Flash CS3
Kaleidoscope Project (Masking)

1. Creating The Mask Shape

Start a new Flash document and draw yourself a circle using the drawing tools.

It's quite difficult to divide the circle into segments by eye. We can be a bit more precise. First we need to know the dimensions of the circle. Choose the free transform tool and select the circle shape. Set its height and width to the same round number (eg 200 pixels).

The width or height of the circle is its diameter. The radius of the circle is half this figure. Now draw a line from the exact centre of the circle to the perimeter. Select this line and move the transformation point to the centre of the circle.

Copy and paste the line in place. Now rotate the second line 60° in any direction. You should now have a segment of the circle. Use the eraser tool to rub out everything other than this segment, leaving you a shape like the one below. Highlight this shape and convert it to a symbol.

CS3 Screenshot

2. Making The Spangles

The spangles are the pretty colours that are rotated around to create the kaleidoscope effect. Create a new symbol called spangles. Draw coloured shapes overlapping each other to make one large shape about twice the size of the pie slice that you made earlier. Something like the shapes below would be great.

CS3 Screenshot

3. Making The Slice Movie Clip

Choose to insert a new symbol from the main menu. Make sure that this symbol is set as a movie clip. Place you pie slice on the stage on the top layer. Select the pie symbol and choose to Break Apart. Colour the slice with a solid colour and then delete the outside lines.

Add another layer immediately below the mask layer and place your spangles symbol on this layer.

Right mouse click on the layer that is going to be the mask and choose for it to be a mask layer.

Use motion tweens to rotate your spangles symbol across the masked area. If you want to rotate your shape through 360°, you will need more than one tween.

CS3 Screenshot

4. Making the Kaleidoscope Movie Clip

Create a new movie clip symbol. Add your pie symbol 6 times, arranging each slice in a circle.

CS3 Screenshot

5. Finishing

Finish by placing the complete kaleidoscope symbol on the stage. Done!