Moving an object along a specific path in Adobe Animate is typically achieved using motion tweens, which allow you to control an object's position, rotation, and other properties over time.
Here's how you can move an object along a path in Adobe Animate:
Utilizing Motion Tweens for Path Animation
The most common and flexible method for animating an object along a custom path in Adobe Animate is by creating a motion tween and then editing its motion path directly on the stage.
Steps to Animate Along a Path
- Prepare Your Object: Place the object (a Symbol is recommended for tweens) on the stage at the starting point of your desired path on a dedicated layer.
- Create a Motion Tween: Select the object on the stage or the keyframe in the Timeline. Right-click and choose "Create Motion Tween." This will automatically convert the object to a symbol if it isn't already and create a tween span on the Timeline.
- Define the End Point (or Keyframes): Move the playhead in the Timeline to a later frame where you want the object to be along the path. Drag the object on the stage to its new position. Animate automatically creates a keyframe at this point and draws a straight motion path connecting the start and end positions.
- Shape the Motion Path: The magic happens here. Click directly on the straight motion path that appeared on the stage. You can drag the path to bend it into curves or add anchor points by clicking on the path with the Selection Tool (V) and dragging. The path will appear as a line (often blue) on the stage. You can add multiple keyframes in the timeline and reposition the object at each keyframe to create a more complex path, or simply drag the motion path itself to shape it between keyframes.
- Refine the Animation:
- Adjust the shape of the path by dragging it. Control handles similar to vector editing tools appear for more precise curve control.
- Move keyframes in the Timeline to change the timing of the animation.
- Adjust easing in the Property inspector to control the speed along the path.
Orienting the Object Along the Path
Often, you want the object to rotate as it follows the curves of the path, just like a car turning on a road. Adobe Animate provides a convenient option for this:
- Enable Orient Along Path: With the tween span selected in the Timeline, go to the Properties panel. Under the Tweening section, check the option "Orient to path".
Alternatively, as mentioned in the reference:
- Go to Layer > Transform > Auto-Orient, and choose Orient Along Path. This achieves the same result, making the object's rotation follow the direction of the motion path automatically.
This feature is crucial for realistic animation when the object has a distinct front.
Using Classic Tweens with Guide Layers (Older Method)
While motion tweens are the modern standard, older versions of Animate (or Flash) primarily used classic tweens with guide layers. This method is still available:
- Create your object on a layer.
- Create a Motion Guide layer (Right-click the object layer and choose "Add Classic Motion Guide").
- Draw your path on the Motion Guide layer using drawing tools (like the Pencil or Pen tool). The path must be a single vector stroke.
- Create a Classic Tween on the object layer.
- Move the object instance on the first keyframe to snap its registration point (or transformation point) to the start of the path on the guide layer.
- Create a keyframe at the end of the tween span and move the object instance to snap its registration point to the end of the path on the guide layer.
- The object will follow the path drawn on the guide layer.
- For orientation, select the tween span on the object layer, go to the Properties panel, and check "Orient to path."
While guide layers work, motion tweens are generally more intuitive as the path is edited directly on the object's layer.
Summary of Path Animation Techniques
| Method | Description | Path Editing | Orientation Control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motion Tween | Modern, flexible. Tween span on object layer. | Edit path directly on stage (blue line). | "Orient to path" checkbox. |
| Classic Tween with Guide Layer | Older method. Requires a separate guide layer for the path stroke. | Draw path on guide layer (vector stroke). | "Orient to path" checkbox. |
By using motion tweens and the "Orient to path" option (accessible via Properties or Layer > Transform > Auto-Orient > Orient Along Path), you can create smooth and complex animations of objects following custom paths in Adobe Animate.
