[Question] Rotating/moving a wide dashed-rectangle (conveyor belt) ?

[msh]

I have created a 2d conveyor belt (to be used in Unity, although shouldn't matter)

using a rounded rectangle with dashed style lines.

 

Now I would like to animate it in the game, and for that I'm looking to create frames where the dashed are positioned differently.

I'm not sure how to "move" it though, since the entire rectangle isn't square.

 

Attaching the rectangle I have: 

To clarify, I'm looking to rotate the chain outside the belt - which is the rectangle with the dashed style.

 

 

Any ideas are welcome 🙏

[Pixey]

To rotate the "chain" which I assume is the dotted lines, you'd have to have them on their own layer and separate from the belt  

[msh]

 

@Pixey oh yeah that is the easy part; but even after that, how do I rotate the chain?

I'm only aware of the layer/image rotation, and that would not rotate it as I'm looking for.

 

For example after rotation:

 

Edited September 30, 2023 by msh

[Pixey]

43 minutes ago, msh said:

For example after rotation:

 

You could also just 'select' the chain itself and then use > Shift + Right click mouse and pull on the nubs to rotate.  Using right click moves it 15% at a time.

 

[msh]

@Pixey I don't think I explained my self correctly; the image I showed is what happens, and what I do NOT want to do.

 

What I want to do is make the conveyor looks like it's moving.

Imagine the conveyor running and transporting items on it.

 

That would mean each dashed line is moving towards the next dashd line.

The ones at the top would go right, ones on the bottom would go left, etc etc.

 

I guess like this, but 2d - and only talking about the chain.

 

 - 

[Pixey]

So this is really a question for how you animate it as it rotates around on itself?

This is a bit too complicated for my knowledge, which I do in @midora's Plugin.

[msh]

@Pixey I was hoping to just use "flipbook animation" of some sort, and create the separate images in paint.net

And will take a look at the plugin you mentioned - thanks!

[Pixey]

You may want to look at a tutorial or two.  i.e. this one here would give you an idea of a shape that, when animated, would move the wheel around in a circle.

 

I have a few tutorials on here on how to use @midora's Plugin:

 

https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/31665-make-an-animated-gif-with-midoras-plugin/

 

 

[frio]

If I'm correct about what you're actually asking: you want to change the spot the dashing starts, along the "tread" of the conveyor?

 

If so, that is not easily done as there is no setting for that: any shape drawn by the shape tool has a defined starting point, and the dashing starts from that fixed point, without any offset selector for it.

 

The only option that might come *close* but I can't produce an easy result as the tool is not meant for this specifically: TR's Paste Frame

It allows you to paste a texture following around a selection, so you could draw an un-dashed "rounded belt", then select it, and try to fill it with a suitable dashed texture from the clipboard (a small square texture with say, 75% black, 25% white).

 

To generate the next offset for the animation, you'd nudge that small texture left or right by one pixel or two and fill the empty edge with the color that scrolled off (or use the Panelling distortion filter, it's in the Plugin Index too) and run the effect again on a new layer. Repeat until a full cycle is produced, add the other details like the rollers, and save as animated gif.

 

The adjustments are very fiddly for a rounded shape like that, though, hence why I didn't produce an example image, but it could be worth a try? Also best to work at a large scale and shrink the final result down, the plugin doesn't seem to like very small selections much.