The Bone Tool in Adobe Flash CS5 is a powerful feature that allows animators to create natural and fluid movements in their projects, especially for characters and objects that are made of separate parts. Unlike traditional animation methods that require redrawing or repositioning every part individually, the Bone Tool lets you link these parts together in a skeletal structure, making animation more efficient and intuitive.
This tutorial will guide you through the fundamentals of using the Bone Tool in Flash CS5. We’ll focus on animating a spider’s leg to demonstrate how to create realistic motion by connecting different parts of an object. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to refine your animation skills, this guide will provide a solid foundation for using the Bone Tool effectively.
Let’s get started and bring our spider leg to life!
Project Overview: Animating a Spider Leg
For this tutorial, we’ll be animating a spider leg. The project assets consist of three movie clip symbols: the spider’s body, the leg segments, and a shadow. Each part is a separate movie clip to allow for independent movement and manipulation, which is perfect for the Bone Tool.
Below is a preview of the final animation we aim to create:
(Note: In this written tutorial, you won’t see the animation, but follow the steps to create it yourself in Flash CS5)
Preparation: Ensure that each part of your spider (body, leg segments, shadow) is converted into a Movie Clip symbol in Flash CS5 before starting the tutorial. This is crucial for the Bone Tool to work correctly. For this example, we will focus on animating just one leg segment initially. Remember to extend the timeline for ‘kaki1’ (leg1) to at least 12 frames by inserting frames.
Alt: Animated spider leg movement demonstrating bone tool animation in Flash CS5.
Step-by-Step Guide to Using the Bone Tool
Follow these steps to animate the spider leg using the Bone Tool in Adobe Flash CS5:
Step 1: Select the Bone Tool
First, locate and select the Bone Tool from the Tools panel in Flash CS5. It is usually grouped with other tools like the Lasso Tool and is represented by an icon that resembles a bone.
Alt: Bone Tool icon highlighted in the Adobe Flash CS5 Tools panel.
Step 2: Create the First Bone
With the Bone Tool selected, click and drag on your leg movie clip to create the first bone. Start from the base of the leg (position 1 in the image below) and drag to the joint area (position 2). This action establishes the first segment of your bone structure, essentially linking the base of the leg to its next segment.
Alt: Creating the first bone segment on the spider leg movie clip in Flash CS5.
Step 3: Extend the Bone Structure
Continue to extend the bone structure by clicking and dragging from the end of the previous bone segment (position 3) to the tip of the leg (position 4). This creates a chain of bones that are connected and will move together. In our example, we are creating a bone structure through the ‘thigh’ and down to the ‘foot’ of the spider leg.
Alt: Extending the bone structure to the lower segment of the spider leg using the Bone Tool.
Step 4: Remove the Original Leg Layer (Important!)
After creating the bone structure, it’s crucial to delete the original leg layer. The Bone Tool creates its own armature layer, which now controls the movement of your leg. Keeping the original layer can cause conflicts and prevent the bone animation from working correctly. Select the original leg layer and delete it.
Alt: Deleting the original spider leg layer after applying the Bone Tool in Flash CS5.
Step 5: Animate the First Step
Now, let’s animate the leg’s movement. Using the Selection Tool, go to frame 1 of your timeline. Drag the leg to the left to create the first step of the spider’s walk. The distance you drag will determine the stride length of the spider’s leg.
Alt: Using the Selection Tool to move the spider leg in frame 1 for the first animation step.
Step 6: Move to Frame 5 for the Next Movement
To create a walking motion, we need to animate at different frames. Move the playhead to frame 5 in the timeline. This will be the point for the next keyframe in our animation sequence.
Alt: Timeline showing the playhead moved to frame 5 to animate the next keyframe.
Step 7: Animate the Second Step (Frame 5)
In frame 5, drag the leg upwards. This will simulate the leg lifting off the ground in preparation for the next step. Use the same technique as in Step 5, dragging with the Selection Tool.
Alt: Animating the spider leg upwards in frame 5 to simulate lifting the leg.
Step 8: Refining the Leg Joint
Sometimes, moving the bones can cause the leg segments to appear disjointed or bent unnaturally. To fix this, click on an empty area of the stage to deselect the bones. Then, using the Selection Tool, drag the lower part of the leg while holding down the CTRL key (Command key on Mac). This allows you to adjust the joint and refine the leg’s shape, making the movement look more natural.
Alt: Refining the joint of the spider leg using the Selection Tool and CTRL key to adjust bone position.
Step 9: Animate the Third Step (Frame 8)
Move the playhead to frame 8. Drag the leg upwards again, similar to Step 7. Refine the leg’s joint as needed, following the method in Step 8, to maintain a smooth and natural appearance.
Alt: Animating the third step of the spider leg in frame 8 and refining the joint.
Step 10: Animate the Fourth Step (Frame 12)
Finally, move to frame 12. Drag the leg upwards again to complete a cycle of leg movement. This frame will represent the highest point of the leg lift before it begins to come down again in a looping animation.
Alt: Animating the fourth step of the spider leg in frame 12, completing the movement cycle.
Step 11: Creating a Looping and Randomized Leg Movement
To create a more dynamic and less repetitive movement, we can use the loop feature in Flash. Exit the ‘kaki_animasi’ (leg_animation) movie clip and enter the main ‘laba2’ (spider) movie clip. Select each leg individually, starting from the front leg. In the Properties panel, change the Movie Clip setting to Graphic. In the Looping section, set a value in the First box. Experiment with values between 1 and 14 to randomize the starting frame of each leg’s animation. This will create a more chaotic and realistic spider-like leg movement.
Alt: Setting the movie clip properties to Graphic and adjusting looping settings for randomized animation.
Apply the looping setting, adjusting the ‘First’ frame value individually for each leg to achieve a varied and natural gait.
Alt: Applying looping values to the last leg segment for synchronized yet randomized movement.
Step 12: Test Your Animation
Press CTRL + Enter (CMD + Enter on Mac) to test your movie and see the animated spider leg in action. Observe how the Bone Tool has created a fluid and connected movement across the leg segments.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You’ve successfully animated a spider leg using the Bone Tool in Adobe Flash CS5. This tutorial covered the basic steps of creating a bone structure, animating keyframes, and refining movements.
The Bone Tool is incredibly versatile and can be used for more complex animations, including character rigging, mechanical movements, and more. Experiment with different types of animations and explore the various settings and options available with the Bone Tool to further enhance your animation skills in Adobe Flash CS5.
We hope this tutorial has been helpful. With practice, you’ll be able to create intricate and lifelike animations using the Bone Tool. Happy animating!
(Downloadable practice files and the completed animation are available here.)
Tags: Bone Tool, Adobe Flash CS5, Animation Tutorial, Character Animation, Flash Animation, How To Animate, Rigging in Flash
