an animation of every planet in our solar system to be animated.


   >2. When working on the internet, size is a uge issue. Ive seen great

   >Flash work, but at a rediculas file size.

   >Is the experience worth the wait? Maybe if your a Flash developer and

   >curious to new ideas, you'll wait, but to your Joe Shmo that has no idea

   >what hes waiting on, guess your client wont be getting that many hits.


 Nathan wrote,


 > Gidday David,


  >I'm am sorry but I totally disagree with your thoughts on the spinning

  >globe. For a start I was the Flash Developer for the Sean Connery site

 > http://www.vrlx.net - my name is in the credits section if you don't believe

  >me. The spinning globe is used as a button to open up an innovative world

  >map, not just some thrown on the page peice of crap that has been done

 > before. I originally posted my comments on the globe as I beleive that our

 > way was the most professional way of approaching the subject. Now you seem

  >to think that:


  >>To create, map, set effective lighting, render, import sequence, hand

  >>trace frame by frame, and export swf for internet

  >>is NOT what i recommend for spinning globe technique.Unless the only

  >>thing loading is the spinning globe and the client wants

  >>to pay for that process. Also if thats the case and some shmuck wants to

  >>wait for a 150k spinning globe, then the developer has probably found a

  >>niche for developing for shmucks who search for animated spinning

  >>globes.



  >Well our spinning globe is only 14k. - less than 1 tenth of your assummed

  >size. Hand tracing in illustrator gives you control of the size of the final

  >animation! You don't need a lot of detail in the spinning globe as it is

  >constantly moving. So when you are tracing countries you trace roughly. the

  >final .ai files will have less points hence low k. We used a Flash mask with

  >a flash gradient ball to create effective lighting


  >I think that your solution is a clever approach to the subject however only

  >for flash beginners who want quick dodgey solutions.  Our technique of

  >spending 2 hours on roughly tracing exported rendered 3D spinning map images

  >is a technique that I posted on the list so flashers can become aware of

  >professional approaches to using flash.



Hiya Natan,


Im impressed with the VRLX site and kudos on the design, no need to check the

credits I believe you.

However I still disagree that simply because you spend 2 hours and use 3 proggys

makes a flash file "professional".

After taking about ten minutes and tweaking my original "Globe" example

FLA(filling in continent outlines and changing gradient). I have something that

might show you that you're in a popular class of flash developers who think

other proggys are neccessary to create professional flash applications and not

really investigating the power of Flash itself for creating images. I agree in

some cases that using 3D programs and other vector based programs can help

tremendously. Ive used MAX and illustrator for several projects. However in

this  particular case, you spent 2 hours more than I, to get to almost the same

conclusion on a file that was twice as large as mine and had half as many

animated frames as mine. Not to mention an overworked spinning globe effect in

the first place.


The bottom line is, theres no battle here on who is better at creating spinning

globes. The fact of the matter is,

this is a debate that alot of device is not always necessary to create

"professional" "Flash" work.

Imho, professional Flash techniques require 3 things that any web developer

should learn, That is a "budget" which equals "quality" within a "timeline".

More often than none the budget determines the timeline which determines the

quality of the work and more than often the file size, but that does not

necessarily mean that you have to spend a certain amount of time on a project to

get  professional piece of work.

You said you spent 2 hours on your spinning globe, to use the other programs it

took to reach a final conclusion. Since it seems by your work you range in a

professional class of Flash developers, that should  have cost your client

around 300+ bucks for his spinning globe.


Now my technique, using nothing but Flash, took me around 20-30 minutes

including the original design+update.

This would mean my client would pay around 75 bucks or less

Your spinning globe is 14k which, by itself would take about 4-5 seconds to load

on average 28.8

My technique finishes at half that(7k) which would load in about 2-3 seconds.

Your technique gives your globe around 20 animated frames(apprx)

My technique gives 40 frames of animation which gives a smoother effect.


Now what we have here is a debate on what is professional. How about we do this:


Lets let the _list_ be the judge.


They can see your globe at:  http://www.vrlx.net in the bottom right hand corner

of your main interface


They can see my technique at:  ftp://205.235.134.149/swf/DG_globe.htm

(Tks to Daniel Votino)


Ok _list_, you be the judge. Lets talley the votes.(Including Nathan). =8>)-


What, for the time involved, which determines cost to the client, would you

consider professional?


 >>I would be happy to email you our 14k spinning globe if you are interested.


Thats not neccessary, thanks anyway.


Note that this is really all in fun and I know you are a skilled Flash

developer.

This will hopefully help the new comers to Flash which I hope benefits all of

us.

In the end, I personally hope it will place "spinning globes" in the "cheap

Flash

effects" catagory forever.<g>


btw, you need to add a "drag out" mouse event along with the "rollout" event for


your globe in case the viewer has clumsy mouse habits, since you have a "stop

and go"

activation over it.


Take care,


-DG-






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