Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

[Martin_SBT]

Hi guys

I need your advises. I am still working on my CD project with AMS4 and i found that all the new fonctionalities are great! But i would like to create cool 3D buttons or cool animated 3D menus that looks better than what i am using right now (simple text objects in AMS4). Any idea or suggestions on what 3rd party to use? i would really like that my project looks great!

Thanks in advance
Martin

[eric_darling]

Re: Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

Martin,

You need to get your hands on a few staple tools, then buckle down and learn them well enough to go forward. Adobe Photoshop is the pinnacle product for what you are talking about. For animated menu elements in AMS, you need Flash MX.

Many people use third-party Flash creation tools, but whatever you choose, make sure it does SWF output. These tools take some time to learn and even more to master, but the payoff is a lifetime's worth of graphic work. If you really want something quick and professional, I bet there are many folks on the forums here who would be happy to help (for a fee, of course). But learn how to do it yourself, and you'll feel good, at the least. [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Martin_SBT]

Re: Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

hi Eric

Yeah i learned a bit about Flash 5 and i can do basic animations. But you said Photoshop is a good soft for creating great looking 3D Buttons? If so than i need to buy this proggy!
I was trying to use an already built flash animated menu in my project but, it doesnt look good because i cannot make the background of the flash object "transparent". I tried to use SWF studio but it doesnt give the results i want as the projector file will run OVER the AMS4 project at run time!
If anyone can at least help me with this one, i would be the happiest man in the world!

Thanksa lot for your suggestions

[eric_darling]

Re: Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

Yes, Photoshop is the program for 3D buttons, and just about anything else that doesn't require true 3D (I don't consider embossed buttons to be true 3D). You simply make one state "on" and one state "off" with layers in Photoshop, or you can use the included ImageReady software to do it in "slices" for you. Either way, in AMS, you assign one graphic as mouseover and one not, and you're in business with nice rollover graphics effects.

Of course, you already know about this thread, but transparent Flash stuff has been discussed before: http://www.indigorose.com/ubbthreads...o=0&fpart=

[Corey]

Re: Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

If you are able to operate 3D software such as 3D Studio Max or Bryce you can create true 3D stuff. Also there's a program named Swift by Electric Rain which creates 3D flash which can then be embedded in your AMS projects...

As for Photoshop, you can create almost anything in Photoshop once you get comfortable with it but it takes a minute to learn the basics. It's worth the investment of time though as Photoshop is the industry standard graphics editing platform...

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[kpsmith]

Re: Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

One trick I used to do in AMS3 is find a nice flash button, Open it in flash and then export it as an eps file.

Then you can import it into Photoshop and use that for a template to make all the other buttons.

In AMS4 I guess that isn't necessary since you could use native flash objects but my skills in Flash are seriously lacking.

[AGRO]

Re: Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

Don't know if you are aware, Swift3D v3.0 is out and the features are assume!!!!

Swift3D v3

I CAN NOT wait until I they ship my backordered copy on the 27th. I plan on having some really cool 3d menus for AMS4.

[Corey]

Re: Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

Now THAT I cannot wait to see!

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[Martin_SBT]

Re: Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

Thanks a lot guys! I really appreciated all your suggestions. Theses forums are just GREAT!

Note: I didnt find a way to do the following (from previous reply, but i think i will post it in a seperate thread and give more details on what i am trying to do [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] )I was trying to use an already built flash animated menu in my project but, it doesnt look good because i cannot make the background of the flash object "transparent". I tried to use SWF studio but it doesnt give the results i want as the projector file will run OVER the AMS4 project at run time!
If anyone can at least help me with this one, i would be the happiest man in the world!


Thanks you all again

[Corey]

Re: Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

Simply insert the background color or image from your project into your flash, then align it so it's seamless...

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[RobertB]

Re: Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

Yo Agro...

How is the learning curve? I rarely have enough time to hack in Swish...but, this looks kewl....pretty intuitive....or, should someone be fairly well versed in the FLASH working environs?

TIA!

[AGRO]

Re: Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

Learning Swift is not hard. It just takes time and messing with it. Once you have the basics down you can make 3D animations for your menu in no time.

As far as being fairly well versed in flash I would say no. Of course you can get way in depth with swift and flash, but if you know stop, play, goto.....just some of the basic actions in flash then that is all you need for a basic 3d animation. I have to learn the new version 3, I have 2 clients waiting on me. Offering a 3D menu has helped me alot. People are just in aw when they see it. And you can charge more!! LOL

If you have some free time on your hands I would say give it a go. It is alot of fun also.

[RobertB]

Re: Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

Kewl...thanks for the good feedback....

If you get a chance....could you post an example that you create with 3.0? Like your website....you do some kewl ***...so, I would like to see what I could aspire to....

[img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[AGRO]

Re: Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

Sure you bet. I have a few projects I need to start and finish. As soon as I get some projects completed I will post some up.

Thanks.

[Corey]

Re: Creating Cool 3D Menus and buttons for my AMS4

Looking forward to it, with all this build up it better rock too. [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software