CompuServe Messages

Sherwood, here's the absolute best way to simulate hand writing. If you can set up a sample of hand or "script" writing as a background bitmap and turn background view on in the 2d shaper this will really help. In the 2d shaper use the create/freehand tool (with an appropriate setting) and draw over the background image to create a path for lofting with. You can then create a simple circle of appropriate diameter to be the shape to loft along this path. Assign the path of the writing and do a path/get/shaper in the lofter and then assign the circle as the shape and do a shape/get/shaper. Object/make with mapping on, and settings of Length repeat=1, Normalize length on, perimeter repeat=1. Now all you need to do is create an animated opacity map to reveal the writing over time. I use anipro for this and it's basically a black screen that's fills with white (top to bottom or left to right, I forget) over the duration of time that the script needs to revealed. If it takes 90 frames to draw on the script then make the animation 90 frames and add extra black frames at the beginning and white at the end if you need to delay the start or hold the effect until the end of the animation This worked like a treat for me recently. If you need better details give me a ring at my house tomorrow (Saturday) before 2pm (heading for the mountains, after that) and I'll try to be more explicit and possibly dig up a sample I just did.