Hi all i'm new to flash and just found this awesome site!

I found a concept menu in the fla source files section that I would like to incorporate into a piece of work.

The menu is in the top rated section and then in top fla's by votes. it's called:

3d spiral menu 01

As I am new to using flash i just need some basic instructions on how to use this menu. I want to change the names of the links and then be able to make the links active, so that when the user selects a link it goes to one of my pages.

I know it probably sounds easy to most of you but as i say, i'm totally new to flash.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I reckon once i get the hang of one of these menu's i will be able to stand on my own two feet.

Thanks again

-------------------------
pumpanani

[rtimoshenk]

Sure, it's very simple. All you have to do is create a layer with labels or whatever and when you click on a button incorporate a script that tells the main movie clip to play that section/label.


For example:

One of the buttons/movie clips says "Services" or whatever put in some script that says:

on (release){
_root.gotoAndPlay("Services");
}

Make sure that you have a "Services" label though first or else it won't work. I haven't actually opened up the source .fla file yet (because I'm at work right now) so I'm not sure exactly how it's put together, but that script should help you out.

[pumpanani]

Thanks a lot. I'm going to go and have a go now. One other thing though. How exactly do i change the name of the buttons?

Like i want to change the names of each of them to fit my piece of work.

Thanks again

[rtimoshenk]

Change the text within the buttons. That's all there is to it really. It shouldn't be too difficult. Just make sure the each button has a corresponding label to which it points.

[pumpanani]

my problem is though that when i open the fla there is just one layer and the whole thing is built on one frame.

When i try to click on one of the links the whole thing is selected. Sorry to be a total numb nut! I usually use director but by looking at some the flash things i've seen, I have to learn this prog!

Cheers

[rtimoshenk]

Yeah, most dynamic menus are built that way. What you have to do is go into the sublayers of the movie clip - an easy way to do this is by just going through the library (ctrl/cmd+L). Another way is by double-clicking on the main movie clip (make sure all layers are unlocked), which should take you into the inner movie clip, then double-click again on a movie clip and from there you should have access to the text layers. I'll open up the file when I get home so that I can guide you there directly. Just keep messing around with it, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Good luck.

[pumpanani]

Thanks again. I would really appreciate it if you could take a look and give me some guidance when you get home.

Once i figure one of these fla's out i'll be able to look at more and jazz my work up a bit. I'm trying to make a cd-rom portfolio and that menu system would be perfect for the design i have come up with.

Thanks in advance for any reply's

[rtimoshenk]

Okay, I've just opened it up (I have a way to get around the stupid anti-WinZip network block) and it's a little more complicated than I thought. Here's what you have to do.

First, a synopsis: The entire menu is script-based creating each button dynamically. What you have to do is change it up so that the text is different for each button. The only problem with that is that the text is a movie clip that's loaded into the button movie; you'll have to create more.

I'm going to double-post so that I can fill you in on exactly what you have to do...

[pumpanani]

ok thanks mate

[pumpanani]

do u know if the "iso bar" is the same?

it's in fla source files / navigation & interface

[rtimoshenk]

Open up the source .fla file and then open up your library window (Window>Library or F11 or Ctrl/Cmd+L) from there double-click on the folder named "elements" (unless it's already open) and then double-click on the movieclip named "Vertex." The Vertex movie clip is used about 9 times in order to create 9 buttons. Basically, every button on that movie is that one movie clip duplicated eight times.

Now that you've seen that, double-click on the folder - within the library - named "3d_Smart_Clip" (unless it's already open) and then double-click on "Move3d" (a component movie clip). When you did that you should notice that your timeline now displays three layers: The top-most layer has five actionscript-packed frames and the two lower layers have 3 movieclip-only frames. The second layer has the "Vertex" movie clip and the bottom layer has the hitarea/buttons.

From here, it's pretty easy to make each button go to a different location/label within your main/root timeline. On the bottom layer (you may lock the top two layers in order to make this easier) click on one of the nine aqua colored rectangles and then open up your actionscript panel (Window>Actions or F9 or any other method) - you could also open up your actionscript panel first then click on the boxes, either way is fine. Notice that the script is pretty similar for all nine buttons. All you have to do in order to make each button take you to a different location/label is to incorporate a script within each button that looks like this:

on (release){
_root.gotoAndPlay("Services")
}

OR

on (release){
_root.gotoAndPlay("Profile");
}

Note: For the above examples you'll need a label named "Services" and/or "Profile".

Another way of doing this would be:

on (release){
_root.gotoAndPlay(25);
}

Note: Using the above method, any changes you make to your timelines - especially the removal/addition of keyframes - could mess up your script, so I recommend using labels.



Pretty simple so far right?

[pumpanani]

yeah sounds fairly easy. so far so good. i'm actually on my pc at the mo but i will be doing this on the mac.

Any other instructions or is that all i need to know.

I really appreciate this!

[rtimoshenk]

Here's where it gets hard...

In order to change the text for all of the options, you'll have to either:

Rescript the actionscript segments.

OR

Manually create eight more movieclips and then rescript the actionscript.



The first method is probably more efficient, but slightly limited. Why? The reason it's limited is due to the fact that you'll have to create a dynamic text-field. When using a dynamic text-field you are limited to using generic fonts (i.e., Arial, Helvetica, Verdana - Serif/Sans-serif) otherwise anyone that doesn't have that font (i.e. some crazy cursive font) will see something ugly like Times New Roman or something, whatever their system will default to.


The second method is less limited, but a bit more bulky. You can use any kind of text you want but you have to create individual movieclips containing the text you want for each button, and then you have to rewrite the actionscript to refer to seperate text movie clips instead of just using the same one. You may even have to create multiple files named Vertex01, Vertex02, Vertex03, etc. and embed those separate text movie clips within each one just to get the desired effect. Obviously, this method is more time consuming and more of a hassle than the first.

You may want to note that the font being used within the source file for the "Option" text is Arial.

I'll let you choose which direction you want to head in before I post anymore.



Note: I'm posting all of this in here as opposed to just directly emailing you because I know that there are others that are perplexed by this very issue and would be very glad to know that there is a forum thread that covers their dilemma.


Anyway, hope I'm helping...

[pumpanani]

yeah you are definately helping.

Ok i think i will stick with the easier option and just got for the arial font. As an amateur would you agree that this is the best option for me?

thanks

[rtimoshenk]

Yeah, I think that the first option is the best. Personally, I like Arial; it's easy to read and it looks pretty good, but only when it's small. I think it looks nasty when it's large. Heh. Anyway, let me see exactly what you're going to have to do and then I'll post again when I've messed around with the file for a bit.

[pumpanani]

ok cheers mate

[rtimoshenk]

Well, I just tested everything out and it works great. Now all I have to do is tell you how I did it. : ) Okay, first things first. The original file was created using Flash 5, if you care to change it Flash Player 6/7 format or whatever that's totally up to you, it doesn't matter really. To change that, just go to File>Publish Settings>Flash and then change the Flash Player.

After you've done that (if you've done it) double click on Symbol 113 within the Library. When you've gotten inside that movie clip's timeline single-click (make sure that the layer isn't locked) on the text block and select "Dynamic Text" in the properties panel. After that, double click on the block of text that you see and it should highlight the text, if not, you can just drag and select all of it. Delete the text then grab the circular handle in the lower-right corner of the box and drag it to your desired length, just don't make it too awful long. This box needs to be just long enough to hold the names of your buttons. Alright, so you have a dynamic text box, now what? Well, you have to give it a name. Single-click on the text-box and then go over to your properties panel and find the field named "Var." As soon as you've found that, type in "optionvar" or whatever you want, just make sure it's not a reserved Flash namespace. Make sure that the text is not selectable and that it's single-line and all that via the properties panel, you might even want to make it bold so that it's easier to read. Remember, there shouldn't be any text within the box at the moment and you should be making all of these changes while the textbox is selected.

Your 1/3 of the way through.

Go back to your Library panel and within the "elements" folder double-click on the "Vertex" movie clip so that it opens up within the timeline. You should now have 6 layers mis-labeled: 6,5,4,3,1 (2 is apparently missing for some reason). Lock all of the layers (for ease) except layer 4 (the middle layer). From there click on every instance of Symbol 113 (frames 1,2,8,16, and 31 and make sure that the instance name (via the properties panel) is "optiontext."

Note: When doing this, make sure that you are naming the movie clip and NOT the frames, other wise you'll be creating labels not naming the movieclip.


And finally, the last step...

[rtimoshenk]

Open up the "Move3d" component movie clip from within the "3d_Smart_Clip" folder by double-clicking it and select the second frame on the top-most layer. The script should read:

call("Mousetracking");
call("Calc3d");

All you're going to do now is add some of your own...

When you're done it should be something like:

call("Mousetracking");
call("Calc3d");
Vertex1.optiontext.optionvar = "Home";
Vertex2.optiontext.optionvar = "Profile";
Vertex3.optiontext.optionvar = "Services";
Vertex4.optiontext.optionvar = "Portfolio";
Vertex5.optiontext.optionvar = "Extras";
Vertex6.optiontext.optionvar = "Contact";
Vertex7.optiontext.optionvar = "Links";
Vertex8.optiontext.optionvar = "Journal";
Vertex9.optiontext.optionvar = "Audio";

Or whatever on earth you want to call those crazy buttons. And that's that. Just make sure that for every button you input a corresponding label and _root.gotoAndPlay("labelname"); actions on the "release" button state. I would recommend loading this clip externally so that you don't confuse any of the action script and/or movieclips. Which can be achieved by putting something like this into one of your keyframes:

loadMovieNum("3dMenu.swf",2);

The above script tells the root .swf file to load the 3dMenu file (make sure that "3dMenu.swf" is the actual name of the .swf file or whatever) into level 2, which means it'll cover anything that's on a level below that. There are other ways of doing all that, but that's a different story.

Anyway, congratulations. You should now have a fully-functional 3-Dimensional spiral menu.

Hope everything works well. If you have any general questions/comments relating to the flash file, feel free to post and I'll reply.

Peace.

[pumpanani]

Thank you so much! I'm going off to try and do this thing now. Your a legend! I'll post again if i have any problems.

How long have you been using flash? You seem to know the programme inside out!!

Thanks again

[rtimoshenk]

I'm pretty sure that the ISO bar is the same, but, I haven't looked at that one yet. If nothing else, it'll be a similar concept.

[rtimoshenk]

Eh, I've only been using Flash for a little over a year. But it's definitely my favorite app. I took a web design class (it was very weak), and I wasn't satisfied with what I was learning so I went out and bought books that were way more advanced than what I was learning in class, within a month I was teaching my teacher, literally. Hahaha. It's funny how that happens. Anyway, I don't mind helping people out, so anytime you have questions, feel free to ask. In the least I'll research it for you and direct you someplace where you can find someone who can help.

[pumpanani]

cool thanks. i just had a go at the thing but was unsuccessful

where do the labels go that you mentioned? also i'm not sure if i did this bit correct:

"From there click on every instance of Symbol 113 (frames 1,2,8,16, and 31 and make sure that the instance name (via the properties panel) is "optiontext."

Note: When doing this, make sure that you are naming the movie clip and NOT the frames, other wise you'll be creating labels not naming the movieclip."

I added "optiontext" into the box in the bottom left of the properties box on each of the frames you said. Is that right?

I know it's really cheeky but is there any way you could put together a tutorial with screenshots of what you did?

I think it's just me being really stupid but i can't seem to get to grips with this programme at all!

Again any help would be brill!


Thanks

[rtimoshenk]

Make sure that when you type in "optiontext" that the movieclip is selected and NOT THE FRAME, that's very important. If the movieclip is actually selected there should a movieclip icon (a gear image) above the textbox in which you type.

[pumpanani]

ok just tried that and still having problems

[rtimoshenk]

Hmmm... Okay, I'll see if I can throw together a tutorial with visuals and all that sometime this week. Keep working at it, maybe you'll figure it out. : ) Good luck, eh.

[mr_jake]

Thanks to rtimoshenk!
followed your instructions and it all worked perfectly!
However i would like to change both the icon and text on this menu, would you be so kind as to post how to change this by adding more movie clips (the second and harder option from above) i assume i will be able to change what i need using this process. any help would be much use, if you dont have time to write it out in full a breif note as to the action script needed would help me alot!
Thanks alot
Jake

[rtimoshenk]

You're very welcome Mr_Jake. I'm starting on making a tutorial at this very moment, I'll post a link or whatever as soon as I'm finished. Hope this helps anyone who's having difficulty with this...

[rtimoshenk]

Okay, I'm finally finished. Here's a link:

http://www.eingko.net/stuff/3dConceptMenuTutorial.htm

I hope everything works well. : ) Oh, and about instructions covering the second process, I'll see if I can throw something together covering that. Peace.

[pumpanani]

thanks a lot man! you did an awesome job with the tutorial! i now have my 3d spiral menu working!
whatsecond process are you talking about?

[rtimoshenk]

No problem. I'm glad the tutorial helped you out. The second process I'm talking about is the one in which you have to create your own movieclips and re-script a lot of code. The more difficult and time-consuming option.

[pumpanani]

o ok now i c. thanks a lot your a star!

cheers

[rtimoshenk]

I'm a star! I'm a star! : ) Hehe. Thanks.

[Psykosis]

I followed your tutorial to the letter but i just get the background and no buttons.

I am using Flash MX pro 2004 if it helps at all.

[rtimoshenk]

Hmmm... You might want to double-check all of your scripting. I know that if you have a syntax error it won't work at all, but it could be something else. Not sure what to tell you exactly because I don't know exactly what's happening. I guess I wrote the tutorial before I bought Flash MX 2004, but I'm not sure how that would cause any problems... Do you have that latest patch from Macromedia that fixes all of the bugs that were in the original release? If you don't, see if that helps. If you do, then I'll see if I can't try and find the problem.

[Psykosis]

I dont know about the patch so i guess i will have to say no to that. I run the debug and looked what it said and noticed that it says _level0.instance1.vertex1.optiontext compared to what you told us to put in. Dont know if that makes a difference at all

[mas31550]

Hey i got everything to work and all of the text to change to be exactly what I want it to be, but how do I get the buttons to link to the pages I want them to go to? the target for me would be "_content". I tried figuring it out, but I'm having no luck...

[Psykosis]

I know this might sound rude but could someone send me the edited file so i can adjust it please.

email is socompsychosis@hotmail.com if it isnt in my profile.

thanks in advance

[measures]

I have also been trying to get my head around this menu over the last few days. I have every thing working apart from when I load a new swf file into the movie using the :

createEmptyMovieClip
&
loadMovie

commands.

The 3d menu freezes, allthough the buttons do still work the animation no longer works.

I thought to try the lockroot command available with flash player 7 but the menu does not work at all when published as flash player 7.

Could anybody offer any solutions to this.

Cheers...................

[tnordwest]

I really appreaciate your this service and I think that you people are genius programmers... but uhm, wonder why you would not simply put that awesome menu finished for download... I mean, for me as a amateur that instructions still sound extremely complicated...even though you have surely put it very easy...well, for your advanced understanding... sorry, dudes.

PS: I don't want to use Arial, so I would want to go for a "static" font where I can use whatever font I like to.

I would really appreciate if someone could send me the edited file of the menue no. 2 (the DNA spiral one) with 9 buttons named whatever to tnordwest@yahoo.com

Thanks.

[tripdragon]

tutorial gone, anyone have a mirror ??