align objects placed by motion path?

[Terry A. Austin]

Here's an XP specific question that I suspect might prove useful to many.

I have a slide with about 6 items offscreen. During the presentation these
come curving on the slide to their 'proper position' using the Motion Path
entrance. I've drawn curves for some entrance and lines for others...
anyway, they all make a nice dramatic entrance.

Question: How do I align them once they are onscreen? I can see no obvious
method to do this. You appear to have to drag the arrow head which marks
the 'final resting place' of the object to the spot you wish each item to
stop. While I can align them moderately well individually I'm not as good
as I would like to be, besides it takes time to try and sight along all
those curvy lines and red arrow heads marking the motion paths of all the
objects.

Any ideas for align (and perhaps distribute) of items making a motion path
entrance from offscreen?

By the way, for the terminally curious - I teach biology and this slide is a
DNA molecule splitting apart, two strands moving from center screen to about
1/3 way off center (one goes right, other goes left). At that point
individual nucleotides (DNA pieces) swoop in and take up their appropriate
spot to begin forming the duplicate strands.

Any suggestions for cleaning this up would be greatly appreciated. The
newly synthezized strand formed by these swooping in pieces looks a bit
ragged.

Thanks

Terry

[Echo S]

Terry, I'll have to look at this later this evening, but off the top of my
head, check to see if the Align and Distribute buttons on the Draw toolbar
work for motion paths as well.

Echo

"Terry A. Austin" <taau...@templejc.edu> wrote in message
news:O3bJH3rRBHA.1368@tkmsftngp04...

[@webshite.org Adam Crowley]

Have you tried doing it in reverse?
Start with the objects where you want them to end, animate them off the
screen, then reverse the path (right click on one of the paths arrows).
Not sure it will work but worth a try.

"Terry A. Austin" <taau...@templejc.edu> wrote in message
news:O3bJH3rRBHA.1368@tkmsftngp04...

[Terry A. Austin]

THIS looks like it might have some possiblilties. I had no idea that you
could reverse the paths like that. I'll give it a try!

Thanks, Adam

Terry

"Adam Crowley" <adam @ webshite.org> wrote in message
news:egUvyXsRBHA.1440@tkmsftngp04...

[Terry A. Austin]

This might in fact do something but likely not what I need. Since these are
oddly shaped curves (for dramatic effect) they are of various sizes
depending on the overall shape of the curve. Unless the endpoint happens to
be at the same extreme edge of each curve when the 'whole objects' (a.k.a.
curve paths) align with each other the desired endpoints may not be aligned.

I highlighted them all, before asking the question to the group, saw what
was likely going to happen and then didn't hit align... I could be wrong
here but I don't think so.

This could of course likely work IF all the paths were straight and boring.,
but even straignt paths will be of different size (I believe) unless each is
absolutely vertical or absolutely horizontal, thus the same problem might
occur (except in that special case).

Thanks for the thought - and I WILL go try it but I suspect I already know
the result.

Much appreciated,

Terry

"Echo S" <ec...@indy.net> wrote in message
news:OVy4J#rRBHA.1784@tkmsftngp03...

[Kathy Jacobs]

Can you put temporary shapes where you want the paths to end, align them,
create your animation and then delete the temporary shapes?

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"Terry A. Austin" <taau...@templejc.edu> wrote in message
news:O3bJH3rRBHA.1368@tkmsftngp04...

[Echo S]

Terry, can you shoot me a sample slide by email? I'd like to play with this,
and you'd save me the trouble of having to create something. <g>

Echo

"Terry A. Austin" <taau...@templejc.edu> wrote in message

news:OTmvXusRBHA.1784@tkmsftngp03...

[Terry A. Austin]

on the way...

Thanks for the look-see

Terry

"Echo S" <ec...@indy.net> wrote in message

news:uVS4eFtRBHA.1444@tkmsftngp03...

[Terry A. Austin]

In fact I did exactly what you're describing and got it moderately close,
but still not good enough. The way the movement paths seem to work it's hard
to get the arrowheads exactly lined up. It appears to be very much a click
& drag process. The pieces are still ragged though and fiddling each little
bit until perfectly straight could take forever.

DNA basically looks like a ladder.

This animation splits the ladder in half lengthwise (each rung cut in two)
then proceeds to rebuild it, one 'rung-chunk' at a time. The new 'side' of
the ladder forms as vertical bits attached to the half-rung click into
place.

The forming uprights are out of alignment making the whole thing look a bit
off. I can certaily use it the way it is but the end results so far are
ugly.

I could also tweak each one individually, running the animation each time to
see how it goes, but since they are appearing from off-screen I actually
have to run the whole animation up to the point where the bit I'm currently
adjusting flies in to check alignment. Whoops! too much, shove it back then
run the whole show again... dang, moved it four pixels too far, back again
and rerun again... All of this for each of a dozen or so individual pieces
gets pretty darned tedious.

I realize that my particular example is probably extreme but there are
certainly many conceivable uses for aligning things that fly in from off
screen via these motion paths.

Terry

"Kathy Jacobs" <jaco...@jacobs.coxatwork.com> wrote in message
news:%xrs7.64493$aZ6.15...@news1.rdc1.az.home.com...

[Echo S]

Thanks, Terry. Too pooped to mess with this right now, but I'll try to
look at it soon.

I really like Adam's reverse idea. How's that coming along?

Echo

[Phill Power]

How about using the motion paths as you are now, but then following them
with a copy of each graphic "appear"ing over the end. These could then
be lined up perfectly as needed.

If you emailed me a slide I'd show you what I meant.

Good luck.

Phill.

In article <#wJy2NwRBHA.1156@tkmsftngp03>, Terry A. Austin
<taau...@templejc.edu> writes

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[Terry A. Austin]

Not a bad solution, Phill. Simple and to the point.

By the way, I haven't managed to get the reversing paths to work. The
alignments still depends on absolute accuracy when placing the clicks for
the motion path endpoints, even if it's the start-point (to be reversed).

This does however add a new problem... the whole collection of objects now
shows on screen from the first appearance of the slide then each in turn
vanishes and turns up running its own motion path. Dragging them offscreen
also drags the relative position of the motion paths thus taking all events
begin/end points off the slide.

I'll email it to you Phill. By the way, Echo, did you have any luck with
the copy I sent you?

Thanks, this one is still driving me a little bit batty.

Terry

"Phill Power" <Ph...@thepowerfamily.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:5qwdTSA2...@ntlworld.com...

[@webshite.org Adam Crowley]

Oh well, it was worth a try...
I wouldn't mind a look as well (if you like...)

"Terry A. Austin" <taau...@templejc.edu> wrote in message

news:u4WlBucSBHA.1020@tkmsftngp03...

[Echo S]

"Terry A. Austin" wrote:
>
> Not a bad solution, Phill. Simple and to the point.

Actually, that's a great idea and might solve the "little-bit-offs" that
I kept running into with this.

> By the way, I haven't managed to get the reversing paths to work. The
> alignments still depends on absolute accuracy when placing the clicks for
> the motion path endpoints, even if it's the start-point (to be reversed).

Best way I found to do this was to add an existing motion path,
right-click it and use Edit Points to change the path to my own custom
path. Be *very* careful not to move the startpoint (which will be the
endpoint when reversed) or you'll be back where you started.

> This does however add a new problem... the whole collection of objects now
> shows on screen from the first appearance of the slide then each in turn
> vanishes and turns up running its own motion path. Dragging them offscreen
> also drags the relative position of the motion paths thus taking all events
> begin/end points off the slide.

You need to lock the paths after you've made them, Terry. This will keep
the paths where they are and allow you to drag the objects off the

slide.

> I'll email it to you Phill. By the way, Echo, did you have any luck with
> the copy I sent you?

Heh. I was actually messing with it probably about the time you posted
this. Great timing!

>
> Thanks, this one is still driving me a little bit batty.

I can see why. I still haven't found anything foolproof for this one.
Too bad the alignment tools can't be expanded to apply to the motion
paths' endpoints.

One interesting thing I did find is that the motion path endpoints are
anchored to the middle of the group/object that's moving. I sure wish
that could be designated by the designer. Would certainly make life
easier in this case.

Echo

[@webshite.org Adam Crowley]

Blimey, guv'nor.
Got there in the end - mainly using your suggestion, Phill...

"Phill Power" <Ph...@thepowerfamily.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:5qwdTSA2...@ntlworld.com...

[Terry A. Austin]

I want to take a minute to thank all the folks who invested so much time &
effort in trying to solve this. problem. The best solution thus far has
been a combination of suggestions.

Thanks to all who contributed to this interesting little problem!

Terry

"Adam Crowley" <adam @ webshite.org> wrote in message

news:#tyzdLsSBHA.1404@tkmsftngp03...

[Phill Power]

Glad to have been part of it!

Sorry I didn't get much time to look at the slide, Terry, but I was in
show. From what I did try - using guidelines etc. - it was a real
fiddle! Glad you got there though.

All the best

Phill

In article <uyTUN77SBHA.1960@tkmsftngp03>, Terry A. Austin