Text Drop Shadows (and a moving light)

 

Compatibilities:

This item has not yet been rated

How can I give text a drop shadow and have it change based on a virtual "light"?

Get the source

Unlike field members, text members don't default to all the "nice" drop shadow effects.  If you want them you have to make them, but lingo can help you out.  Since text members can change properties such as forecolor independent of their parent cast members, this isn't too difficult to do.  You can either put a second version of the same sprite on the stage, or we can let lingo handle this task.  We will need to know what the text will use as reference (a light), what it will follow (mouse or sprite), and a general offset of how far the shadow stretches from the light. We set up a basic getPropertyDescriptionList handler to choose these parameters, then use the beginSprite handler to start or create the shadow sprite.   The exitFrame handler takes care of the rest.  It double checks for a text member, then gets the relative distance from the "light" and sends the shadow the other direction.  Below is the code...   property spriteNum, shadowSprite, follow, followSPrite, rangeOffset on getPropertyDescriptionList me   p_list = [:]   if the currentSpriteNum > 0 and sprite(the currentSpriteNum).member.type = #text then     p_list.addProp(#shadowSprite, [#format : #integer, #comment : "Which sprite to use as the shadow?", #default : (the currentSpriteNum + 1)])     p_list.addProp(#follow, [#format : #symbol, #comment : "What should the shadow follor?", #default : #mouse, #range : [#mouse, #sprite, #nothing]])     p_list.addProp(#rangeOffset, [#format : #float, #comment : "Offset value for the shadow:", #default : 100.0])     p_list.addProp(#followSprite, [#format : #integer, #comment : "If following a sprite, which sprite?", #default : the currentSpriteNum + 2])   end if   return p_list end on beginSprite me   if sprite(spriteNum).member.type = #text then     if sprite(shadowSprite).member.type = #empty then       puppetSprite shadowSprite true     end if     sprite(spriteNum).ink = 36     sprite(shadowSprite).ink = 36     sprite(shadowSprite).member = sprite(spriteNum).member     sprite(shadowSprite).forecolor = 255     sprite(shadowSprite).locz = sprite(spriteNum).locZ - 1   end if end on endSprite me   puppetSprite shadowSprite false end on enterFrame me   if sprite(spriteNum).member.type = #text then     if follow = #mouse then       distance = sprite(spriteNum).loc - point(the mouseH, the mouseV)       sprite(shadowSprite).loc = sprite(spriteNum).loc + (distance / point(rangeOffset, rangeOffset))     else if follow = #sprite then       distance = sprite(spriteNum).loc - sprite(followSprite).loc       sprite(shadowSprite).loc = sprite(spriteNum).loc + (distance / point(rangeOffset, rangeOffset))     end if   end if end on getBehaviorDescription me   return "Drop this behavior on a text member and assign an empty sprite or a sprite with a second instance of the same cast member. Choose the " & quote & "light" & quote & " and you are ready to go." end Notice that it is important to put an endSprite handler to turn puppeting off on the sprite, otherwise the "shadow" will linger after the text is gone.   That's it.  (Ehhibit 1) How can you take this to the next step?  How about adding other types of cast members, multiple lights with blends and multiple shadows.  Experiment with it and have fun.  Happy coding.