STEP 08 adding dimension to THE WIREFRAME

If you look closely at the wireframe CPU in the ad spot, you'll notice that at times it pops out of the screen a bit, like a shaded object. This effect is achieved by adding a second instance of the CPU symbol, slightly offset from the original. By changing the color of the offset instance to all white, the wireframe appears to have depthall while moving through space.

To add dimension to an existing wireframe animation, follow these steps:

1. Create a new layer below the CPU layer and call it cpu_fx or something similar.

2. Select all frames of the original 3D object layer as created in Step 7.

3. Drag the selected frames into the new layer while pressing the Ctrl (Cmd) key to duplicate the layer.

4. Select the instance of cpu_rotate in the first keyframe of the cpu_fx layer.

5. Use the arrow keys to move the object one pixel up and one pixel to the left.

6. Select the instance of cpu_rotate in the next keyframe and repeat step 5.

7. Select the instance of cpu_rotate in the first keyframe again.

8. Choose Modify > Instance to open the Instance Properties dialog.

9. On the Color Effect panel, select Tint from the Color Effect drop-down list. Set the color to white (255 for Red, Green, and Blue) and the Tint Amount to 100%. Click OK when you're done.

10. Select the instance of cpu_rotate in the second keyframe and repeat step 9.

When you've completed these steps, the wireframe object looks as if it is reflecting light from the upper-left corner of the screen (see (see figure 05:16).

Figure 05:16.