Stage The Stage window is where you display your animation. On this window you can arrange the objects composing the scene and animate the cameras shooting the scene. Also you can drag files as images, movies, songs and models onto the Stage window to import those within your animation.
Drag files onto the Stage You can drag files and folders onto the Stage window to easily create new objects like images or movies mapped onto rectangles or cubes. You can drag images, movies, audio, text, svg and obj files to import those within your animation. In detail:
Drag Image files You can drag image files like jpg, tiff, png, pdf, psd, targa, bmp, gif and many other onto the Stage window to import those in your animation. Kinemac will automatically create a rectangle with that picture mapped on both the sides. You can later animate this rectangle at your wish. If you drag more than 2 pictures per time, or a folder containing more than 2 pictures, Kinemac will create a parallelepiped with those pictures mapped on its faces. For example, if you drag a folder containing 4, 5 or 6 image files, Kinemac will create a parallelepiped with those images and images size. If the image file name contains key words like “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “top”, “bottom”, Kinemac will assign those images to the respective sides of the cube and will resize the cube consequently. This way you can quickly create objects as a DVD case or a CD case, a Software Box... You can apply an image texture onto an object surface by simply dragging an image file from the Finder onto the surfaces of the selected object on the Stage. The same way you can drag a color from the color palette onto the surface of a selected object on the Stage to assign that color to that surface. Furthermore, you can open the Inspector/Surfaces panel and drag an image or a movie file onto the Image Wells to apply that image or movie onto that surface. To delete a texture, just select the image well and press the delete key. You can place and resize the image texture onto the surface at your wish. Double click on the image well on the Inspector/Surfaces panel to open the Textures Option panel or press Command-5. On this panel you can modify origins, size and rotation of the image texture.
Drag Movie files You can drag movie files like mov, avi, mpeg, mp4, smil, vob, 3gp, animated gif, flash animations, and more onto the Stage window to import them in your animation. Kinemac will automatically create a rectangle with the movie mapped on both sides. You can later animate this rectangle as your wish. If you drag more than 2 movies, or a folder containing more than 2 movies (or/and images), Kinemac will create a parallelepiped with the movies mapped onto its surfaces. You can apply a movie texture onto an object surface by simply dragging a movie file from the Finder onto the surfaces of the selected object on the Stage. Furthermore, you can open the Inspector/Surfaces panel and drag a movie file onto the Image Wells to apply that image or movie onto that surface. To delete a texture, just select the image well and press the delete key. You can place and resize the movie map onto the surface at your wish. Double click on the movie well on the Inspector/Surfaces panel to open the Textures Option panel or press Command-5. On this panel you can modify origins, size and rotation of the movie texture.
Drag Audio files You can drag audio files like aif, mp3, wav, mid, midi, m3a, m4a, au... from the Finder or a song from the iTunes songs list onto the Stage window or onto the hierarchical sprites list. Kinemac will create a soundtrack on the Sprites window. You can horizontally move and resize the sprite in order to synchronize the soundtrack with your animation. Also, you can set volume-fade effects in any point of the soundtrack creating key frames to the Volume parameter and assigning a volume values to each key-frame. You can add as many sounds/songs you need and your machine allows. Kinemac will play them as well as a multitrack player. You can quickly replace the audio within the sprite (and keep any volume keyframe) by simply drag a new audio file onto the coloured rectangle of the audio sprite on the Sprite view.
Drag Text files You can drag text files like RTF and RTFD. You can create these files with a common text editor application like TextEdit or Word. The rtf files are text files containing any kind of font, size, style, color, shadow, paragraph format... The rtfd files are rtf files containing images. Drag these files onto the Stage window or the Sprite list and Kinemac will automatically create a 2D Text object. Then you can animate and/or scroll this object as your wish (scroll to Top, Bottom, Left or Right). You can even create 2D text from scratch using the built-in text editor (call the menu item "Objects:2D:Text"). Double click on the Text Object in the Stage window to edit the text or, with the Text object selected, press Command-E. See the Text page to know more.
Drag SVG files You can drag SVG files made with Illustrator and get an extruded object (e.g. a 3D logo) or a revolved object (e.g. a bottle). SVG are Scalable Vector Graphic files containing 2 dimensional vectorial drawing, like the EPS. So, for example, you can create your logo or any other 2D drawing with Illustrator, and save it as SVG format (leave the "Keep Illustrator Modification Functions" check-box unchecked). Then drag the SVG file onto the Stage window to get your 2D drawing extruded. If you drag the SVG file onto the Stage holding down the Alt key you will get a revolved object. You can vary the depth of the extrusion (Z axis) clicking on the object then dragging the mouse vertically holding down the Command & Option keys. You can resize the objects even dynamically while the animation is playing assigning key frames to the size parameters. If your logo cannot be imported into Kinemac, go back to Illustrator and select the logo. Then call the menu Object:Path:Simplify and set Curve Precision = 100%. Leave the other parameters unchanged. Then save it again as SVG and drag it onto the Kinemac stage.
Drag OBJ files You can drag OBJ files containing 3D models made with other applications. If you have a 3D model with a different format (e.g. 3DS, FBS, STL…), you can freely convert it to the OBJ format on this web site. You can apply image and movie textures to any surface of the model (if defined separately), as well as colors and surface attributes.
Move an object Selection Just click on an object on the Stage window to select it. If the object is nested within a group, click on the object holding down the Option key to select it. If the object is nested within a group and you click on it without holding down the Option key, you will select its root parent group. Double click again on the object until you select it through its parents chain. Kinemac makes a difference between the modifier key during the selection (click) and during the drag. Therefore, when selecting an object on the Stage window, please firstly click on the object without holding down any modifier key, then later, without releasing the mouse button, if you need to press some modifier key (e.g. the Command key to resize the object), press the modifier keys, and drag. Translate an object Click on the object without holding down any modifier key then drag it horizontally (X axis) and vertically (Y axis). Also press the Shift key if you want to constrain the translation along one axis only. To translate the object along the Z axis, click on the object without holding down any modifier key then hold down the Option key and drag the mouse vertically. Please note that the object doesn't change its size. It simply goes closer or farther from your point of view (if you are using the default camera). If you use the trackpad, select the object then hold down the Function key and two-fingers-swipe up-down or left-right to move the object along the x and y axes. Add the Shift key to constrain the movement along the predominant axis only. Hold down Function+Option keys and drag to move the object along the z axis. Rotate an object Click on the object without holding down any modifier key then hold down the Control key and drag it horizontally (rotate the Y axis) and vertically (X axis). Also press the Shift key if you want to constrain the rotation along one axis only. To rotate the object along the Z axis, click on the object without holding down any modifier key then hold down the Control & Option keys and drag the mouse horizontally. If you use the trackpad, select the object then hold down the Function+Control keys and two-fingers-swipe up-down or left-right to rotate the object around the x and y axes. Add the Shift key to constrain the rotation around the predominant axis only. Hold down Function+Control+Option keys and drag to rotate the object around the z axis. Resize an object Click on the object without holding down any modifier key then hold down the Command key and drag it horizontally to modify its X size and vertically to modify its Y size. Also press the Shift key if you want to constrain the resize along one axis only. To resize the object along the Z axis, click on the object without holding down any modifier key then hold down the Control & Option keys and drag the mouse vertically. To resize all the 3 dimensions (X, Y and Z) proportionally, click on the object without holding down any modifier key then hold down the Command & Control keys and drag the mouse horizontally. If you use the trackpad, select the object then hold down the Function key and two-fingers-pinch to resize the object proportionally on the 3 axes. Add the x key to resize the x axis only, the y key to resize the y axis only or the z key to resize the z axis only. Pan and resize an image/movie texture upon an object surface Select the object on the Stage window then open the Textures Options window pressing Command-5. Set Area to Crop and assign the origin and size to the texture on that surface.