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Chris Georgenes

Chris Georgenes

Adobe Certified Expert
mudbubble.com
keyframer.com

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Setting up the Timeline
  3. Turning heads with the Transform tool
  4. Applying a custom ease with the Motion Editor
  5. Applying filters to create drop shadows
Created:
6 July 2009
Products:
Flash

Designing and animating characters in Flash – Part 2: 2.5D animation

This article reveals a truly killer animation technique in Adobe Flash CS4 Professional that allows you to create convincing 3D effects. The cool thing about this strategy is you never have to leave the Flash environment; you remain in the 2D realm. You are now in a dimensional limbo. If it's still 2D but looks like 3D, then what exactly is it? Welcome to the world of "2.5D" animation.

Figure 1 shows the identifying logo on my website, mudbubble.com, which I pick apart in this article to show how it works as an example of 2.5D animation.

Isn't he oh-so-cute?

Figure 1. Isn't he oh-so-cute?

I love this 2.5D technique because it solves a problem I've had with relying on tweens alone to create convincing animations. Don't get me wrong: Tweening can be a great timesaver and can get the job done, as long as the job doesn't require much more than simply moving objects around the Stage.

But what if you could push the familiar tweening method to add more realism to your character? What if you could harness its simplicity and make it work in new ways that go far beyond the normal usage? What if you learned everything there is to know about tweening, and then went back to the first 10% of that knowledge and took a left turn? This article shows you where that turn could take you.

Requirements

In order to make the most of this article, you'll need the following software and files:

Flash CS4 Professional

Sample files:

Prerequisite knowledge

A basic understanding of the Adobe Flash CS4 Professional authoring environment and prior experience drawing and developing animated characters is recommended. If you are not familiar with the different Flash drawing tools, read Part 1 of this series. There you'll learn about the effective use of symbols and document management best practices.

Note: If you are still using Macromedia Flash Professional 8, you can refer to the previous version of this article.

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About the author

Chris Georgenes, an Adobe Certified Expert, is Art and Animation Director for Acclaim Games. Prior to that, he spent eight years as a freelance Flash designer and animator for clients such as Adobe, Microsoft, Ogilvy, Digitas, Yahoo!, and AOL, to name a few. His work has appeared on broadcast networks such as ABC, HBO, and Cartoon Network. Chris maintains mudbubble.com as his online portfolio and keyframer.com as his blog, animation resource, and discussion forum. Chris is the author of How to Cheat in Adobe Flash CS4 (Focal Press, 2009) and is soon publishing Flash Studio Techniques (Adobe Press). When Chris isn't designing, animating, or writing, he teaches the Flash animation course for Sessions.edu, plays drums in a professional band, and somehow balances the rest of his time with his supportive wife and three kids.