TOPIC LOCATION:     `Stage Editor`;     `Object Menu (Stage)`

PRECEDING TOPIC:    `Snapshot (Stage)`
FOLLOWING TOPIC:    `Alignment Bar`

VISUAL DEMONSTRATION AVAILABLE:    `(S)_Position_Bar.demo`

* (Make sure CAMERA VIEW is selected in the Stage Editor's Display Menu)

To have an object's position change over the course of an animation, you
would normally have to enter the Action script editor to break up the
Position timeline in order to enter the changing position values.  The
Position Bar function allows you to interactively change the position of an
object at certain frames within the Stage Editor screen.

You must first have started by entering the Action script editor and
setting the number of frames for the animation.  Make sure that the object
whose position you want to adjust, exists in the desired frames; set the
starting and ending frames in the object's Actor timeline.  Then enter the
Stage Editor quad views.

For a simple example, in a 30 frame animation, let's cause an object to
start out at the bottom camera's view, move to a higher position at frame
15, then move back to the bottom of the camera's view at frame 30.  If you
are not already at frame 1, just goto it by selecting First from the Frame
menu.  Use the interactive manipulation functions (M on the keyboard for
moving) or the Transformation function to adjust the position of the object
in this frame.  After the position is set, select Position Bar from the
object menu.  The values for the position timeline in the Action Script
will automatically be set according to the current, visual position of the
object.  Now goto frame 15 and move the the object to its top position.
Again, select Position Bar to adjust the position timeline.  Finally go to
the last frame (30), move the object back to the bottom position and select
Position Bar a final time.  If you enter the Action Script Screen, you
should notice that the position bar has automatically been set and split
appropriately over the 30 frames.  You can then select Make to build the
preview of the animation.
