Balloons are
not parented with the spike, spark, hook or thought components to allow for
full versatility. All components are loaded at 0,0,0 and can be parented
together as needed. There are simply too many combinations to make each one
separately.
Load a text balloon
you want to use. It is important that you do not move it. Then load the spike
component. It will load in the default position connected to the balloon.
Parent them together before moving or resizing them.
Most of the time
resizing is not necessary. If you need a larger text area, simply move the
balloon closer to the camera. To have the spike pointing in a different
direction, rotate the parented prop 180 degrees in the X or Z axis.
To have the spike
coming off the side, be sure your balloon is at 0,0,0, then rotate the spike
along the Z axis only. Then carefully move it into place using Xtrans and
Ytrans.
If you need to
move the spike after the balloon has been moved, follow these steps; 1.)
rotate the balloon to 0 or 180 on all axis. 2.) Right click on the spike
component in your list and select 'Unparent Item'. 3.) Rotate or move as
described above. 4.) Parent them back together.
If you end up
with a small line where the balloon and spike come together, try adjusting
the spike up, down, left or right. However, they can be easily removed in
post-work.
A trick is to
load and parent several spikes to one balloon. You can turn off any that
you are not using. Also, parent the text balloon directly to a camera that
has been added to the scene. Reset all rotations to 0. Use the X and Y
coordinates to position them. You can change the Z coordinates to size the
text balloon. This technique insures the full face of the balloon is facing
the camera. |
