Tech Notes for Flash
The Unofficial Flash Developers Group
In duplicating this bug you must follow Ricky's steps exactly even a slight variation will prevent, correct, or modify the behavior of the bug before it is ever shown. It is so strange to see your lines disappear this can be quite disconcerting. But the ink drop work around detailed above is an effective prevention or correction. If you follow the steps exactly you will have a rotating wheel in the editor and a blank screen in the export. Changing the shape will likely make the export visible. It might not rotate at all and other times part of the oval will rotate while the rest of it remains stationary. The hatched outline created abnormal operation more than other line styles and I couldn't create the defect using a solid line. The example as Ricky outlined can be made to work by using the ink drop tool and changing the line style to solid and back to hatched. Alternatively if you fill and unfill the symbol the hatched ring exports correctly as well. Note, all of these problems show up in the exported .swf file only and appear normally inside the editor. Procedure to Duplicate Disappearing Pencil Drawn Bug.
1) 'File>New'
2) Select the Pencil tool and select 'Oval, (any color), 8 as the line width, and Hatched(second from the bottom) as the style.
3) Make sure the position bar is at Frame 1 and 'Layer 1' is the 'Current' layer.
4) Click and drag to make a 1" circle in the center of the work area.
5) Now, select the 'Arrow' tool and click and drag a selection box completely around the circle... release and it is now selected.
6) 'Insert>Create Symbol...' Name the symbol 'Ring' and make sure that 'Button Behavior' is unchecked. There should be a selection box around the circle as it is now a symbol. Now use the 'Scale' tool to enlarge
the Ring symbol to about 4-5" in diameter. Deselect the Ring symbol.
---Select 'Window>Library...' just to make sure that the Ring symbol is in the Library at this point... it should be the only symbol listed---
7) Click on frame 20 in 'Layer 1's' timeline and insert a frame and then insert a keyframe.
8) Move the position bar to frame 20 and select the Ring symbol, (if it isn't already selected.)
9) Use the rotate tool to turn the Ring symbol about 45 degrees to the right and deselect the it.
10) Now click on frame 1 in 'Layer 1' and open the 'Tweening...' dialog box. Select motion, (making sure that 'Tween Rotation' is checked), and press OK.
---At this point, use the <> keys to preview the animation. You should see the Ring symbol rotate as the frames pass.---
11) Lock 'Layer 1' and Select 'File>Export Movie...'. Save as 'test.swf' to your desktop. Disable the Audio Stream and leave the rest defaulted. Press OK.
12) Double-click the 'test' icon on your desktop and watch in amazement as a blank screen appears. Press the enter key, (Play), and stare at the empty window where your animation should have been.