Insert decorated path

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Insert decorated path

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Decorated path

Decorated path

The Object Decorated Path can be found in the Toolbox. Open the Objects tab and go to the section Route Animation.

Drag the object out of the Toolbox into the Timeline and place it in the desired location.

1. Adjust path in the Layout designer

Decorated path

Line with Motion Marks

After you have dragged the Object from the Toolbox into the Timeline, a red, curved line appears in the Layout designer.
On this line you will find that there are already several points. These are the Motion Markers. An active Motion Marker, which you can edit, is colored orange. Click on a white dot to activate the editing of the Motion Marker.  By pushing or pulling with the mouse you can move the Motion Markers in the Layout designer and change the course of the line.

You can remove the Motion Markers by clicking on them and pressing the  Delete  or by clicking the square Minus symbol in the Layout designer. If you wish to insert a new Motion Marker click on the square Plus symbol or use the  Insert  key. Change the position of the Motion Markers by moving them with a pressed-down mouse key into the Layout designer. You determine the amount of time required for the line to get from one Marker to the next in the Time stamp field. Determine your route in the Layout designer using the Motion Markers.

Info

You can also allow the end of the route to finish smoothly and automatically. Proceed to the button to access advanced options and bring up Edit Path / Balance Path . This means that all Timestamps are set so that the interval between the Motion Markers is appropriate to the spatial separation.

2. Change settings

Settings for Dek. Path

Settings for the Decorated Path

In the Properties window you can now decide on a variety of settings for the Decorated Path .

Under Path Type you can specify the style of the path, and the Width can be changed individually.

The Width is given in the standard coordinates of the Layout designer, meaning that 1,000 corresponds to 100% of the screen. In this case, the shorter side of the screen (i.e. usually the height).

The Length  of the path is specified as a time and refers to the specific timings of the Motion Markers, or their time difference. The special case of "0" indicates that the line has no live end.

Activate the check mark under Colorize, you can color the path under Tone.

At the top of the line, a vehicle can be set, which you select in the Vehicle window.

Here, under Custom Image you can also select a custom graphic from your hard drive.

3. Example of use: Team of two cyclists riding over a map

Copy current line

Copy current line

Drag the Map Animation object from the Toolbox into the Timeline. Select a map view in the Map Wizard. Now go to the Timeline. Open the object with the title Map Animation. Click on the object Current Line`. In the Properties window set the Width to a lower value, such as 20.

Under Vehicle select bike. Now right click on the object Current Line in the Timeline. In the Context Menu, choose Copy. Press Ctrl +  v , to paste the Current Line a second time.
Set parallel Motion Markers 

Set parallel Motion Markers

Place the second Current Line in the Timeline precisely underneath the first Current Line so that the Objects are displayed at the same time. In the Layout designer place the Motion Markers of the second line so that they are next to the first line. The easiest way to do this is to move all Motion Markers simultaneously (in the Context Menu of the Layout designer choose Select All Markers or use  Ctrl + A ).
Two bicycles next to each other

Two bicycles next to each other

The result can be checked by pressing  f7 . The preview will then start in the Layout designer.

Hint

When you edit a project which has already been exported with the CD/DVD and Archive Wizard and edit those files (images incl. those which are used in Decorated Paths, sounds, videos, fonts), then it is imperative that the project is not only saved, but also re-exported, especially if you want to play them on an external storage medium. Only then is it guaranteed that all used resources exist in the Archive.

SnapTip

In our Snap Tip you will find a detailed description of a Path animation over a moving map including a Sample Video.