Controlling transformations with Authorware

QuickTime 3 provides the ability to rotate, scale, and offset a QuickTime movie's image within its sprite's bounding rectangle. You can take advantage of these new features by manipulating the sprite's rotation, scale, and translation properties.

You can set the rotation, scale, and translation properties for either a QuickTime 3 icon or its sprite. When you add a new QuickTime 3 icon to the flowline, the sprite takes the current property values stored with the sprite icon. When you change the icon's properties, it's sprite is affected even when it isn't currently playing in the Presentation window. Changing a sprite's properties with SetSpriteProperty will only affect the sprite if it appears in the Presentation window.

For example, imagine that a sprite icon named "QuickTime 3" is on the flowline. The sprite from this sprite icon is currently playing in the Presentation window. The following commands in a calc window show that the sprite has the same rotation property setting as the sprite icon.

    IconRotation := GetIconProperty(IconID@"QuickTime 3", #rotation)
    -- IconRotation is 45
    SpriteRotation := GetSpriteProperty(IconID@"QuickTime 3", #rotation)
    -- SpriteRotation is 45

The following commands demonstrate that setting the rotation of the sprite icon broadcasts the change to its sprites.

    SetIconProperty(IconID@"QuickTime 3", #rotation, 90)
    IconRotation := GetIconProperty(IconID@"QuickTime 3", #rotation)
    -- IconRotation is 90
    SpriteRotation := GetSpriteProperty(IconID@"QuickTime 3", #rotation)
    -- SpriteRotation is 90

Now notice that setting the rotation of the sprite does not affect the sprite icon.

    SetSpriteProperty(IconID@"QuickTime 3", #rotation, 180)
    IconRotation := GetIconProperty(IconID@"QuickTime 3", #rotation)
    -- IconRotation is 90
    SpriteRotation := GetSpriteProperty(IconID@"QuickTime 3", #rotation)
    -- SpriteRotation is 180

Note: If set to #directToStage = TRUE the image will leave remnants of all previous scale and rotation points. #directToStage = FALSE should be set.