Here's one solution, DK. I assume masking won't work because you output to swf.
I just added a single, extra point that can be pulled to stretch the image texture to fit (I only did one side). This can have its edges hidden and then weld its two points on the skull outline to minimize this to a line, but you'd need some way to hide these 'texture stretch' lines.
For this skull, maybe something like an arrow through it could hide this.
1. Create an extra separate closed mesh shape with just 3 points off to the side of the skull
2. Select the skull AND this extra mesh to create the shape.
3. Hide edges on the smaller mesh points.
4. Select just the smaller mesh shape points only.
5. Using the scale points tool, type in 0 for x and y and hit the scale button.
6. You can now move around those "squished to nothing" 3 points to "shift" the texture fill. You could also create as many of those "nothing" meshes as part of the fill to further push the texture around. They don't seem to render as far as I can see.
By scaling the smaller mesh to 0 it doesn't show in renders but still "holds" the fill to influence the texture. Using only one point doesn't work, it has to have a closed shape. It shouldn't show up in a render (it didn't at NTSC renders but who knows).
Thanks for bringing this up, and thanks to Synth for finding the trick. I love this technique! My head is spinning! I need to play around with it to see what it can do.
What's cool about this is that you could have a series of these inviisible point groups to do all kinds of things with texture fills, INCLUDING GRADIENT FILLS!
I've use this trick before but never thought to scale the points down to zero!
WOW!!!! You two guys have just developed a great technique here!!! It's scary though to think this may not have even happened if I had'nt started playing around with that scale rotate stuff...says a lot for experimentation
Point binding has little influence on the image texture. The only thing that effects warping of the image is BONE STRENGTH alone. Nothing else effects the image. Point binding of points will not effect an image texture.
Moving points by hand will distort the image texture. Bone strength influencing points effects image texture warping. Binding points to bones has ZERO effect on image warping (if the bone has no strength).
The bone controlling the red gradients is constrained to the bone controlling the two red pupils. The constraint value is 4. There is one of those "extra" shapes in the center of each eye. The extra value for the translation keeps the gradient in sync (sort of) with the eye ball by extending it much further out of the eye shape than the eyeball, forcing the gradient to follow the eye.
You can even use multiple shapes to "extend" a radial gradient. Instead of a tight compressed circle in the center color you can sort of get an expanded one. Have to be carefull of banding though.
DK, great idea to use it for gradient animation! That an amazingly simple technique. I don't know how we ever lived without this. Thanks for providing the inspiration for Vern and me to figure this out.
I still can't believe it....Animated gradients!!!!
