Autodesk 62205-051408-9001 User Guide - Page 534

20 Animating Text The flexibility and options of vector-based text in Combustion not only let you animate titles and credits-the traditional domain of character generators-you can also create stunning textures and transitions. About Text Objects Text objects in the Paint and Text operators are like any other object, with a few important differences. As with all objects, you can move, rotate, scale, and shape text. Once you create it, a text block exists as an object on a layer. You can move the text object up or down in the stacking order and apply different draw modes to each object. Like other objects, text objects are vector-based, and do not degrade when scaled. The individual vector shapes of each character can be edited to create custom fonts and unique animations. For more information on objects, see "About Objects" in Chapter 16, "Introduction to Paint''. Text objects can also have effects applied to them, such as blur and noise. Unlike other Paint objects, text objects have attributes such as face, outline, and softness. Once a text object is created and animated, you can edit the object at any time, including change the text, the font, the font attributes, or you can add new characters to the text object. Installing Fonts Combustion uses system fonts that are installed on your system the same way as other fonts. PostScript and TrueType fonts are supported on the Macintosh platforms and Windows systems. Some international text capabilities are also supported on the Macintosh, including double-byte character support for Asian and Arabic characters, and rightto-left and vertical typesetting. For information on installing fonts on your system, refer to your system documentation. Creating Text You can add text to a composite in several ways: • Add a Text operator to a layer. • Add a separate Text branch to a workspace. • Create a new Text layer in a composite. • Use the Text tool in the Paint operator. When text is added to a layer, the effect on the layer in relation to the entire composite is displayed only when you switch to the composite view. Like the Paint operator, the Text operator works on the original footage of that layer. If you add a Text operator as a separate branch to a composite, the operator is placed on top of the composite and the effect of the text on the entire composite is visible. You can also add a Text layer to a composite. Adding a Text layer to the composite creates a new solid layer that has a Text operator already applied. You can also create text directly in Paint. The Text tool in Paint has the same options as the Text operator, with a few additional features. Like other Paint objects, a text object in Paint can be a mask or selection object, it can be used as a clone or reveal source, and it can be exported as a .swf file format. For more information, see "Toolbar--Drawing Tools" in Chapter 16, "Introduction to Paint'' and "Exporting Paint Objects as .swf File Formats" in Chapter 17, "Paint: Drawing Basics''. 518